For their day trip to the beach (see pic below), Cambridge South M3s had assembled a team long on experience but rather shorter on box-to-box running. A quick headcount before the match revealed two things: only two players present didn't qualify for a Veterans' XI (and one of those was in goal), and there were only ten players. Still, at least the forecast rain was also absent.

With a car full of M2s still on their way over from Spalding to provide a double-up (Tom R lost the game of rock, paper, scissors, leaving Joe and Coops to relax on the sidelines), South pushed back at a numerical disadvantage in more ways than one.

Long Sutton, astutely revealing an ability to count to eleven, were quick to realise South's handicap and pushed for the early breakthrough. The home side won a succession of short corners as the pressure mounted. South's numerical shortfall wasn't helped when, rather than running back from the halfway line, several players took the opportunity to remove undershirts no longer required with the match being played in strong sunshine.

Eventually, the pressure told. The latest in the run of Long Sutton penalty corners produced a clean injection and neat switch left, bypassing the South runners, to a free player who was on hand to smack the ball home from outside South's right post.

Undeterred by the early setback, South rallied, boosted by the arrival of Tom to bring the team up to full strength. South swiftly got back on terms, a break forward leading to a short corner that was initially miscontrolled by Dave before he adjusted his feet and cracked the ball home.

South were soon into the lead. Another short corner routine saw the ball returned to the near post, where injector John reacted quicker than the defender to knock the ball inside the post.

Now into the swing of the game, South were content to cede the majority of territory and possession to their opponents in the middle of the park, holding them off with a solid, organised defence and then breaking upfield when the ball turned over. Key were Dave's trademark strong, accurate hits from deep, John and Rob holding the ball up while Rupert and Rasmus joined from midfield.

The third goal came from such a break, Rob again running at the defence and this time getting his reward as he beat the keeper to sweep South third's into the Long Sutton goal.

At half time, the message was clear - measure, controlled hockey, keeping Long Sutton away from the danger area near the D and letting the ball do the work with quick passing to break rather than long dribbles. The plan seemed to work, as Neil and Jan at full back channelled the Long Sutton attacks towards the corners while Dave and James dealt with any attackers trying to forage into the D. Rob and John up front continue to threaten, but as the match wore on it became harder for the South midfield to get up quickly in support to achieve an overload on the breaks.

The resultant stalemate was threatened when South unexpectedly found themselves back to ten men, captain Rasmus yellow carded for instinctively raising his stick high towards an aerial ball. This coincided with the start of the promised rain - an almighty hail and thunderstorm - and Ras seemed quite pleased to have the opportunity to move his kit bag into the shelter of the dugout!

This time, South survived their period with ten men. With Ras back on the field and the visitors' two goal lead still intact, we seemed to have weathered the storm (literally and metaphorically). But as the clock ticked down, South were suddenly a player short for the third time in the match.

A South attack into the Long Sutton D had ended with Paul taking a swing at the ball, only to find that by the time he'd completed his backlift the ball had already gone and his strike consequently connecting with the defender's shin pad rather than the ball. Somewhat over-enthusiastic and poorly timed, admittedly, but not a hanging offence. Or so we thought, until we suddenly saw Paul trudging off the pitch. "What happened?", asked Neil as Paul headed past towards the dugout. "I've been sent off!", Paul replied.

Only he hadn't been. While Paul took a breather in the shelter of the dugout for the last five minutes, the remaining ten Southerners managed to hold out in the continuing downpour until the final whistle. As the team came off the pitch asking what had gone on, an indignant Paul explained he had been green carded. Green carded! His incredulous team mates pointed out that, unless you were playing international hockey, a green card was a warning and not a suspension. Obviously thinking he was playing at a far more elevated level, "Olympic Paul" had sent himself off!

With the Lemon vote now a foregone conclusion, James M was off the hook for missing the match due to having to go to lunch with his girlfriend's friends; right up there with "the dog ate my homework" in the pantheon of excuses.

A vintage M3s side, if not a vintage M3s' performance, but the wise owls knew enough to get the job done. Next week, let's hope we can get a few of our younger players back. And who knows, maybe even a substitute!