Goodricke romp to 6-a-side glory

Vanburgh and Goodricke battle it out for 6-aside honours

The ever confident Goodricke were dealt a blow in the morning, when the second team tournament went narrowly to Halifax. Seconds Captain and Goodricke Sports rep Jack Kennedy said, "We did really well today, and my players should be proud of themselves. We went unbeaten, but lacked a real goalscorer in the team. It's just a shame that the one side that beat us were Halifax".

First blow to Halifax.

The afternoon's event promised to be a tight affair, with nearly every side boasting more than enough talent to win the honours. Tournament organiser Nick Hassey said before the first game: "Vanburgh look good, I reckon they are a good bet to win this." And early on it looked like he was going to be proved right.

Vanburgh drew their first game, before winning the next two comfortably. Next up was a 3-0 walkover against James College, who failed to field an eligible side, but must be given credit for competing well throughout. Then only two fixtures stood in Vanburgh's way to success.

Looking back, the Vanburgh Captain David Pollard said: "The match before Goodricke was against James, so I think we lost a bit of momentum which proved costly because Goodricke were a very good team."

The Vanburgh v Goodricke fixture looked to be the title decider, and despite Pollard's reservations, it was Vanburgh who made the better start. Goodricke however, had not yet conceded a goal in the tournament, and their defence held tight again. Dan Whitlam scoring a crucial breakaway goal to give Goodricke the lead. Vanburgh responded well and piled pressure on the Goodricke goal.

Taylor makes a crucial save

Goodricke 'keeper George Taylor made a crucial save to deny Vanburgh the equaliser, and it was his quick throw that found Eddie Silson, who hit home the winner. It was a blow that Vanburgh could not recover from. Pollard continued, "It all went wrong in the Goodricke match!

"We played very well today, and I think we were a little unlucky not to win the tournament. All of the team played very well but Matt Witherwick and Tom Sheldrick stood out the most."

Pollard pointed to the team's experience in this format as a key factor: "I think we were relatively successful because all of the team play regular 6-a-side football together." Yet it was Goodricke who came out on top on this day.

Goodricke co-Captain and top goalscorer Eddie Silson said, "All the boys were magnificent today, Tom Wilson was class, as was Owen Grafham. Dan Whitlam got a few good goals, and the whole defence was brilliant, especially George Taylor in net."

University Firsts players were not allowed to play in this tournament, and only two Second team players were allowed. Silson said, "We only really missed out on Dom O'Shea and Simon Oatridge because of the rules, and that helped us a lot. It meant we could pick a team that knew each other well."

The victorious Goodricke Squad

Goodricke rounded off their tournament win with a 3 - 2 victory over Derwent, conceding their first goals of the day, but showed their resilience to come from behind. George Taylor, Goodricke goalkeeper and Sports Rep said, "It's a shame on a personal note to let those goals in, but we finished ahead of Halifax, which was the important thing today. It's much like sports day, we feel we have played so well but we've only come away with a one point gain on the day."

All eyes are on college sport this year, as Halifax and Goodricke are now in joint first place, with only this term's leagues to finish. The competition will go right to the wire, and TheYorker will bring you every twist and turn, as it all unfolds.

Final Standings - First Team

College W D L Points

• Goodricke --5 --1 --0 --16
• Vanbrugh --4 --1 --1 --13
• Halifax --2 --2 --2 --8
• Alcuin --2 --2 --2 --8
• Derwent --1 --3 --2 --6
• Langwith --1 --3 --2 --6
• James --0 --0 --6 --0

Final Standings - Second Team

College W D L Points

• Halifax --4 --2 --0 --14
• Goodricke --2 --4 --0 --10
• James --3 --0 --3 --9
• Alcuin --2 --2 --2 --8
• Derwent --1 --4 --1 --7
• Vanbrugh --2 --1 --3 --7
• Langwith --0 --1 --5 --1

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