Harmony Restored

The Intra-Club league finished with a Leinster/Connaught combo defeating a Dublin/Munster combo in a 14-a-side affair last night. I missed the game as did many other Dubs & Munster men; all of us clearly sharing equal distaste for each other and choosing not to unite for the cause.

The result copper fastened the Leinster men’s belief that they would have been worthy opponents for the Champion Munster selection, had they had another shot. Too little too late this year gentlemen!!

We all headed to the Oak afterwards and tucked into a few crates of Maes which we had purchased with the money we gathered for the competition. Medals, with well chosen red and white ribbon, arrived from Dublin that evening, thanks to the help of Cluxton who acted as courier. We hit a snag with the trophy though. Usually, we get glass plaques but Conan had no luck getting in touch with the shop in the last week.

Bull whizzed by earlier in the week and confirmed that they were away on holidays.
Fortunately Bull had a battered old relic in his boot and after removing the engraving it was ready to be the new Intra-club trophy. This still left the problem of player of the tournament plaque. In the absence of an obvious solution, I suggested to Eoin that we get flowers! He agreed but both of us must have assumed that we were to pick them up.

He had got his girlfriend to pick up a big bunch but at the same time I’d gone shopping. My shop had no flowers though, but bizarrely I was able to buy a cactus there so that would do. Upon realising our double purchase, we agreed the cactus would be given to the ‘prickliest’ player of the tournament.

We had quite different views on the player of the tournament. Eoin was adamant that Timmy was the brightest star but I hadn’t instantly recognised it. I think it was a good call. As captain of Munster he led his team well and got forward to score points and back to turnover possession. What he can’t do though, is deliver a speech and fortunately the mic wasn’t left in his hand too long!!

Despite plenty of fairly good auditions for it, prickliest player was an easy call and went to Colin Byrne. Aside from his grumpy demeanour as referee of the Dublin/Munster game he was never far from boiling point in the matches he played in either. And this isn’t even including his reactions when you drink his water, eat his pitta or pluck his chest hair. A worthy winner, the young Wicklow man!

A magnificent session was had thereafter with Al on the guitar and Ciaran on the tin whistle to the fore; amongst many other talented musicians it must be said. Today was a bank holiday in Belgium so there was no holding back. These are always the best nights in Brussels, the midweek ones with no work the next day.

So the line has been drawn under the Intra-club league. We got plenty of football out of it and a fair share of craic too. Roll on 2011 and another jolt at the title.