Lambert Chapman LLP take part in 5 A Side tournamant at Colchester United

It always seems to rain when we play football and it dampened our spirits on a disappointing evening which saw us finish 5^th out of 6 at a five a side tournament at Colchester United kindly organised by Birkett Long LLP. Having played in a number of tournaments in the past we were looking forward to not having to run miles to retrieve a ball as the pitches at CUFC are caged in. However, it doesn’t quite work like that as the game is non stop and instead of 8 minutes of play and 2 minutes for stoppages you get the full 10 minutes which leaves you drained.

So starting our first game against Ellisons in hideous conditions one man short and without a sub presented a massive disadvantage. Ellisons were superb and Guy Longhurst very sportingly stood down to match up the teams unless we got an advantage. Trust us to score quite quickly and get him onto the field! Despite having three fits guys on pitch and Mike Carabine in goal we ended up losing 4-2 with ever dependable Craig Weavers getting both our goals.

Our problems continued as we were straight onto the second pitch and into a game against a very strong Birkett Long side though a quick loan deal on the sidelines saw David Cant make a debut against his own firm which helped marry the sides up. Despite being exhausted from the exertions of game 1 the team competed well and had some opportunities to score. However, a 2-0 defeat saw our chances for the semi final diminish.

By the time of our third game against NatWest Dan Drake had arrived to make his Lambert Chapman debut and he acquitted himself well despite being a little short of energy. We did manage to notch a 1-0 victory with a goal from Tom Maddocks.

In our fourth game Richard Hamilton had arrived from the clients he had been working at and the squad took the full strength available to us on the day. We took a 2-0 lead, with both goals from Mark Pearson, against the eventual winners Suffolk Life only to be pegged back level and then lose 3-2  with a last minute concession.

Our last game saw us pitted against Fenn Wright and depending upon results both sides could still qualify for the semi final knock out stage. We needed a win or draw depending upon the Nat West result but with them losing a win was what was required. Unfortunately a 0-0 ensued and we were eliminated losing in the process Richard Hamilton with a badly gashed lip that required stitches and broken wrist following a collision near the end of the game.

So a miserable night for Lambert Chapman LLP compounded by the fact that we know could have done better had everyone been present at the start. Having said that we enjoyed the format and will be happy to repeat the experience in another tournament. Congratulations to Suffolk Life who defeated Birkett Long LLP in the final.

Date:19 February 2010

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