Men vs Essex - 11/12/2020+1 (A)

BLWP 30 - 4 Essex

In a moment of nostalgia for some of the boys, they reminisced of the core 8, and how they won against all odds. We didn't have the same worry, as we were playing Essex. In the hometown of our own Lumpfish, we meet on the rainy platform of Stratford Station. In a mass of panic the previous day and an attempt to delay, cheers Rob (BTEC Amelia) for your kind words of encouragement prior with regard to a reschedule. These words as if a speech by Aragorn at the Black Gate gave us the motivation and resolve to already know we would win, we were living rent free before we stepped off the train

First Half and we have a start we did not expect. Essex get the ball, swim up, and score against myself in goal putting the score line to 0-1. We make a very quick retaliation and pop so many back in the goal, the net must have felt like Eddie (almost sick of all the balls in it). Osband showed their pit player, even if 'player' is a strong word to use in this instance, what's up with his constant flurry of goals keeping their keeper jumping the wrong way non stop. Essex only had 7 players which was evident with their lack of swimming up and down the pool, a notoriously key part of Water polo, which played perfectly into our hands for the counterattacks. The plan was simple. Me save goal, me pass to Liam, Liam pass to Osband, Osband into goal. A simple tactic that amounted to at least half of the goals scored in the incredible match. The first quarter had just those 2 scoring, even if we tried to shout Liam down from shooting close to halfway and missing even if there was a very clear open option that was closer to goal and much more likely to score which we were all shouting at him to pass to and he still didn't and just missed the shot and gave the ball neatly back to Essex which was just a total waste of time and its all fine really dont worry its all fine I'm fine it's good yeah defo not Liam missing a goal nope. Second quarter sees the goals scored diversify with the one and only vegan triathlete and the LA deadeye (but not really, we'll come onto that) scoring one each to see off the first half with the first half going 13-2.

The second half we set a goal for ourselves. 30 goals in their net by the end of the game. An achievable goal with the new updated core 9. We have Mac, Harry and Ethan in the pool on the right with each of them getting more pool time than they have ever had before. A true highlight was Harry winning the ball and getting it to me in goal for an immediate counter attack which we scored from. His Dad Cutty Sark forgetting he scored as well would have been the news Essex must have hated to hear. With all the goals scored, you could be almost forgiven for thinking we didn't miss any, but we did, Cole did. Not sure what caused it, potentially the different latitude or he wasn't hungover from a previous night but at least two shots sailed clean over the goal before he scored his own goals later on. Finishing the game with an incredible 30-4 score to us, I can only hope our favourite sports administrator Rob wishes he didn't tell us of the repercussions to not attending the game would be a walkover and a fine, because there are few loses that teams remember, but we live rent free in the head of Essex now and always.

Goal Scorers: Too many to count

Player of the Match: Tadpole Harry for an excellent game keeping his cool and making great plays!