Rowen Cross 1st - Season   Tom Elliot 3rd - Season   Daniel Cummings 7th - Season

14 July 2009 - King's Sports Centre, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
From windswept moors to sun kissed shores the EB is nothing if not well travelled. Which is a good job because air miles count for nothing if you're prone to the odd half truth, a hint of innuendo and a smidgeon of deceit.

So that's the basis of the match report covered then, all that's needed is to plug in the details; Old Boys in their black Thistle Construction kit defending an unbeaten start to the season against Brickhouse, a team they have played against five times and enjoyed much success including a record score but succumbed in the last encounter when a five man OB team were beaten for the first time.

In a league where it's not unusual to have encounters between players of the same name, although generally all agriculturally related e.g. Bush, Field etc, this fixture always takes on an extra edge with the continuation of the Fleur-de-Lys and White Rose battle between the established and the once was. It has thrown up some marvellous moments in OB history, including inept official warnings before games, violent challenges from "well meaning" Neanderthals and that tackle. Having been forced to rely on a man dancing with a pineapple in his arse for entertainment last week, the EB was hoping for more fruit based encounters this. Grapes possibly. Sour ones.

The team news was encouraging; Tom Elliot had managed to successfully avoid injury in the car park prior to the game and was fit to start, along with the returning Comins. Out was Addison, after his cameo performance last week, Ludford-Thomas and Blenkinsop were also still away on family duty and they were again joined on the absent list by Gaffing, who after his sexual mishaps, clearly isn't healing as quickly as he used to. Also missing is Winehouse, aka Gardner, so called because he's always out. In was a trailist, Leighton Elliott, keen to show the OBs that he deserved a place in the most talked about squad in the league. So it was a formidable force that lined up against a team that has in recent months, showered the OBs with the most sincerest form of praise. Just remember sunshines, the OBs always do it first and best. A mantra for girlfriends, if the EB had such a thing.

The anticipated fiery encounter materialised from the referees first whistle and the EB got its fruit fix in the tackles. There was not going to be any prisoners and the post game drinks in the shared venue were teeing up to be interesting. The referees demonstrated from the outset that quite a lot was going to be allowed, or missed, and both sides took advantage of that. However, for all the huff and puff, Brickhouse just didn't ever seem like seriously penetrating the OBs defence. Strongly protected by the hard running Elliotts, the defenders seemed unphased and for large portions of the first half played the ball around with little urgency which at times bordered on the complacent. And despite the OBs first half dominance, the complacent element was clearly raising it's ugly head.

The first goal came from Cross, a lovely finish to a sweeping move, starting from the back, and utilising the forward holding the ball up and then laying it off. The Brickhouse three man defence clearly considered themselves impenetrable and were noticeably shocked to discover that they could be breached. A feeling of déjà vu quickly followed as Leighton Elliott spotted Cummings peeling off the shoulder of his marker and slotted a perfect ball through the gap following excellent work from Roughead. Cummings capitalised and fired home the OBs second. Despite the score and the pressure, the OBs never really get into the flow of their game in a manner in which they have demonstrated in previous weeks. Even when Tom Elliott made it 3-0 with a tremendous strike from distance following good team possession and movement, the OBs never really looked convincing. However, a half time score of 3-0 was acceptable.

The talk at half time was about pressure, not giving up and keeping possession. The first thing the OBs do in the second half was fail to pressure, give up the challenge and waste the ball allowing Brickhouse to pull one back. It was a poor goal to concede by the OBs and no-one on the pitch at the time can come away blameless. That should have been a catalyst for a resurgence in drive and an effort to restore the game to the tempo that the OBs like to play. Unfortunately, the rhythm just wasn't there and the stray pass count rose. Brickhouse caught a whiff of an opportunity to get back into the game and pressed harder but still really didn't penetrate. Even with the best efforts of Sives who got three players sent off for his structural violations and a foul. For sixteen minutes of the twenty five, the OBs toiled with a man down. However, their style was still evident, even with a man down, they played keep the ball across the defence and midfield with some success and much to the frustration of Brickhouse.

When the referee signalled the end of the encounter it was to huge relief for the OBs. They hadn't played well but deserved to win and ground it out. They need to step up again against DMS to preserve their unbeaten run.