JOINING FORCES WITH ROBINSONS MENS TO FORM CLOBBIES

West Wilts Mixed 7’s Tournament

So it was, on a rather tumultuous day of weather, Clobbies (the new mixed amalgamation of the mighty Clifton Ladies HC and Robinsons HC) were cordially invited (thanks to KB, aka Robert Kerr-Bonner) to attend the annual 7’s tournament hosted by West-Wilts HC on the 9^th July.

A more serious and professional gaggle of ladies and gents you couldn’t imagine. Warm ups included Haribo, Strawberry Spears and an exciting game of Butts...

The layout of the tournament consisted of 2 groups of 6 teams, 15 minute chuckers and knockouts of quarters through to the final which we’d all set our sights upon. West Wilts had been the dominant force for the past couple of years with team ‘Your Mum’ determined to keep their mitts firmly on the trophy. The organisers had spotted our threat early and in a bid to keep the crowds in suspense, decided it best to keep the two hockey behemoths separate until the knockout stages.

Clobbies line-up was a sight to behold: In pads was Nico – a ginger Adonis with the reflexes of a cat, Tommy – tanned, fit and organised... enough said, Laura Fuller – goal machine and definitely the better half, Zoe – with 3D skills to chill the blood, Charlie – our beloved Capitano, KB – a more wily fox you couldn’t imagine, Matty Moore – with an accent to melt the very heart of any who dared enter his zone of terror, Oli Fuller – with those famous go-go gadget arms, JB – pace and a distinct lack of brains, and last but not least, the shadowed forlorn figure of Shilo – determined to maintain his aloofness of mixed hockey... lasted 15 minutes!

Flotsam and Jetsam (North Wilts) were the first to taste the Clobbies wrath. Tommy and Zoe notching a brace each with JB finding the fifth with none in return. Oh yes 5-0.

Mad Hatters (West-Wilts) made more of the 2^nd game with Kiwi Matty the only Clobbies player to find a path through to their net despite ominous dominance from the Bristol boys and girls. 1-0.

Nice and CD Too (Bath Mixed HC) were in for a torrid time with Charlie hitting the first of her tournament and Shilo getting his name on the score sheet too before his wife netted two more, Matty bagging another and Laura Fuller getting herself warmed up with a single. 6-0.

Marmot All Stars (West Wilts) shipped a further 3 goals. Oli Fuller, Charlie and Matty bagging one a piece. 3-0.

Abbeywood Aces (MoD). Oh dear. 15 minutes and 9 goals... are we sitting comfortably? Shilo 1, Tommy 2, Charlie 2 and a smashing 4 from Laura Fuller. BOOM!!

That put us well and truly top of the group with our next match, a quarter final, against 4^th in the opposing group.

Quarter Final: Vs Norfolk n Good (West Wilts). Nonchalance had crept into the Clobbies persona, with clean sheets and 24 goals to the good in our previous 5 games. Norfolk n Good soon put paid to our lethargy with an early goal shocking Clobbies let alone the supporters now bristling sidelines. Well, that just wasn’t on. Shilo and JB turned up trumps and Clobbies were soon sailing into the Semi’s with a 2-1 triumph.

Semi-Final: Vs Team Bath Buccs. With the cobwebs blown away in the previous match alerting us to the serious nature of our position, all we needed was another win and the trophy would be within spitting distance. We all knew of the latent danger within the talented Bath side but it was the brilliance of Zoe’s reverse stick strike that broke the deadlock giving us a 1-0 win and the golden ticket to the final!

Final: Vs Your Mum (West Wilts). The crowds were baying in our ears with the current holders and top host side unwavering in their grit to maintain their hold on the trophy. An early goal past our Ginger Ninja made for a game on tenterhooks. The odds were even after a fantastic cross from Charlie leaving Shilo practising what he preaches and diving for a far post deflection. The final minute saw Oli Fuller and Shilo showboat their skills, bypassing Your Mum’s defence with a succession of the classic 1-2’s, but at the last, with an open net begging, neither could convert the chance. The final whistle. A nail-biting 5 minute golden goal stretch was the umpires decision, oh the tension! A telegraphed pass to the oppo’s striker allowed JB to intercept from the back and drive forward past a couple of Your Mum’s best. A waltz into the D and his first unrestrained strike in the bottom corner decided the day. Clobbies were triumphant!

The awards ceremony proceeded with Charlie graciously accepting shield, and making a start to the clobbies trophy cabinet!

Massive thanks go to the organisers of the tournament (West Wilts HC), along with Charlie for her organisational and captaining abilities and to KB for his kind extension of an invite and his unrelenting work on the pitch.