NO RETREAT
"NO RETREAT!!!"
A refrain echoed down the ages by Generals exhorting their army to greater deeds and tasks.
In this instance, on a pleasant May evening at the Bay,it took on another meaning as in ,"where's the Retreat team"?
They arrived but with only 6 or 7 players, but the Bay, having a large turnout made up the numbers.
Your correspondent living up to his motto of "any team, any position, anywhere, I'm a rugby slut" was joined by 7 other Bay sluts to don the Purple of Retreat.
Notable amongst them being ,Bradley"I"ll have some" Moore and that duet of Garbers and Graham.
Three 20 minute chukkas was the aim but whether we could make the 3rd would be decided at the end of the second.
Larry "have boots, will play"Coe declined ICU to join us as part of his combined farewell and comeback tour.
The game started with a fluorescent orange ball being caught by yours truly, the only thing I managed to catch all night, not even a cold!
The combined team of Purple People Eaters(PPE) settled into their stride and took a surprise 2-1 lead at the end of the first chukka.
The Bay front row appeared to be struggling as various combinations of Punt, Fabre and Carswell tried to to undo the settled trio of the PPE.
Tackling was hard, no quarter given. Retreat was not an option (course I had to get it in somewhere).
The second chukka ended 3-3 but the ref said 3-2 to the PPE and in a first in the sporting life of this correspondent, he agreed with a referee!
The 3rd quarter saw the Bay "equalising" before their tiring legs saw the PPE run out 5-3 winners.
A fine game played in a good spirit saw members of both teams heading for the showers, beer and braai in that order.
No singing tonight but the evening rang to the sounds of Cream, ZZ Top, Queen and other music from the decade that is rock music, the 70's.
Phil Henry picked up man of the match, and every one returned to the meat and music when hair was hair. Not a lot of that around the fire now but the beer and the rugby stories are still the same.
