After experiencing some difficulty finding the ground, the Barnstoneworth team welcomed Damien Vane-Tempest back to the centres following a long absence. Despite it being mid-winter in high-altitude banjo country, it was a blazing sunny day, and the sweat broke out within five minutes of the opening whistle. Read more

Buoyed by our titanic winning performance midweek, The Legends returned in triumph to Terry Oval looking for their first win all season on that blessed turf. Our opponents were Umina, against whom we had previously had a draw that should have been a win, and a loss that should have been a draw. A pre-match inspection confirmed that as usual about 20% of the pitch was unplayable due to marshland, potholes and strips of butcher’s grass etc. Read more

Games against East Gosford are like hookers on a shady street; you wait ages for one, and then two come along in quick succession. Finally though, after rain enforced rearrangements of previously rearranged games, the two teams met last Saturday at Hylton Moore Oval. Last time out we had, it’s fair to say, handed their asses to them with a finely sculptured 5-0 win that remains our most convincing win. Read more

Round 15 saw our home game disappointingly moved to Baker Park, as Duffy’s Oval was once again closed for the weekend, meaning we travelled to the scene of the crime where Jorge had been so badly injured by a crude challenge in Round 8. Read more

A very relaxed Barnstoneworth team was manning the sideline at Kariong Oval, when your correspondent arrived, struggling under the combined harassment of children, folding chairs, dogs and an appalling hangover. The team was apparently unconcerned with the need to warm up before the match, being too busy trying to shield themselves from the positively Baltic gale howling in from the west. Read more

Field of Dreams

Marcus Aurelius - BarnstoneworthHow you regard Saturday’s game against Kariong depends very much on which of the following philosophical standpoints most coincides with your world view :

‘Man that is born of woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery’

‘It’s not a matter of life and death, it’s much more serious than that’ (Bill Shankly)

‘Wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance’ (Marcus Aurelius)

‘When the entropic heat death of the Universe arrives in 10^103 years, everybody will be too preoccupied to give a shit about the result of an over 35C soccer match between two long forgotten clubs on the eastern coast of a lifeless scorched landmass in what used to be an ocean.’ (me) Read more