Posted by BigJake on 07-05-2008 08:44
#1
Yes finally we have done it. We have smashed division 4, and all that is left in our wake is broken dreams and shattered aspirations.
It should have been, on paper at least, an easy last fixture for us. 'Ruskin House' - the team that haven't won a match all season playing the contenders for the no. 1 spot in the table. But it was far from it. The tone was set when one of their players before the off remarked - 'we haven't won a game all season... we sure as hell are going to win one tonight' ... After losing the first frame, to go 1-0 down, we knew that statistically we had to win every other frame to guarantee success. Of course, with hindsight the Goodfellas may have dropped a point here or there but this doesn't enter your mental landscape when you're playing the last game of the season and have gone 1-0 down. So we continued thinking we had to win every other game to guarantee our success in the league.
So what did we do? Did we falter, did we crumble under the immense pressure? No. We came together as the brazen team of Cuemasters that we are and we whooped ass. It was never easy, it was never certain, but we did what we have done so many times before and won the games that counted. Every one of those six games after the initial defeat we won.
Lest not forget Gary Bacon who lost the first game, lest not forget the many games he has won for us in the past at the front of the ship, holding up the most sacred of spots, lest not forget the points we would not have secured had he not won those many, many games of past. No, this is not an attack on Garys first game, far from it. If it were not for his previous victories no doubt we wouldn't be contending for the first spot at all, instead this is a celebration of the will, and determination of a truly unbeatable - Elmer Cuemasters.
We won because we were a team, a team under expert counsel (Ted - it has been said before, but it deserves to be said again, you are the leit motif of our success - it is you that have brought so many disparate personalities together under one shield, and carved glory out of an inexperienced team, but a team none the less hungry for victory).
We have put blood sweat and tears into the past five months, as have our supporters (notably Jenny, who has attendended almost every game of the season). Of course we had our superstars, our Caseys, our Mr. Rimers, our Marcos our Rickys ... but it is the mix that made us Champions, it is the multi faceted nature of the squad that demanded victory. Every single one of our players deserve their place in the team. Our victory is worthy of the effort and force we each put into the league, it is also worthy of our Captain who battled week after week to keep us focussed to keep us united.
Looking back we have many memories, all of which are great and this is credit to the teams that have taken part in Division Four.
Last but not least we give our thanks to the Goodfellas. We could not have asked for more worthy opponents. They have been the epitome of sportsmanship and fairplay, and we genuinely do, every one of us, look forward to many tightly contested matches to come.
Well done the Elmer, well done Ted, and well done every single player that has fought, indesputably, for the title of Cuemaster, and for the victory of Divison 4 - that is now rightfully ours.
Here's to Divison 3 next year - and to Division 1 in the coming weeks as our merger takes full swing.
Cheers - to every opponent we've played this season, and especially to the Goodfellas - it's been a truly amazing season.
Who would have thought division four would muster such emotions amongst our team? We had a great celebration back at the Elmer tonight, we all left feeling victorious. Every one of us left that place a champion, and we can only look forward to the many fixtures that lay ahead of us.
((If you could embed music here, we'd now play this song... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfgHdHfgVyE - copy and paste it, it sums up the closing weeks of our battle for dominance in division 4))
Well done - Winter season 2008 - Good luck everyone playing in the Summer. It's been a battle, but it's been great fun!
- The Elmer Cuemasters.
Edited by BigJake on 07-05-2008 16:13