Cardiff City Korfball Club

Josh shows he has a better memory than most of us (small random recollections added by Taff)

Thanks to Exeter's considerate start times, we travelled to Devon at a relatively sensible time, and were in the unaccustomed position of being able to play our first games while actually awake. We also had a rather unfamiliar squad , with Sandy and Donna playing their first matches for City, and Chris, Helen and Amy playing their first competitive matches ever. Only 5 players remained from the first leg of the OKA tour, with Pam scoring high commitment points for being the only girl to play both.

The first opponents for City 1 were supposedly Oxford City, though both their kit and their players looked suspiciously like Abingdon. The game ended up as a tight fought 4-4 draw, with the highlight being Dave's cheeky flick in from under the basket.

City 2 began against the official Abingdon team, and they grabbed a somewhat fortuitous victory, having equalised through Lee, before Josh dropped a long shot to win it.

City 1 then faced the hosts, and possible tournament favourites, Exeter. The game was tight for a while, but eventually two goals from Ian put Cardiff on the path to victory. Both Chris and Helen scored in front of the enthusiastic support of their parents, putting family loyalty ahead of supporting their local team.

City 2 then took on familiar opposition in Horfield, and began well, with Sandy scoring her first goal to put us ahead and then establishing a 3-1 lead after HALLELLUJAH! HALLELLUJAH! Aidan scored. However, Horfield fought back to square the game at 3-3. Fortunately Josh's running in shot quickly regained the advantage for Cardiff, and we moved smoothly on to a 6-3 triumph.

City 1 then played Bristol, in a game which I missed due to reffing a match on the other pitch. However our traditional rivals were overcome 3-2, and I'm sure each of James and Dave's goals were things of exquisite beauty.

This win confirmed City 1's position in the semi finals, which City 2 had achieved with a game to spare, but in order for the teams to avoid each other in the semis, City 2 needed to avoid defeat in their final group game against Taunton, not an easy task against an athletic side with some interesting tactics. After conceding an early goal, City struggled for a while, before hitting their form with 5 unanswered scores. Taunton did pull back to 5-3 by then end, but the victory was assured, and both City teams had won their groups.

In the first semi final, City 1 were against Abingdon, winners of the last tour, and who looked like they might have the edge early on. But they had also played non-stop all day, and as City began to hit their stride, Abingdon faded, with James getting a hat-trick, Chris scoring twice, and Zoe grabbing her first goal in a 7-3 win.

The other semi against Bristol was much tighter. Josh opened the scoring for City by cleverly incapacitating his marker with a well timed joke at Kevin's expense, before speeding past him; but Kevin himself responded with a long shot at the other end. Pam seemed to have put Cardiff in control with 2 goals, the second of them a lovely long shot, but Bristol pulled back to level the game and then move ahead 4-3. Both sides missed several chances to score as the final whistle neared, before Chris finally managed to equalise from close range, and the game finished 4-4.

Penalty shoot-out then, and Cardiff started well, with Josh scoring the first penalty, and the edge was confirmed when Kevin missed for Bristol. But then things swung back, Lee missed and Sarah scored for the Bristolians. Sandy kept her nerve to give Cardiff the lead again, and then the tension rose as both sides missed their next two penalties. Bristol needed to score with their last shot to force sudden death, but the shot bounced off the back rim, and both finalists would be from Cardiff.

Fulsome congratulations have to go to all the players for such an achievement, and really all the glory came before the final, which doesn't really need to be described. And yes, my team lost. Hmmph. Ok, Dave scored to put City 1 ahead, Lee finally sank a penalty to equalise, Rachel scored to make it 2-1, Josh's runner made it 2-2, Dave again for 3-2. This was the key time in the game with City 2 having several opportunities for an equaliser, but not able to take any, and Chris punished them to make it 4-2, which was how it finished.

As the posher members of the club disappeared off to their B&B to get changed, probably with inclusive manicure and pedicure, the rest of us were left to shower at the playing fields. Only problem was, there was only one set of showers. Several peoples hopes were cruelly dashed though, no communal cleansing was to happen, the girls were to get first go. While it can never be said that Cardiff City's match reports resort to lazy stereotyping, it must be noted that the girls took an inordinately long time to finish, leaving me and Dave about 2 minutes to wash, while the groundsman muttered darkly about "doing us a favour" and "more than my job's worth" for the rooms to be stay open any later.

Next it was off to the very pretty grounds of the Double Locks pub for the social. Can't remember too much, but a few details do spring to mind. Sandy threatening to push Kevin in the canal with such sincerity that he moved to the other side of the table, stealing Abingdon's food (soz!), Amy and Helen's nipple flicking drinking game, Pam being rubbish at a drinking game, Pam being rubbish at the next drinking game, Pam giving up this gaming bollocks and just drinking, Donna injuring her knee saving the life of a small child (or something), the usual eye-popping game of I Have Never and us all drowning out the band singing along to Champagne Supernova and Laid. Also, as a public health notice, please be aware that playing drunken volleyball using a rock-hard korfball is not a good idea. Eventually, realising that it was probably the only way to stop us drinking, the pub staff switched off all the lights outside were barred the door, so we toddled off to bed.

On to a lovely sunny Sunday, where the hardcore that remained lazed around in the park, occasionally rousing themselves to show that however good we were yesterday, we're not much cop at killer or softball. Thanks to Exeter for a smoothly run and ideally situated tournament, and to everyone who came along, particularly Ian, Aidan, Dave and Pam for driving (I don't know who drove the other car!) and a very successful weekend.

Cardiff City 1
Group Stages
Cardiff 4	4 Oxford
Cardiff 5	2 Exeter
Cardiff 3	2 Bristol
Semi Final
Cardiff 7	3 Abingdon

Cardiff City 2
Group Stages
Cardiff 2	1 Abingdon
Cardiff 6	3 Horfield
Cardiff 5	3 Taunton
Semi Final
Cardiff 4	4 Bristol
(2 - 1 on penalties)

FINAL
Cardiff one 4	2 Cardiff two

Scorers
Josh	7
Chris	6
James	6
Taff	5
Ian	5
Pam	3
Helen	2
Lee	2
Aidan	1
Rachel	1
Sandy	1
Zoe	1

Cardiff I are now the proud leaders of the OKA tour, while Cardiff II have moved up to joint 3rd with Exeter.

The tournament winners (and Lee).

Two debutantes celebrating their winning start in CCKC colours.

Club rising star (quite literally), Chris.

Sandy having trouble collapsing her tent

The Double Locks pub. Now this is the way to lose your hangover on a sunday morning....