On a cold, wet Saturday we set off to face our arch-rivals, Ely. The sandy, patchwork pitch and torrential rain couldn't dampen our spirits - our unbeaten record and a full turnout had us pumped and ready to go, and we started the match with optimism and confidence. Passing was sharp and fast, and we put pressure on early. Ely, to their credit, were also playing well and it was a tense start to the match. Sadly, as we were to discover, the weather was to be a classic case of prophetic fallacy for South.

The first few shots and short corners for both teams failed to find the mark. The stalemate was broken by Mark, who found his opportunity and struck a great goal past the Ely keeper. Little did we know he was soon to demonstrate one of the greatest saves of the season. Celebrations were short-lived, as Ely responded with increased pressure and managed to get a well-worked goal near the end of the first half.

As we entered the second half, the rain continued and the wind howled. The skies and the mood darkened. Ely maintained possession and South struggled to make the breaks we needed. Then it happened. Mark struck a blinder towards the top right post from halfway inside the D. It was in, there was no doubt about it. He even had his hands raising up to celebrate as the ball soared towards the net. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a stick appeared and deftly swatted the ball away. Time stopped. There was confusion, anger, tears from South. How was this possible? Sadly, it was not to be. From that point on Ely, buoyed by a sense of invincibility, redoubled their efforts. With five minutes to go, they struck a second shot into the South goal to seal the result. Valiant efforts to equalize from South went unrewarded and the match ended in a 2-1 defeat.