Hillcroft 2s 6 - 17 Blues

23rd October 2021

A wood-panelled clubhouse bar and changing room corridors that smelled like behind the high-school bikesheds provided a wonderfully nostalgic backdrop for the match against Blues.

The first quarter saw a solid performance from Hillcroft, with a good, steady hustle all round. The Hillcrovian defence put in a formidable shift, with advocates of the club’s Durham insurgency glad to see Big Phil Parish back in his natural habitat - laying people out on the lacrosse field. Welcome back Phil.

Greg Markes delivered a show-reel worthy moment, sending a Blues attacker’s stick spinning wildly to the ground. An absolute yard sale - everything must (and did) go. Capitalising on the sturdy rear guard, Hillcroft O was able to thread some simple, yet nifty plays together and the Halibuts finished the first 20 minutes in the lead.

Sadly, despite rousing words from Captain Kemp the energy waned as the game progressed. A combination of unfortunate errors (some more basic than others), and some university level banter from the opposition meant that some cages were rattled and tempers began to fray. Shout out to Sav for fluffing the clear and then screaming at the middies who had run up to receive it. DOD.

At the other end of the field it appeared that both Jessup and Big Mike had eaten too much for breakfast, as neither were able to finish their dinners. Fortunately this was not the case for the team’s finest overseas imports. Goals were delivered by both French Paul and Tim Scott, the latter being, somewhat aptly, a bloody ripper.

The downward trajectory was doomed to continue as Blues took advantage of the Halibut’s lack of proper face-man and exploited the fast break, causing frustrations to become increasingly visible (Kemp pushed a dude). Even Wheels, a veritable bastion of cool, calm and collectedness, was seen to expel shouts of both frustration and triumph.

It’s fair to say that the final score was not demonstrative of Hillcroft’s true capability, but the boys had the self-awareness to acknowledge that they can, and will, do better next time.

Special mention to both goalkeepers; an absolute fridge of a man for Blues, with reflexes of a cat, and Dobson for Hillcroft, who stepped up to fill the big crocs of Luke Hamilton and pulled off some quality saves, despite being at the tail end of a three-day bender.

Final score: 6-17

MOM: Tim Scott

DOD: Sav