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There are teams in certain sports that win things that they really don’t deserve. Football is a perfect example. There are teams that have won championships and cups that plainly don’t deserve the title. Chelsea are the current holders of this dubious award. Mr Abramovich and his Russian oil money have quite literally bought the title and good old fashioned followers of football resent them for this. In the late 90’s Real Madrid did exactly the same, the New York Yankees do it in Baseball, Wasps do it in Rugby and Oracle did it in sailing.
The two top teams in Division 3 this year are by far and away the best hockey teams and prove the old adage that league results don’t lie. But there is something that just does not seem right with the way they dominated the league. All other clubs are minnows compared to the resources and sheer number of teams that these two clubs have. Teams like Blackpool, Sale, Runcorn and West Cumbria struggle every week to even get a side out, Bowden and Brooklands have nearly 100 people to make up their teams every week. I wish both the promoted teams every success next year and can see them being promoted again next year.
Every now and again a team does come along and turn over the apple cart. Nottingham Forest did it with Brian Clough at the helm in the 70’s. Leeds did it winning the last ever Division 1 title. Everton did it in 1995 by beating Manchester United in the FA Cup final. The non follower of sport and the neutral viewer will always support the underdog. Its a quintessentially British thing to do. My only hope is that next season a good old fashioned, honest to goodness side (like the ones mentioned above) win the title. No one will belittle such a triumph and I think that the neutral supporter would be right behind it.
[edit PL: but instead it will probably be Brooklands 4ths who look like being promoted from Div 4, and then Bowden 4ths (top of 5N) & 5ths (top of 5S) the following years!]
As for the game? Read the retiring keepers report on the Runcorn web page. He was none too impressed with his team’s performance. We scored four but in reality finished very poorly with too many shots going wide or just under hit. It was a good natured game against a good third division side and I know we all look forward to beating them again next year.
Squad – Blakemore, Woodman, Gettings, Wright, Abbott, Morrow K, Pasqualino, Boniface, Whitley, Ashfield, Morgan. MoM – Gettings (apparently for having a haircut like Bungle from Rainbow???)
© Kieron Morrow 28/03/06