7th A League vs. Wendywood
The dead of winter and the hunter-gatherers from Wendywood come down to the lowlands near water for their next kill. Top of the food chain these real life hunters are not just looking for trophies but for a blood and guts feast.
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Like any good hunter they check out the captain (with his feeble excuse for a pitiful state having been without electricity for two days) and decide to take him out first and hang his head out as a severe warning to the others. Billy (the kid but older Schorn brother) comes out hitting hard and has me scrambling – some wise words from doctor Paul at the break and I manage to play some shots in the second and the playing fields are leveled but then a hail of bullets in the third and fourth and some hopelessly pathetic rushed play sees me lose valuable points and then Billy takes me out.
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George jumps into action and immediately throws his hunter Alec off balance but then like a rabbit caught in the headlights seems unable to move for the rest of the first game. Then suddenly George realizes there is a game on and comes back fighting like a wounded animal and takes the second. Some sublime skill from Alec with some beautifully caressed drops and boasts sees him through the third with our rabbit George left standing and staring yet again. Now a fired up George has a speedy charge at survival and his double-handed backhand crosscourt reverse drops are flying like a chicken losing its feathers in a fowl fight and he takes the fourth forcing the showdown in the fifth – but all sound and fury signifying nothing. George has to hang his head and bleeding hand in defeat.
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Joe the head-hunter plays a power game with the remarkable ability to fetch and play an awkwardly styled short game that leaves Paul at a bit of a loss at the end of the first without seeing much of the action. A slight change in game plan helps Paul put up a fair challenge in the second with better domination of the T. The third sees a magnificent rally where superb shots where met with masterful fetching and topped by even better athleticism. Unfortunately to no avail – the picking up of several thundering low and hard drives only delays the inevitable and Paul has to lie down and succumb to the dominance of one species over another.
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Every good hunting story has at least one episode of “the one that got away” – and the lead character in this tale is own strong-wristed Steph. He saw what was happening to the rest of his herd and said “bugger-this-for-a-sorry-tale-
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Losing 13-6 – we were taken out but not yet hung out to dry like the biltong that they usually make from their hunting expeditions! So, in conclusion, this was not a completely embarrassing result against the top hunting dogs who just so happen to be, a nice, down-to-earth bunch of guys that I would be happy to play again!
No: 1 - Paul vs. Joe (0-3) 15-9 16-14 15-13
No: 2 - Gary vs. Billy (1-3) 15-10 11-15 15-9 15-10
No: 3 - Steph vs. Johan (3-1) 15-7 11-15 17-15 15-13
No: 4 - George vs. Alec (2-3) 15-4 13-15 15-6 5-15 15-9
Interesting Quotes: -
“Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game.”
“Deer hunting would be fine sport, if only the deer had guns.”
“Ear-Ear”
Gary
Overall result: Lost 6 – 13
7th A League vs. Jeppe
The misery continues unabated.
George, the banker, at 4 against Anton did his usual thing and won. This deluded us into thinking we could get a good result. The rest of the Jeppe team arrived a bit late and we should have claimed the points.
Paul at 1 against Neil, same match-up as first round, with same result, outplayed to go down 0 – 3.
Steph at 3 against Linkie, Neil’s wife, also same as first round, this time with a worse result, totally outplayed 0-3.
So Karel at 2 against Vaughn had it all to do and he did his damnedest. Came back from 2 love down, with a 21-19 third game win, levelled at 2 all and then just missed out in the fifth.
All this against an incredibly noisy background from sixth league playing Suburbs next door, Brennan apparently frustrating a very loud opponent. So noisy that Whispering George could hardly make himself heard marking Karel’s match.
We left Vaughn commiserating with Karel in the pub. The other Jeppe-ites had lame excuses and went home, so we joined the snot snivellers (7B) at Doppios.
Result:
Paul 0 - 3 Neil van Jaarsveld
Karel 2 - 3 Vaughn
Steph 0 - 3 Linkie
George 3 - 1 Anton
Overall result: Lost 5 - 13
