Wildcats Assembly Report IX

15 February 2007

31 January 2007

So how do you go on when in your heart you begin to understand there is no going back? There are some things time cannot mend; some hurts that go too deep that have taken hold. How can one in a few words sum up the achievements of the twelve girls who volunteered for the 2006 Wildcats team? Well, I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined the Wildcats: We have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.

As the Wildcats looked across at the Nunnery Wood opposition during our slick warm-up drills, we saw nothing that terrified us. Our spirits were high, our temperament cool and we were ready. There was, however, one thing that puzzled coach Shorrocks. This was the school that in November had taken a hell of a beating with Rachael Gwilt scoring 10 of the 14 goals. And yet according to our scouts in the crowd not one of the Nunnery Wood girls was recognisable to us - this was an entirely new team? Something was wrong??

Anyway, the game got off to a flying start with the Wildcats taking a 3 - 1 lead. This was mainly due to some excellent working off the D by the attacking Danni Mason and Hannah White. However, it soon became very obvious that Nunnery Wood had two monster defenders that were becoming a real handful. Supposedly standing 0.9m away from the shooters they seemed to have the wingspan of an albatross and were literally touching the ball in the hands of Rachael or Lydia. Nunnery Wood then found their legs and were getting very good at blocking and intercepting our passes. To their credit it was becoming very difficult to get the ball out of our half. 3 - 1 became 4 - 4 at the end of the first quarter. "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”, said coach Shorrocks at the break. The second and third quarters saw Nunnery Wood grow in confidence and the Wildcats responded by turning up the heat. It was becoming a war out there, with Ellie Brown and Cathy Dowty raising their levels of commitment and aggression. My friends - you bow to no one. As much as it was not the Wildcat way - playing the ball sideways or even backwards, waiting for a space to open - it was good to see them adapt to the challenges that Nunnery were providing and trying to play with a little more patience. Unfortunately, we just could not get enough good balls into our shooters for them to be effective enough. By the end of the third quarter the Wildcats were 4 - 12 down and looking at a defeat. `I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of the Wildcats fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day', said coach Shorrocks at the break. The final quarter began with a rousing cheer from the packed crowd as Rachael found her range again - indeed apart from Cathy Dowty being warned about her aggression, there was much more fluidity to our game now - perhaps our superior fitness was beginning to pay off? Ellie Brown and Danni Mason did not stop running and were the inspiration to the rest. No, we didn't quite get back into the game and ran out eventual losers 18 - 8. But, hey, as we look forward to our final game of the season let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire, the Commonwealth and RGS last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This will be their finest hour'.

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