Mens Merlins lost to Sunbury & Walton Hawks Red Lions 4 - 7

MAIDENHEAD MERLINS 4 SUNBURYWWH RED LIONS 7

Scorers Sprake 3, Wood

With seven pool members unavailable and the late withdrawal of the captain, fill in skipper Wardle trawled the Club for players. None were forthcoming, nor did numerous phone calls to other clubs produce any players. The Merlins have never cried off through lack of numbers and following discussion with Sunbury skipper, Geoff Aylen, agreed to travel with five and put on some sort of game. Ian Nurcombe’s son, Harry, was dragooned into the side and with two guests from Sunbury, an eight a side game was instigated.

Merlins immediately found themselves facing an uphill struggle both metaphorically and physically as they played up the considerable Sunbury slope. Ronnie Fuller and his depleted defence were under sustained pressure and soon conceded a goal. Merlins broke from the restart and guest, Adrian Sprake, equalised with a brisk running solo effort. Relentless Sunbury pressure was thwarted by full backs, Wardle and Nurcombe, but Fuller was left exposed. He made a fine save, but could do nothing about the rebound. Despite a string of short corners, Sunbury could not extend their lead until a breakaway from their own circle saw the Merlins’ defence outnumbered and conceded a third. Good build up work by Simon Miall found Sprake unmarked in the circle and he easily wrong footed the home ‘keeper. Sustained Sunbury pressure saw them score five further goals. Sprake completed his hat trick just before half time.

With the score standing at 7 – 3, further diplomacy between the captains resulted in young Harry Nurcombe swapping places with a senior Sunbury forward. Not only did this result in a far more balanced game, but in truth the Merlins enjoyed more possession and won a number of short corners. Sadly numerous scoring opportunities were missed by Merlins and guest forwards alike. When Sunbury attacked, invariably with young Harry leading the line, his limping father, Wardle and the fleet footed Miall kept them at bay. This resolute defence augmented by more fine saves from Fuller and pitch length sixteen yard hits by Wardle ensured more of the game was played in the Sunbury half. Following his recent extensive press coverage, Arthur Wood stole in from the left wing to score from a rebound to score.
This proved to be the last action on the field.

Post match celebrations centred around the MOM award. Simon Miall deservedly one the day’s nomination only after the declaration of Ian Nurcombe as the seasonal winner for last season. As the teams plied each other with beer and lager, the octogenarian home umpire was lauded for his fine solo performance.