IT"S CALLED NERVES
The incredible achievement to pull up the Bay into the esteemed Super League A after being relegated for 13 years, was marked by a great sense of joy to just about everyone I spoke to. Old men in Bay ties were teetering in their shoes, clutching their Castles and reminiscing; young upstarts from the Under 20s were smart in their club getup and jovial in their words and actions; proud parents, family members and friends lined the main field three thick and the bar, surprisingly, was thin to say the least.
Why? Everyone was outside watching the Bay catapult themselves from a slightly nervous start against Super League A stalwarts Hamiltons to a fantastic runaway try by Whalied Heyns and conversion by star player Demetri Catrakallis, to end up with a 20-16 win.
The nerves were there for sure. I found myself on one of the best seats in the house: under cover opposite the halfway line, and surprisingly next to a fully-kitted out Hamilton’s old boy/committee member/team mascot in his yellow and red striped blazer and cap. The beer and ciggie clutching crowd to my right were alternating between shouting down the ref, applauding The Bay and sitting in anxious silence, while the general mass of supporters and fans sat in quiet concentration as the most-anticipated game of the past year hit the nervy 60 minute mark.
With the sounds of Kevin Musikanth’s heartfelt ‘Where were you 13 years ago’ speech running through their heads, the False Bay XV hit the ground hard and running.
The jubilant final whistle (which took flippen long to get blown I must add), heralded a shout so loud it woke the bergies dossing under the tree at Constantia Village! And that takes a lot.
People streamed onto the field, including yours truly, completely forgoing my own advice about the decorum of a Rugby Girlfriend. La Med received a bone crushing hug, as did many of the players and coaches, each of them high on the win, and what that really meant.
Up the Bay. UP THE BAY!
