So, this year sees the Irish Juniors make the trip to the World Junior Championships in Heilbronn. Last year they made their debut in Europe, now its time to take on the best of the other continents too!
To follow their progress check out the new blog.
Best of luck lads, I'm sure you'll do us all proud!
Marko
Monday, June 21, 2010
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Finals Day
Yes – our first decent lie-in all week! Our games were scheduled for the same time slot (2.30pm) which allowed the two teams sleep, go for a wander and find other breakfasts other than the tourney affair. A few of us went down to the pitches to watch the bronze medal game (scheduled for the first slot of the day for some reason) and were rewarded with an absolute cracker. Sweden went 14-9 up and a game to 16 was called. Germany knew they had to produce a run and produce they die, scoring the next 6 points to go one ahead 15-14. They got a D but couldn’t convert and a calm Swedish offence scored the goal to bring the game to a decider. 15-15, game to 16 – two loud sidelines and a lot of tension. Germany pulled and got a D within 5 passes. Immediately they gave it back though after a mis-communication between handler and cutter. Sweden took their time against an excellent defence and despite a couple of close calls, sealed the win with a punt up the line. Cue mass celebrations and more heartache for a German side full of Spirit and ability.
The 5 coaches then met at 11am to run through our tactics for the games later and some logistics for the party that night. We met as a team at 12 and set our stall out for the day – food, water, food, water and then 90 mins before game time focus o’clock. We met an hour before the games were due to start and spoke of the pride of the jersey and reminded the players how ending on a win is a special feeling. With that in mind the two teams took to the pitches to warm up, side-by-side – one vs. GB2, the other vs. Poland. Two good games ahead!
Ireland A
Final (for 13th place): GB2
Arguably the best match we were involved in during the week – two teams of similar ability fighting hard for every point. We didn’t start too well but fought back to get even at 4s. From there it was nip and tuck all the way with both Ds happy to use zone and fronting to pressurise the handlers. The trading continued until half with game on a knife edge. Our ling game wasn’t as prominent as it had been but the handlers were finding holes in the GB zone and using the disc well. Half: 7-6 GB2. After half the British team came out firing, they upped their D and got turns early in the half.One converted turn became two and after trading for two points they went ona three point run that wont them the match. We threw the kitchen sink at the, and fought right to the bitter end but it wasn’t to be. A team decimated by injuries had put it up to the GB outfit but fallen just short. A fine performance – one to be proud of.
Score: 10-14
MVP: Robbie Brennan
Ireland B
Final (for 15th place): Poland
Realistically, this game was ours to lose. We knew Poland’s weaknesses and what threat they posed to us on offence. A lot of their play relied on the obvious ability of a tall handler (no.26!) who was strong in the air and the best thrower on their side. We made sure to mark him hard and switched different players on to him every other point. Zone got us turns early on and despite nervy offence we soon took a commanding lead. A switch to a front up force put further pressure on the young Poles and were grew in confidence as the game developed. Our structure was vastly improved and dominated them in most areas. It was an excellent team display with every player contributing in spades. Lots of big grabs, fine throws and hard Ds secured a first win for Ireland Junior B!
Score: 17-6
MVP: David Ferris
After the final two games the teams warmed down and met in a tent near the two pitches we’d played on. We sat down in two separate circles and discussed MVP, MSP and A-Game votes. Each player had a word about who they felt should be voted for and then the two team voted. It was a nice way to tell each other what we thought and many of the votes (on both teams) were tied and we had to have a re-vote. In the end the results were:
Ireland A:
MVP: Yasin Mammeri
MSP: Richie Eyres (Steve)
A-Game: David Moriarty
Ireland B:
MVP: Cathal Tuffy
MSP: Mike Ryan
A-Game: Eoin Barry (Sticky)
The team presented the 5 coaches with a gift (deadly long-sleeved GAIA shirts) and thanked us for everything. Truth is, they did the work, they made the squad and they deserve the praise. It’s been the first year of an Irish Junior set up and the squad had been committed, honest and hard-working from day one. They’ve grown from a group of inexperienced players to a tightly knit bunch of athletes who really are the future of Irish Ultimate. Every one of them sis Ireland proud and a lot fo them will do so again in the future, at many levels.
After our small ceremony we ran home, showered etc and came back fro dinner and the last 40mins of the France Finland final. We arrived at 9-7 to the Finns. Soon it was 13-10 before France scored 3 in a row to bring it to 13s. At 14s game to 17 was called and the fast offences kept scoring. It was Finland who held their nerve though and, despite an amazing performance by the young French, won 17-15.
After a half hour of music and messing on the pitches the final ceremony began. There was recognition for the staff, a gift gift for each team, huge cheers for the two Irish teams and some cool trophies for the top 3 (one team managed to drop and break theirs on the podium, with the artist who made them within 10 feet!) of each division. It was a really nice finish to the week.
Final Results & Spirit:
U-17 Womens: GB, Spirit: Sweden
U-17 Open: GB, Spirit: Belgium
Junior Womens: Sweden, Spirit: Belgium
Junior Open: Finland, Spirit: Finland
From there we went to the Moulin Rouge in the city centre which was effectively like an underage disco - sweaty, a mix of brilliant and rubbish music and way more boys than girsl! Still, we had good craic, even had a bit of mosh and Tom & Robbie got to flaunt their moves :) After it was late night pizza, a bit of on street singing with the merry Germans and then the night bus home. Roughly 150 people, all frisbee players, squeezed onto the tiny bus with nobody paying and everyone sweating! Immediately the sing song began - Ireland's Call, Ole Ole Ole, Molly Malone and many more not to be mentioned! The Germans rivalled every tune with one of their own and with jumping and banging the roof. The atmosphere was brilliant! We were soon there and hopped of the bus for more singing before hitting the hay. A great end to a fun day.
The 5 coaches then met at 11am to run through our tactics for the games later and some logistics for the party that night. We met as a team at 12 and set our stall out for the day – food, water, food, water and then 90 mins before game time focus o’clock. We met an hour before the games were due to start and spoke of the pride of the jersey and reminded the players how ending on a win is a special feeling. With that in mind the two teams took to the pitches to warm up, side-by-side – one vs. GB2, the other vs. Poland. Two good games ahead!
Ireland A
Final (for 13th place): GB2
Arguably the best match we were involved in during the week – two teams of similar ability fighting hard for every point. We didn’t start too well but fought back to get even at 4s. From there it was nip and tuck all the way with both Ds happy to use zone and fronting to pressurise the handlers. The trading continued until half with game on a knife edge. Our ling game wasn’t as prominent as it had been but the handlers were finding holes in the GB zone and using the disc well. Half: 7-6 GB2. After half the British team came out firing, they upped their D and got turns early in the half.One converted turn became two and after trading for two points they went ona three point run that wont them the match. We threw the kitchen sink at the, and fought right to the bitter end but it wasn’t to be. A team decimated by injuries had put it up to the GB outfit but fallen just short. A fine performance – one to be proud of.
Score: 10-14
MVP: Robbie Brennan
Ireland B
Final (for 15th place): Poland
Realistically, this game was ours to lose. We knew Poland’s weaknesses and what threat they posed to us on offence. A lot of their play relied on the obvious ability of a tall handler (no.26!) who was strong in the air and the best thrower on their side. We made sure to mark him hard and switched different players on to him every other point. Zone got us turns early on and despite nervy offence we soon took a commanding lead. A switch to a front up force put further pressure on the young Poles and were grew in confidence as the game developed. Our structure was vastly improved and dominated them in most areas. It was an excellent team display with every player contributing in spades. Lots of big grabs, fine throws and hard Ds secured a first win for Ireland Junior B!
Score: 17-6
MVP: David Ferris
After the final two games the teams warmed down and met in a tent near the two pitches we’d played on. We sat down in two separate circles and discussed MVP, MSP and A-Game votes. Each player had a word about who they felt should be voted for and then the two team voted. It was a nice way to tell each other what we thought and many of the votes (on both teams) were tied and we had to have a re-vote. In the end the results were:
Ireland A:
MVP: Yasin Mammeri
MSP: Richie Eyres (Steve)
A-Game: David Moriarty
Ireland B:
MVP: Cathal Tuffy
MSP: Mike Ryan
A-Game: Eoin Barry (Sticky)
The team presented the 5 coaches with a gift (deadly long-sleeved GAIA shirts) and thanked us for everything. Truth is, they did the work, they made the squad and they deserve the praise. It’s been the first year of an Irish Junior set up and the squad had been committed, honest and hard-working from day one. They’ve grown from a group of inexperienced players to a tightly knit bunch of athletes who really are the future of Irish Ultimate. Every one of them sis Ireland proud and a lot fo them will do so again in the future, at many levels.
After our small ceremony we ran home, showered etc and came back fro dinner and the last 40mins of the France Finland final. We arrived at 9-7 to the Finns. Soon it was 13-10 before France scored 3 in a row to bring it to 13s. At 14s game to 17 was called and the fast offences kept scoring. It was Finland who held their nerve though and, despite an amazing performance by the young French, won 17-15.
After a half hour of music and messing on the pitches the final ceremony began. There was recognition for the staff, a gift gift for each team, huge cheers for the two Irish teams and some cool trophies for the top 3 (one team managed to drop and break theirs on the podium, with the artist who made them within 10 feet!) of each division. It was a really nice finish to the week.
Final Results & Spirit:
U-17 Womens: GB, Spirit: Sweden
U-17 Open: GB, Spirit: Belgium
Junior Womens: Sweden, Spirit: Belgium
Junior Open: Finland, Spirit: Finland
From there we went to the Moulin Rouge in the city centre which was effectively like an underage disco - sweaty, a mix of brilliant and rubbish music and way more boys than girsl! Still, we had good craic, even had a bit of mosh and Tom & Robbie got to flaunt their moves :) After it was late night pizza, a bit of on street singing with the merry Germans and then the night bus home. Roughly 150 people, all frisbee players, squeezed onto the tiny bus with nobody paying and everyone sweating! Immediately the sing song began - Ireland's Call, Ole Ole Ole, Molly Malone and many more not to be mentioned! The Germans rivalled every tune with one of their own and with jumping and banging the roof. The atmosphere was brilliant! We were soon there and hopped of the bus for more singing before hitting the hay. A great end to a fun day.
Day the third!
Friday was memorable for a lot of reasons – Finn’s 18th birthday, a clash of the titans (the two Ireland teams), increased game time (up to 100mins from the 80mins of the previous days) and increased temperature too. We were rewarded for 7 games over tow days with a ‘late’ start (10.30am) so got an extra little sleep before the crunch games. The usual wasp-infested breakfast – they are everywhere! – and off to warm up for the As. Ireland B had the luxury of a shady sit down until their warm up at 11.30am, game at 12.30pm.
Ireland A
Game One: Italy
Before I talk about this game I’d like to assure everyone that this was the team’s best performance to date. It was full of heart, skill and courage and is one that, despite the result, will be remembered as one representative of the Irish jersey. To say the team did us all proud doesn’t cover it. Italy came out with a stronger line than they’d used against the B team the previous day and it showed with their front force particularly effective. Despite this pressure, the offence used the great Ds we got and put itself in a position to convert repeatedly. We traded to 3s or 4s I think and then Italy stepped it all up a notch. We switched to 2/5, called a time out but nothing could stop them going on a big run (to the tune of 8 or 9 points) and we were then chasing. The lads’ heads never dropped though and they showed real character to bring the game back their way. We switched to a zone and it immediately had an effect with 2 or 3 points going our way but it was too little too late. A tough loss to take for both coaches (we learned a zone should be deployed as a tactic before half way through a one-sided 2nd half) and players, all of whom had high hopes to win it. Lifting the heads was tough when we all hurt but it’s a pain we can and will grow from.
Score: 10-17
MVP: Yasin Mammeri (tightest yet – team performance)
Game Two: Ireland B
From the A teams point of view this was a game they could not lose. Not only did they owe the Bs revenge for a Summer League lost 10/14 days ago, but they also had a score to settle with GB 2, who were waiting for the winners. Importantly, for both the players and coaches, this was an international fixture and deserved the usual warm up, respect and attitude. We spoke to both teams about how to best approach the match, divided the coaches across the teams (with me as an unbiased photographer!) and played the game seriously, despite the odd nature of facing players who’d trained alongside each another and knew all your tactics! The game was sloppy, especially in the first half when the Bs rest proved stronger and they were clearly more up for it. Some calls that we wouldn’t usually make crept in and threatened to turn it from an intense match into a call fest but common sense (just about) prevailed. As the first half wore on, the team got into their stride and pressured the Bs into turns which were converted. 9-7 at half but with lots to do. After a stern dressing down from Seamus and Podge the team went on a roll and opened up a lead.
Score: 17-13
MVP: Niall Connaughton (Pius)
Ireland B
Game One: Hungary
From the beginning we knew this would be a very tough game and that there was the chance that we’d be outclassed by team who were very unlucky to finish in bottom 8 (having beaten Austria who narrowly lost to Sweden in the quarters). As we’d seen against the A team the Hungarians were physical and aggressive. Their zone stifled us but our O was much improved with patience a new trait and a long game beginning to show. There were lots of turns but Hungary made more of them than us and broke the mark, first with insides until we stepped across, then with arounds. The early afternoon heat increased and in the face of the physicality and skill of the Hungasry team we wilted as the game drew to a close.
Score: 3-17
MVP: Cathal Tuffy
Game Two: Ireland A
We spoke at length before this game about how we would treat it as a real international fixture and discussed our reasons for motivation. The warm up was high tempo and it showed as we took the lead against a rattled A team. The opening 9/10 points were as good a start as we produced all week with high intensity on D and with the reset working a treat. The long game was repeatedly successful, but as half drew close a few small errors were punished and we went in 2 down. After a 10min break we came back out to face a fired up opposition who’s D won them 3 points in a row. It looked like the game was slipping away but another late rally made things spicy! It was however, too little too late and the shock that was on the cards was snatched away. A great match all the same.
Score: 13-17
MVP: Cathal Tuffy (14 votes!)
Elsewhere saw some big results in the Juniors Open Division – GB were upset by France in their quarter final, Finland cruised past Czechs and then beat Swedes to join the mighty French, beaters of Germany in the semis, in the final. The finals a tough one to call – the French are strong on the throwing side of things and are a real team. The Finns have been here before, they know pressure and their offence is top quality. Intriguing final ahead!
In the evening we watched some of the show game - Womens U-20 GB v Finland (cue old school Finnish team streak!) and Sweden v Germany and were then served the best dinner of the week – ribs, sausages, a few different salads, and potatoes. It was the perfect meal for after the relaxed coaches vs. staff game, in which myself, Shimbo and Sam took part. After the relaxed game came the boots on, serious game which was of a very high standard. Nice to watch! It as a nice relaxed night, with some poker available also – in which the lads won a few t-shirts and even a hoodie.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The story of Day Two...
Another early start saw Ireland 1 playing at 8.30am. We were rewarded with a slightly improved breakfast with some ham and cheese added. Happy days! A good start to what was to prove a long and tough day, much like day one. Added to difficult games against stronger teams was the heat factor – it was in the high 20s from early in the day until late in the evening. There’s very little shade to speak of and we suffered as a result. We also began seeing some injuries creep in, with Richie Eyres the main sufferer (a stomach/rib injury) along with many little niggles, from cramps to turned ankles and back again.
Now for the games…
Ireland A
Game One: Austria
We began well – fired up and with the D ready to go. It was similar intensity to the Germany game and earned us lots of possessions in the first few points. The Austrians struggled with out front up but our O was ominously misfiring. It was partly to the pressure exerted by (yet another) poachy zone and often from trying to force the issue in long, tiring points. We worked the disc close to the endzone but suffered from white line fever and poor shot selection. Soon a tight game turned into a not-so-tight game and Austria began to strut. Their offence (and in a way their zone D) was anchored by Jakob, a player with big throws, a calm head and a strong aerial presence. Most points went through him and a lot of our long shots were stopped by him. Overall, a good performance against a decent side. Marko smells
Score: 6-15
MVP: Tom Matthews
Game Two: Hungary
This game was a dog fight from the start with tight calls, physical D and lots of turns. Crucially we scored the first point (incredibly, the first lead of either team over the week) and looked strong, especially on offence when we were converting relatively easily. However, the length of the points began to take its toll and errors crept in. The Hungarians had a very aggressive front up force (with a fair share of bumps) that disrupted the handlers and got turns near our line. These were duly converted and they took a 6-3 lead at half (a suitably low score in such a dogged half). The second half saw a zone D come on, something we’d struggled on the previous day. We used 4 handlers but their force again pressurised us. We were rattled and began to play with less vigour and belief. Soon a tight game slipped away and we lost by 9 despite the promising start.
Score: 6-15
MVP: Yasin Mammeri (hammers)
Game Three: France
France are an excellent outfit – a true team, clearly playing together often (apparently made 3rd in YBN) and used to tough moments together. Their offence was based on their handlers who used low break throws to generate long looks. The disc moved very quickly, preventing us from fronting properly and their cuts were decisive and fast. On defence it was a poach system against which or offence was stronger – we were learning! The problem was that when we got our turn we tended to choose the wrong option, be it a risky throw, an over throw or a lack of communication. It wasn’t our best performance and the French were firing (they went on to surprise GB 1 in the quarters and then Germany in the semis!), so in the end they ran our strong winners.
Score: 3-15
MVP: Cian Keogh (Torres)
Game Four: Poland
The fourth game of a long day saw Ireland 1 record a historic first win at Junior level. It was a relatively pressurised first half as we knew we could win the game against a younger, less experienced opposition. Poland is newer to the Ultimate scene than Ireland with this being their first ever foray into international competition at any level. They have a small team who play a fast offensive game but weren’t a match for our pace or height. Despite a nervy first half – expected to win, pressure showed with uncharacteristic forcing of the issue. We called a time out and had a chat about our focus, our D and soon took control of the match. The second half was a much improved affair as the D shut down their long game and we used quick pick ups off the turns to score our points.
Score: 15-3
MVP: Toby Morgan
Ireland B
Game One: Latvia
Coming into this game we knew we were facing a team worthy of a quarterfinal place. We’d seen them involved in a thriller against Finland (nor finalists!) on day one, that they narrowly lost 13-15. They are a tall, aggressive and huck happy team who rely on aerial prowess as much as anything else. The game opened with lots of turns as we put in our best defensive performance yet. No throw as unchallenged and the front force was blocking lots of hucking options. Unfortunately the hyped up D spread to our O and we turned too easy, too often. Quick turns were punished with long shots and soon we were chasing the game. We scored a couple before half but not enough. The O struggled under their zone, got through the cup several times but wrong shot selection hurt us. The Latvians favoured a side stack that negated any breakside and we coped well against it. We were outclassed though and the second half saw the opposition score heavily. A tough game.
Score: 3-15
MVP: Eoin Barry (Sticky)
Game Two: GB 1
GB 1 were a class act. They have strength in depth and play an expansive offence using breakside a lot. On defence they came down with a lot of the 50-50s and forced hard. In the first half, whenever we turned GB punished with a score in the first one or two passes. This was partly our fault as we started the game somewhat flat. It was also their offence, naturally enough. The second half saw our work rate upped, we got in their faces, pressured them and got plenty of turns. The team showed fantastic character not to let heads drop and dig in the second half but it was a mismatch and GB ran away with the game. It’s important to note that despite being heavy favourites, obviously stronger and quite dominative GB showed us respect and displayed excellent spirit. There wasn’t any showboating and they punished when they could. We were surprised not to see them make the final later in the week.
Score: 1-15
MVP: David Ferris
Game Three: Italy
Another game that began close but fast breakside offence and a big front up force caused us problems throughout. The Italians became more relaxed as the game wore on and began treating it as a fun game. They are a good side and with their tails up we couldn’t keep with them. Added to that, the conditions were tough – high 20s/low 30s and no shade in sight. A frustrating game that we would’ve loved to replay.
Score: 3-15
MVP: Cathal Tuffy
After the games we had time to relax a little with a nice big feed (the dinners have been superb – pastas, meat, vegetables – everything you need after a tough day) before heading home to get ready for the Amusement Park! Yes, you read that correctly We all showered, changed and of to Prater Amusement Park – a huge fun fair not far from the tournament HQ. We went on bumper cars, we got scared on rollercoasters (well, I didn’t, they scare me too much to go on them) and then found the go kart track. €4 for 3 minutes of racing each other in petrol-fuelled karts – genius! For the record, Orgy (Brian) is the fastest, Shimbo is the most dangerous (broke a wheel on his kart on lap one!) and Hogie (captain!) is the slowest. Well, him of Podge, hard to tell. I cant drive and apparently looked like a kid in sweet factory – full of smiles and excited. It was amazing. A fun night and good wind down after another day of heat, fights and lots of losses.
Now for the games…
Ireland A
Game One: Austria
We began well – fired up and with the D ready to go. It was similar intensity to the Germany game and earned us lots of possessions in the first few points. The Austrians struggled with out front up but our O was ominously misfiring. It was partly to the pressure exerted by (yet another) poachy zone and often from trying to force the issue in long, tiring points. We worked the disc close to the endzone but suffered from white line fever and poor shot selection. Soon a tight game turned into a not-so-tight game and Austria began to strut. Their offence (and in a way their zone D) was anchored by Jakob, a player with big throws, a calm head and a strong aerial presence. Most points went through him and a lot of our long shots were stopped by him. Overall, a good performance against a decent side. Marko smells
Score: 6-15
MVP: Tom Matthews
Game Two: Hungary
This game was a dog fight from the start with tight calls, physical D and lots of turns. Crucially we scored the first point (incredibly, the first lead of either team over the week) and looked strong, especially on offence when we were converting relatively easily. However, the length of the points began to take its toll and errors crept in. The Hungarians had a very aggressive front up force (with a fair share of bumps) that disrupted the handlers and got turns near our line. These were duly converted and they took a 6-3 lead at half (a suitably low score in such a dogged half). The second half saw a zone D come on, something we’d struggled on the previous day. We used 4 handlers but their force again pressurised us. We were rattled and began to play with less vigour and belief. Soon a tight game slipped away and we lost by 9 despite the promising start.
Score: 6-15
MVP: Yasin Mammeri (hammers)
Game Three: France
France are an excellent outfit – a true team, clearly playing together often (apparently made 3rd in YBN) and used to tough moments together. Their offence was based on their handlers who used low break throws to generate long looks. The disc moved very quickly, preventing us from fronting properly and their cuts were decisive and fast. On defence it was a poach system against which or offence was stronger – we were learning! The problem was that when we got our turn we tended to choose the wrong option, be it a risky throw, an over throw or a lack of communication. It wasn’t our best performance and the French were firing (they went on to surprise GB 1 in the quarters and then Germany in the semis!), so in the end they ran our strong winners.
Score: 3-15
MVP: Cian Keogh (Torres)
Game Four: Poland
The fourth game of a long day saw Ireland 1 record a historic first win at Junior level. It was a relatively pressurised first half as we knew we could win the game against a younger, less experienced opposition. Poland is newer to the Ultimate scene than Ireland with this being their first ever foray into international competition at any level. They have a small team who play a fast offensive game but weren’t a match for our pace or height. Despite a nervy first half – expected to win, pressure showed with uncharacteristic forcing of the issue. We called a time out and had a chat about our focus, our D and soon took control of the match. The second half was a much improved affair as the D shut down their long game and we used quick pick ups off the turns to score our points.
Score: 15-3
MVP: Toby Morgan
Ireland B
Game One: Latvia
Coming into this game we knew we were facing a team worthy of a quarterfinal place. We’d seen them involved in a thriller against Finland (nor finalists!) on day one, that they narrowly lost 13-15. They are a tall, aggressive and huck happy team who rely on aerial prowess as much as anything else. The game opened with lots of turns as we put in our best defensive performance yet. No throw as unchallenged and the front force was blocking lots of hucking options. Unfortunately the hyped up D spread to our O and we turned too easy, too often. Quick turns were punished with long shots and soon we were chasing the game. We scored a couple before half but not enough. The O struggled under their zone, got through the cup several times but wrong shot selection hurt us. The Latvians favoured a side stack that negated any breakside and we coped well against it. We were outclassed though and the second half saw the opposition score heavily. A tough game.
Score: 3-15
MVP: Eoin Barry (Sticky)
Game Two: GB 1
GB 1 were a class act. They have strength in depth and play an expansive offence using breakside a lot. On defence they came down with a lot of the 50-50s and forced hard. In the first half, whenever we turned GB punished with a score in the first one or two passes. This was partly our fault as we started the game somewhat flat. It was also their offence, naturally enough. The second half saw our work rate upped, we got in their faces, pressured them and got plenty of turns. The team showed fantastic character not to let heads drop and dig in the second half but it was a mismatch and GB ran away with the game. It’s important to note that despite being heavy favourites, obviously stronger and quite dominative GB showed us respect and displayed excellent spirit. There wasn’t any showboating and they punished when they could. We were surprised not to see them make the final later in the week.
Score: 1-15
MVP: David Ferris
Game Three: Italy
Another game that began close but fast breakside offence and a big front up force caused us problems throughout. The Italians became more relaxed as the game wore on and began treating it as a fun game. They are a good side and with their tails up we couldn’t keep with them. Added to that, the conditions were tough – high 20s/low 30s and no shade in sight. A frustrating game that we would’ve loved to replay.
Score: 3-15
MVP: Cathal Tuffy
After the games we had time to relax a little with a nice big feed (the dinners have been superb – pastas, meat, vegetables – everything you need after a tough day) before heading home to get ready for the Amusement Park! Yes, you read that correctly We all showered, changed and of to Prater Amusement Park – a huge fun fair not far from the tournament HQ. We went on bumper cars, we got scared on rollercoasters (well, I didn’t, they scare me too much to go on them) and then found the go kart track. €4 for 3 minutes of racing each other in petrol-fuelled karts – genius! For the record, Orgy (Brian) is the fastest, Shimbo is the most dangerous (broke a wheel on his kart on lap one!) and Hogie (captain!) is the slowest. Well, him of Podge, hard to tell. I cant drive and apparently looked like a kid in sweet factory – full of smiles and excited. It was amazing. A fun night and good wind down after another day of heat, fights and lots of losses.
Friday, August 7, 2009
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