Widnes Wild's 4v4 Summer Cup tournament concluded Sunday night with five teams competing for the inaugural championship trophy. The five teams to make it through the Day 1 and Day 2 group stages were Furnival Flyers, Darwen Devils, HUGE Fries, Lumberjack Leprechauns, and Bracegirdle's Bombers. All were still comprised of ENL, EPL, and rec players.Sunday's face-off was around quarter-past-five with Furnival Flyers v. Darwen Devils getting the event underway. A steady crowd of between 40-50 people watched on as the tournament progressed through another round robin stage, which followed the same format as the previous days -- one 10-minute period. The final would be two 8-minute periods, all run clock.
The team I played for, HUGE Fries, eased through the group stages with 1-0, 2-0, and 3-1 wins. The last round robin game was a precursor to the finals, which ended in a 1-1 draw against Bracegirdle's Bombers.
In the semifinals we were matched up against Furnival Flyers and the game was evenly matched with both teams having solid chances with no breakthrough. As it entered the closing stages the Huge Fries caught the opposition on the break and for all the horribleness I had played up until then I finished on a perfectly placed pass across goal from Kieran Strangeway that proved to be the difference.
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| Mack & I before the first game. |
The final period saw most of the action as tired legs made way for more chances. B's Bombers added to their lead early and quickly went into defensive mode to protect it. HUGE Fries chased the game back to a one goal difference through Max Drakeley's backhand flick over the goalie's shoulder. Conceding didn't change the B's Bombers protect plan.
As the game dwindled to its closing stages, HUGE Fries controlled much of the puck as they searched for an equaliser. It was left late as I notched through a scrambler in front with just under 10 seconds left. But in the format the clock does not stop and there is no face off. It is get the puck and go. And that is what Bracegirdle's Bombers did as Shaun Dippnall undressed Tom McDonald on a shifty deke with 1.8 on the clock.
Heartbroken.
HUGE Fries: Ben Brown, Joe Charlton, Max Drakeley, Allen Gunn, Tom McDonald, Kieran Strangeway, Tom Wilson.
Full videos across all three days of the tournament may be found on Phobeninc's YouTube channel.
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Edit note: After arriving at home I saw that my mother had asked how the hockey went and she offered little comfort for my woes.
