Saturday 25th February 2012

Sonning Men’s 2’s V Amersham & Chalfont Men’s 2’s

Won 3-1

In the interests of keeping racism out of sport, it seems only fitting that this week’s report is about Wales.

Wales is to the west of England and it rains a lot there. They have a mythical beast on their Flag and they won the Rugby on Saturday. Enough about that! I’m sure my Welsh friends will get bored of bleating on about their victory soon enough.
Today despite the dominance of its neighbour England, the people of Wales have never ceased to be Welsh. The language culture and flag have all survived. The Welsh flag is seen perhaps now more than ever before in its history. Abroad you will see the Welsh flag still following the Welsh Regiments and any Welsh tourists. At home the Welsh flag is to be seen flying in most towns as well on a massive scale at national events.

The Red Dragon of Wales although perhaps of Chinese origin, was introduced to Britain by the Romans some eighteen hundred years ago. Initially a military standard, in time this mythical beast developed into the flag of a nation.
Wales has always been known as a country of music and song. As well as the many male-voice choirs and famous rugby match singing, some of the greatest opera singers, like Katherine Jenkins and Geraint Evans, and pop singers, like Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey are also Welsh. ( I refuse to mention the irritating one that loves herself and was knocking about with Gavin Henson)

Wales also has a distinguished list of Actors such as Richard Burton, Windsor Davis and Rhys Ifans, not to mention the A list actresses Catherine Zeta Jones and Ruth Madoc. As well the aforementioned actors/actresses Wales continues producing a wealth of comedic talent, from Rob Brydon, Tommy Cooper, to Ruth Jones and my personal favourite angry Welsh bloke Rhod Gilbert, seen below in a comedy store performance. (WARNING CONTAINS SOME SWEAR WORDS, HE IS WELSH AND ANGRY)

Since the 12th century there are records of an annual competition (or Eisteddfod in Welsh), which was held to find the best poets, writers and musicians in the country. Originally only professionals took part, but now the Eisteddfod is open to the public and, because all the events are in Welsh, it encourages a strong interest in the Welsh arts.

A favourite ‘Welsh art’ souvenir is the Welsh love spoon. They are made of wood and are skilfully carved. Originally, they were made by young men as a love token for their sweethearts. There are many different designs demonstrating the skill and love of the hopeful suitor. If the girl kept this present, all was well, but if she sent it back, she did not want him.

As in many other customs, the eating of food seems to have a lot to do with the choice of a spoon as a gift. The practice of using a particular utensil to eat led perhaps to the spoon being chosen, first for its utilitarian use, but then as a symbol of a desire to help one's lover. No longer to be used for eating, the spoons were given long handles and could be hung on the wall as reminders or as decorations. Elaborate patterns and intricate designs began to proliferate, and Welsh love spoons began to appear in every conceivable size and shape, and in different kinds of wood.

The leek had been recognised as the emblem of Wales since the middle of the 16th century. Its association with Wales can in fact be traced back to the battle of Heathfield in 633 AD, when St. David persuaded his countrymen to distinguish themselves from their Saxon foes by wearing a Leek in their caps.

St. David is the patron saint of Wales. He was a monk who lived on bread, water, herbs and Leeks and died on March 1, 589 A. D.

Nowadays, the leek is worn on March 1 (St. David's Day — the Welsh national holiday) and at Welsh rugby matches. The daffodil is also a Welsh national emblem because its Welsh name is translated as a type of leek.

The Yellow colour of the Daffodil, has often been mistaken for Sonning Gold, which by coincidence was the colour of the Sonning Men’s 2’s away shirts on Saturday, as they took on league rivals Amersham & Chalfont.

Similarly to the Welsh the Men’s 2’s were triumphant in their game Winning 3-1, Goals from Tim Clay (who also received a daffodil yellow card), Paul Harris and Dan Osler. Elevating them into 3rd position in the league. ‘There’s Lovely, Isn’t it’

MOTM- Paul Harris (Because I’m in a lot of peoples fantasy teams)

DOTD- James Lockhart (Should have been Merriman for the state of his pants after the game, or Squire for his 118 pre-match fancy dress) Fantasy hockey has a lot to answer for!

Saturday 18^th February 2012

Sonning Men’s 2’s V OMT Men’s 2’s

3-3 Draw

This week I take you back to the mid 1980’s, a time when many of the men’s 2’s were in their prime and the remainder where unborn or still in nappies.

Slippery When Wet was the third studio album by Bon Jovi, released in August 1986 by Vertigo Records. It was an instant commercial success. The album features songs that are today considered Bon Jovi's most well-known tracks, such as "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive" and is the band's best-selling album to date, with over 12 million copies sold in the United States and over 28 million copies worldwide

Undoubtedly one of the seminal rock albums of the '80s, it cemented the band as bona fide superstars capable of commanding the attention of both pop and rock audiences. Though overly slick in places (professional songwriter Desmond Child was brought in by the record company to help ensure smash hit status), Slippery When Wet features an impressive selection of arena rock anthems with wide enough appeal to carve a niche in the increasingly popular hair metal movement as well as attract massive airplay on both pop music radio and the rising video medium of MTV.

The album went through various name changes during its inception including "Wanted Dead Or Alive" (an album cover was produced with the band dressed as cowboys; the artwork was later used for the single release of the track of the same name), with Slippery When Wet being the final title conceived. The album’s working titles were Wanted Dead or Alive and Guns N’ Roses; later the band decided to name the album Slippery When Wet after visiting strip clubs in Vancouver.

The cover consists of a wet black garbage bag with the words “Slippery When Wet” traced in the water. The album originally was to feature a busty, 34DD woman in a wet yellow T-shirt with the album name on the front of the shirt. This original version of the cover was swapped for the wet plastic bag cover just prior to release, mainly due to the fact that Jon Bon Jovi hated the pink border on the cover. The exception is in Japan, where most releases of the album do include the original cover art. Another reason that has been advanced regarding the re-design of the cover is that Walmart, one of the USA’s largest music outlets, was not amenable to distributing the original, racy cover illustration.

‘Slippery When Wet’ would be a good analogy of the conditions that the 2’s endured on their debut on the Reading sand based astro, which after the heavens opened resembles the surface of an ice rink with players from both teams repeatedly performing triple salkos, and toe loops on an ever too frequent basis. This however did not seem to affect the gritty determination of the 2’s as they pulled off a clinical comeback against an opposition which stood unbeaten at the top of the league!

After only conceding one in the first half. The 2’s shall we say ‘slipped up’ at the start of the first half and a further two put them 3-0 down after 40 minutes.

The 2’s pushed on hard, changing formation and repeatedly penetrated OMT. Being duly rewarded with, several opportunities to breach the defences. Sonning were hesitant in front of goal to start with, missing a few guilt edge chances. It wasn’t long before the 2’s were on the score sheet with a goal after spell of well worked open play, allowed Sharpie to tap in at the back post! Harris then added another with a short corner drag flick, bringing the score back to 3-2 with five minutes to go. The 2’s continued the pressure and a brief lapse in the OMT defensive concentration gave Toon the chance he had waited for all game. Not being shy of a challenge he slotted it into the bottom corner 3-3. Final whistle.

MOTM- Mike Squire

DOTD- Colm Hanlon (enough said)

Saturday 11^th February 2012

Abingdon 1’s v Sonning Men’s 2’s CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW

So in response to Maria’s request here follows:

‘THE WILMOTT CHALLENGE’

A report about my day with no Hockey!

With the pitch encrusted with the soft powdery snow more akin to the pistes of ‘The Alps’, and temperatures still below zero degrees Celsius, the age old dilemma of the Hockey player once again reared its ugly head. ‘What do normal people do on a Saturday?’
As most people at the club who know me will categorically state ‘I am not a normal person!’

So with the game cancelled and the day rescheduled, the fanatical athlete within me, decided to start the day with a healthy brunch based meal of warming homemade Butternut Squash soup and 3 slices of crusty bread.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Butternut squash or (Cucurbita moschata to coin its Latin name) is a type of winter squash, which grows on a ground based vine like a Courgette . It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a Pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer. There are many ways to prepare this vegetable, such as a roasted accompaniment for a Sunday Dinner, Risotto, or even in Muffins but soup is one of my personal favourites! If like me your body is a temple then below is my Recipe for a warming, nutritious, healthy soup (6-8 portions) –

...Ingredients

1 butternut squash, about 800g-1kg.

Large knob of unsalted butter.

1 large onion, chopped.

1 small medium-hot chilli, deseeded and chopped, or a pinch of dried chilli flakes.

A 3cm piece of fresh ginger, grated.

1 large garlic clove, crushed.

1 small garlic clove, chopped.

About 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock.

227g jar of crunchy or smooth peanut butter .

Juice of 1 lime.3 tbsp finely chopped coriander.

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper....To serve

Plain yoghurt.

Coriander leaves.

2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds or chopped toasted peanuts (optional).

A little finely chopped chilli (optional).

...METHOD

How to make butternut and nut butter soup

1. Halve and peel the squash, then scoop out the seeds and cut the flesh into 1cm cubes. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and sweat until soft and translucent. Add the chilli, ginger and garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the squash, a sprinkling of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer gently, partially covered, for about 20 minutes, until the squash is soft - you should be able to mash it easily against the side of the pan with the back of a wooden spoon.

3. Whiz in a blender (or use a stick blender to purée it in the pan) until very smooth; you may need to do this in batches. In a bowl, whisk the peanut butter with a ladleful of the hot soup until well blended. Return this mixture to the soup in the pan, stir well and heat through.

4. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice and coriander, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve each portion topped with a dollop of yoghurt and a few coriander leaves. Sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds or peanuts and/or a little finely chopped chilli on top, if you like.

...use a stick blender to purée it in the pan) until very smooth; you may need to do this in batches. In a bowl, whisk the peanut butter with a ladleful of the hot soup until well blended. Return this mixture to the soup in the pan, stir well and heat through.

4. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice and coriander, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve each portion topped with a dollop of yoghurt and a few coriander leaves. Sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds or peanuts and/or a little finely chopped chilli on top, if you like.

(Recipe courtesy of Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall)

As well as being a truly versatile vegetable the Squash shares its name with a high paced indoor racquet sport, which also happens to be a sport that can be played when a snow covered pitch dictates that hockey, cannot take place!

It is this exact sport that took the place of my hockey fix on Saturday. As the 1^st Annual SHC World Squash Championships took place at the Club instead. Competitors from all over Reading flocked to take part. 3 from the Westside Massive (Merriman, Sewell, Harris). 1 from Eastside (Okey who is Massive (joke)), and 1 wild card entry from Yateley (Spike) due a late withdrawal from the Shinfield contingency (Grassick).

You must forgive me in not remembering how the others did in their results, (I don’t really care) but my 6 games unbeaten was best of the day, and in my head I held aloft the Guinness Trophy in the bar later!

MOTM- Paul Harris 6-0 unbeaten record as Champion

DOTD- Julian Sewell – Not getting out the way of the ball, and consequently receiving a full tilt forehand from my racquet to his backside!

Sonning Men’s 2’s Versus Sonning Men’s 3’s

28th January 2012

Won 2-1

This year will once again see the return of the Olympic Games to London and rather than discuss the chances of GB in the Men’s and Ladies Hockey, I have decided to draw your attention to possibly our Teams best chances of obtaining an Olympic Gold Medal… DIVING!

Diving requires acrobatic excellence and supreme coordination skills, as athletes dive from heights of up to 10m into the waters below.

The Olympic sport of Aquatics includes four disciplines: Synchronised Swimming, Swimming, Water Polo and Diving. At Seoul 1988, America’s Greg Louganis fell unconscious into the pool after hitting his head on the 3m springboard at the start of a preliminary-round dive. Amazingly, he recovered to win the gold medal in the final.

Competitive diving developed from gymnastics in the 18th century, when gymnasts in Sweden and Germany began to perform tumbling routines into water. Along with Swimming, Synchronised Swimming and Water Polo, the elegant yet dramatic sport of Diving is one of four disciplines that make up the Olympic sport of Aquatics.

The basics

The eight Olympic diving events – four for men, four for women – feature either a springboard, 3m above the pool, or a fixed platform, set at a height of 10m. Springboards must be at least 4.8m long and 50cm wide, while platforms should be at least 6m long and 3m wide.

Judges award a score out of 10 for each dive, which is adjusted to take into account the dive’s degree of difficulty. In the Synchronised Diving events, pairs of athletes dive in tandem and are also assessed for their level of synchronisation.

Olympic Diving, past and present

Diving made its Olympic debut in 1904, where medals were awarded for men in the 10m Platform and the Plunge for Distance (a Diving long jump event, which never again appeared on the Olympic programme). Synchronised Diving made its first Olympic appearance at Sydney in 2000.

At London 2012, the Diving competition will take place at the dazzling new Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park, designed by acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid and built especially for the Games.

Jargon buster

Arm stand: A platform dive that begins from a handstand position.

Platform: A fixed diving board, at least 6m long and 3m wide.

Pike: A diving position for which the diver bends the body at the hips, keeping the legs straight.

Springboard: A flexible diving board, at least 4.8m long and 50cm wide.

Tuck: A diving position for which the diver curls up into a ball, holding the shins towards the body

Tom Daly Great Britain’s best hope for a Diving Gold medal is up against some stiff opposition from Sonning Men’s 2’s Chris O Hagan, who fancies a bit of Tom Daly! Sorry, fancies himself as a bit of a Tom Daly, judging by the Diving skills on display on Saturday!

After Saturdays incident he is more of a Greg Louganis!(At Seoul 1988, America’s Greg Louganis fell unconscious into the pool after hitting his head on the 3m springboard at the start of a preliminary-round dive. Amazingly, he recovered to win the gold medal in the final.)

After a collision with the 3’s defender Oly Yiend, O’hagan took flight into the air performing a full twisting double back flip to belly flop! When questioned if he was ok he requested assistance to leave the field of play. Was this the end of a promising future for the boy O’Hagan it appeared so! Not the case however as he astonishingly returned to the pitch with 15 mins to play. A remarkable recovery indeed!! Or so it would seem… Rumours that he had already predicted a 6.0 for artistic impression before the game were confirmed in the bar where he was branded a ‘Cheat and a Fool’ by ‘HIS OWN TEAM’ and was ostracised accordingly!

Diving as a sport clearly has a future but diving in our beloved sport of hockey must be stamped out immediately. Whilst we cannot understand what motivates people to act in this fashion it is our duty to find a solution before it escalates into the plague proportions that dominate the headlines in Football.

Please take a moment to view the videos below to firstly mock those who choose to cheat by diving, and the new preventative measures to stop players Diving!

Now to the Game … Sonning Men’s 3’s did themselves proud on Saturday with a dogged performance against a belligerent 2’s and their NEVER SAY DIE attitude!

The 3’s opened the scoring from an ‘unorthodox’ push out finding its way to O’Mara who struck a fine shot across goal and into the far corner.

The 2’s replied with a more direct short corner strike from Tim Clay under the floundering Spike in Goal.

The 2’s struck the winner with about 10 mins left in the game against a very tired and defensive 3’s formation with a Short corner Drag flick Rebound slotted home by Justin Hunting.

Motm- Tim Clay

Dotd – Chris O’Hagan aka ‘Radar’ ‘Drogba’ ‘Ronaldo’ ‘Louganis’ ‘Daly’