Robin Howard one of the St Day Choughs (U11s) entered a competition run by Cornwall School Games. He entered the Creative Writing section entry which won 2nd place and £25. Luckily there was a factual account category which seemed to appeal to boys. The brief was to write something on one or more of the Cornwall School Games values of passion, determination, self-belief, teamwork, honesty and respect. Robin chose to write about the U11s Cup Final on may the 4th, and here it is. Well Done Robin...
The Kernow League Under 11 Cup Final 2014
00:00
Time seemed to stand still. My breath rattled in my ears while I scanned the faces of the rest of the St Day Under 11 football team, wondering what was going through their heads. Then it happened. We were off!
05:00
Penalty! After only five minutes, we had the chance to take the lead. Relief flooded through me as our captain, Blaise, calmly stroked the ball past the keeper after a deliberate handball. However, our delight was short-lived as, to my surprise and horror, the referee pointed to the spot once again. Retake! As Blaise stepped up once again, showing incredible self-belief, I knew he was going to score. He duly obliged.
20:00
2-0! This time, our number 1 striker, Sam Tellam, fired a crisp volley across his body into the far right corner of the net, putting St Ives down. Already, we had one hand on the cup.
30:00
As we went into the changing room we thought we had already won. How wrong we were.
40:00
My stomach felt as if it had left me as they scored. Being honest, it was a fabulous strike, outside the area, curling the ball around into the top corner of the net. We lost so much self-belief, while they gained lots.
54:00
No! They had equalised! After being so far ahead, we had allowed them a way back into the game and we could be the ones paying for it.
60:00
I couldn’t bare it. Extra time beckoned. How had this happened? We were on top for so long; out of nowhere, two wonder goals had put them back in it. My legs felt like rusty cogs, tied together by thin wire. But I knew I had to find it within me to carry on, and see this game through.
70:00
Yes! We were back in business. Blaise scored again! Ten minutes more and the cup was ours. All we had to do keep a clean sheet.
79:00
3-3! I couldn’t believe it. Penalties were on the cards.
80:00
First up was Sam. Cool as you like, he smashed the ball into the back of the net. Unfortunately, so did their player. I was up next. As I had no real experience taking penalties, I decided to smack it. I did. I was nervous. As I watched the ball sail over the crossbar, I felt so miserable. I’d let my team down and now we might lose. I couldn’t watch. However, their team missed also. As Blaise ran up to meet the ball, I could tell he wasn’t confident. He missed. To make everything feel even worse, they went and scored. Next up was Nathan. If he missed, we would lose. He absolutely smashed it in. 2-2! However, if they scored, we would still lose. However, the penalty taker wasn’t counting on having to face James in goal. He Missed. For us, Adam, calmly passed the ball into the corner. They missed. We had won the cup!