Can’t Stand Losing to You

Saturday October 9, 2:30

Over 35s 2 v KRAC 3

In the past I’ve written long reports about our Interport adventures. This year’s report will be short. Don’t think me unkind. Words are hard to find.

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da:

Tennis: Cancelled (weather)

Badminton: Lost

Mixed hockey: Lost

Firsts: Drawn (2-2)

Over 35s: Lost (2-3)

Darts: Won (10-3)

Snooker: Won (5-2)

Cricket: Cancelled (weather)

KRAC retain the Interport.

Those of you paying attention there will have calculated that a positive result for the Over 35s would have seen the Interport trophy return to its rightful home in Yokohama. For many of the usual reasons when we play Kobe, that wasn’t to be.

Somehow we conceded thrice in this match—on each occasion to attacks on the counter—and were only able to force two goals in reply. The Over 35s by no means played badly and, On Any Other Day, would have ground out the victory. This being the Interport, however, there was a Ghost in the Machine.

Synchronicity

Once again this venerable fixture was marred by poor sportsmanship from one or two of our opponents and by the over-active involvement of the world’s worst linesman. Where oh where do these flaggers come from? I think we should be told.

The KRAC goals you’ve heard enough about already: flukes against the run of play. For the Fives…

Our first (1-2) was a clipped Andrew Barrett effort following great work down our left flank by Sada Hosogai and Gareth Cardiff. This combination looked threatening all afternoon and could well be the source of many more goals in the long season ahead.

Our second (2-3) was a Russell Brown pearler direct from a corner. In his post-match interview, Russell said he had looked up to see nothing obvious on by way of a cross, so went instead for the shot. Yet another classic strike for the Russell Brown Collection.

It’s Alright For You, Russell. YCAC’s No. 17 has rather more difficulty with his shooting. Late in the fourth quarter, having beaten the KRAC offside trap and finding himself bearing down on GK Aftab 30 yards out, yours truly favoured a square-ish ball into the path of the onrunning Gareth in preference to bursting the net with a low piledriver, and duly overhit the pass. It was a golden opportunity to level proceedings, and the silence that followed it left me feeling So Lonely.

The historical record must also show that for the first time in at least a couple of seasons we had a player sent off—a straight red for a mild expression of irritation following a typical piece of niggling provocation from a KRAC player. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” AB had appeared to protest, much to the linesman’s apparent annoyance. The whole episode was a near duplicate of the sending off in the Firsts’ game immediately beforehand, when the same linesman came dashing onto the field—giant steps are not what he took—to advise the referee of something-and-nothing similar following an almost laughable act of cynicism from a Kobe player.

Captain Gordon Deas had asked us before kick-off not to get wound up by certain KRAC players’ antics and to respect the officials, but when a linesman is watching Every Breath You Take…

“Roxanne! You don’t have to put up the red card. Roxanne! Walk the pitch for money, you don’t care if it’s wrong or if it’s right….”

There was a little black spot on the sun this day. Throughout the match, the rain fell steadily, heavily, horizontally at times, until suddenly it was all over again.

Bring on the Night

Following the football, comprehensive victories in the darts and snooker (including two wins over the King of Pain) helped ease our suffering before dinner was served in the newly refurbished room that was formerly the library. (When the World is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around.)

Sada Hosogai exhibited a bunch of his old YCAC shirts alongside less attractive offerings from Kobe. Vintage YCAC rugby shirts were also on display, some of them washed.

Ancient Interport trophies survived their re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, as did some interesting old photo albums of Interport happenings past. Remarkably, Fives’ defender Ippei Iwasaki stumbled across this old picture of the YCAC team he represented in the Interport back in 1969.

1969… Brings us back, rather conveniently, to the subject of the officials.

By Alex Hendy

Goals: Andrew Barrett, Russell Brown

Tullett Prebon Man of the Match: Greg Lyon (that’s two in a row now for GK Greg)

Officials: Linesman had the ref Wrapped Around His Finger

Attendance: The stadium rocked

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