A fixture shrouded in myth and legend, the twice annual City-South match up is an eagerly anticipated date in any East League hockey enthusiast's diary. Who can forget the foot of Graveling/God? This is a game that rarely fails to deliver thrills, excitement and controversy and it was no wonder that the stands were packed with supporters at push-back time.

In the pre-match build up Psycho had already displayed his ball skills in a rather more delicate fashion than normal - collapsing as Wallace's swing-and-a-miss caught him right in the Johnson. Afterwards the whole event was reconstructed in graphic and brutal detail using a fork and a potato salad and… well, having seen that potato salad after Wallace had attacked it, our deepest sympathies go out to John.

Previous encounters between these two sides have been closely fought and this fixture was no exception. Wait a minute, that's a lie. This one was an exception. It started off close, and then they scored. A summary of the opening minutes goes something like this: 6 minutes; Wallace gives the ball to the City striker and he scores. 9 minutes; Webb gives the ball to Forrest and he scores. 13 minutes; Thorpe gives the ball to the other City striker and he scores. Unfortunately, Wallace and Thorpe saw more of the ball than Forrest and Webb in the rest of the first half. Their other two goals this half came from some lucky bounce and a flick.

So the highlight of the half - Forrest scoring from the edge of the D. The edge of the D, you say?? A mis-hit, surely! Going for the pull-back, I reckon. But no, it's true. I was there. The inch perfect pass from Webb picks out the run to the left wing and a deft touch puts him inside the defender and bearing down into the D. Barely has the D been penetrated when the trigger is pulled and the ball rifles into the far corner. Those that witnessed it will long think back and say 'I was there'. Yup, we're never gonna see that again this season. A fine goal indeed.

Ok, you may accuse this reporter of slight bias in his match reports but let's face it - there wasn't much else to write about from the first half. Was there? The second half was also fairly devoid of highlight (though it may be the alcohol that's wiped that part of my memory. Ah, the beers afterwards... Morgan the Organ - or Rocking Richard, and not because he liked '50s music - was quite the picture. Let's hope they make it onto the website. And Cowboy Snetler in that delightful pink hat - it went so well with your shirt! And who can forget Keith attempting the seemingly straight forward task of sitting on a chair when oopsadaisy! all I can see now is ceiling).

To be fair, the second half was much better than the first. We matched them and were unlucky not to get a goal back, with the ever-running Read keeping the City defence on their toes. City weren't that good - if these guys are the best in the league then bring on Peterborough! We fought hard in the second period and didn't give up, showing good spirit and determination. Psycho had to hobble off mid-way through the half (perhaps due to excessive alcohol consumption recently, but possibly due to ... er, more delicate issues) and Webb was given a taste of left back. It was a dangerous game for the bystanders, with Morgan the Organ in rather dangerous form at right back; Ellie standing on the side-lines took a hit on the foot, and later the Organ attempted a rugby tackle on an unsuspecting onlooker.

Finally, thanks go to Ron and Kevin for umpiring the game. We're grateful for you for giving up the time to take control of our game.