Cheam M3s 4-1 OG M3s

By Chris Blackmore

Two matches into 2017 and whatever madness happens in the outside world, Cheam are cracking on and putting things right in the realm of hockey. After a scrappy away draw to Wanderers, Cheam 3s returned to Nonsuch in search of securing all three points. Well if you don’t ask, you don’t get, and Cheam were a most inquisitive bunch. When that final whistle blew, it rang out the sound of sweet success.

At this point I will give a shout-out to OGs, who performed admirably with 10 men and made the match as difficult as they possibly could. The match began with all thrusters go, as OGs played four up high, and early scenes weren’t looking promising for Cheam. This initial blitz caused confusion and panic amongst Cheam’s defence. How dare they think that ten men can dominate the game? The sheer ballsy-ness struck us by surprise. OGs, who has just managed to gather their 10th player a few minutes before push-back, weren’t operating for damage control, but wanted to steal some points. After an unfortunate short-corner OGs went ahead, and my heart-rate went through the roof. I hadn’t been this nervous since I last talked to an actual woman…

But Cheam kicked into gear and started turning the screw. Slowly OGs front-four was whittled down to just a lone striker, as the consistent Cheam pressure began to peg them back. Obviously the break came through Cheam’s cult-hero Steve, who after coming off the bench scored within a few minutes. I expected nothing less, and it adds further weight to my legal battle to keep him away from any pads so he can play outfield more often. Alas, I am still in consultation with my lawyers… However, once Steve had unlocked the door, Goalman decided he was not to be outdone. Two goals were a hefty reward for his long anticipated return, however he really did not want the acclaim and praise of a hat-trick, thus botching his P-Flick in an effort to pretend as though his long absences are not as bad as they seem... The team saw through this clever ruse, and for this Goalman was this week’s DotD.

The whole team put in some real graft and a solid-shift, and this was highlighted with six different nominations for MotM. However, with two votes apiece the title was shared between Ollie and Buchols. Ollie spent most of the match bamboozling defenders with sick picks, tricks, and flicks, keeping up Cheam’s momentum and directing play at the front. On the other hand, Buchols played in a deeper ‘Gandalf’ role at CDM then CB. Whilst marshalling the tempo of Cheam’s play and organising the rag-tag fellowship of players, Buchols declared that none shall pass by breaking down any OG counterattacks.

In a dizzying world of madness, I’ll stick to fantastical fiction to build my analogies. This season has been a tale of two halves… Much like the first Rocky film, we took an early hammering as this new team grew and got to know each other through the Autumn months. But we never quit and never bowed out, and now I’m enjoying this new and rugged Rocky II-style second half to the season, which will see us cement our place as winners, no matter how many blows we endure. Keep it up lads, do it for Adrian!

*(DISCLAIMER: I’ve never seen Rocky, but from what I can gather from Wikipedia, this analogy sort of works…)*