Bedford V 3 - 0 Hertford VI

So what happened?

Luton Town couldn't raise a team for their game against Bedford 5s, and conceded the game. So Bedford 5s didn't have a game.

Bedford 6s couldn't raise a team. The league rules don't allow you to move players down from a higher team if they are available only because of a cancellation - though they could have used the 'doubling up' rule for a maximum of 4 players. They needed seven.

If they had cancelled our game, they would have suffered a 5 - 0 defeat and a three point penalty in the league. By putting out an ineligible team, the game is awarded to us but they avoid the three point penalty. And more important, we all get a game of hockey.

OK, they were a bit too keen and fast for us, but if we'd sorted out our marking quicker and kept out the two rather soft early goals we would have run them pretty close. OK, we didn't get many scoring chances, and Nick Izzard (Man of the Match) had to make an awful lot of saves, but we defended doggedly, found some decent width at the end of the first half, and even looked the stronger side in a ten minute phase after half time when we finally built up some sustained pressure around their D. Play got rather scrappy after that, and though Bedford scored again, we finished with some neat breaks both wide and down the middle.

Still need to move the ball quicker, and offer each other more options running off the ball - but it's hard at our age when you spend half the game chasing after athletic schoolboys!!