Riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.

Self-doubt, double questioning when these things creep into one’s head and game it’s pretty much game over. This weekend’s game was tough. Man, we got schooled. It was a lesson in so many ways, e.g. man marking, channelling, not dive-tackling, quick one-touch passing, all the basics really. Our opposition were seasoned players as individuals and as a squad, and by seasoned I mean senior. Yes, we had pace and youth but so what, you don’t have to be fast to play good hockey. Yes, athleticism counts but playing smart hockey trumps exuberance every day of the week.

Bourne Deeping 4s Beat us fair and square. We have no one else to blame but ourselves. The opposition came out strong, scoring three very quick goals and by the time the half was done we were one for their five goals. The team, clearly upset by proceedings, took a collective decision to baton down the hatches and limit the number of goals in the second half, which worked perfectly: the final score was six-two. Bourne 4s, a team that had been relegated from the league above and a team that had been playing together for a long time, definitely won the first half but we made sure we came back by drawing the second, which as far as I am concerned shows true character and grit… Just you wait, Henry Wiggins, just you wait!!!!

I don’t know any lucid person that wakes up wanting to lose a gam. Everyone wants to win, right?! But as life would have it, there’s a winner and there’s a loser and if your sole aim in life is to win, well, then you’re going to be pretty disappointed most of your life so finding the silver lining in every game, win or lose, adds foundation to what I believe is a brilliant squad of players with a long, bright season ahead.

Past games mean nothing; future games are everything, and I’m looking forward to traveling to Horncastle this coming weekend.