The 26 May 2017 saw a clash between the DHS and Glenwood Old Boys at the Three Schools Astroturf in Glenwood. It was expected to be an entertaining evening for all that attended and it did not disappoint; in fact it surpassed all expectations in excitement and once again proved that the rivalry between our schools never diminishes no matter the age of the players. The desire to beat the “ENEMY” is so far ingrained inside both sets of Old Boys that what many thought would be a friendly match soon turned into a classic which would have been a great advert for both schools had it been played by the school boys. The many supporters for both sets of players witnessed a match which swung in favour of one team to the next a number of times!
Glenwood were out of the blocks quickest and found themselves 2-0 up early on. This was a huge wake up for the DHS Old Boys and they managed to absorb the rest of the early pressure and soon took better control of possession and built steadily into the game, becoming more dangerous on the counter attack and looking like they could get one back. Unfortunately, the halftime whistle blew without DHS being able to score.
The second half started in complete contrast to the first! DHS grabbed the first goal of the second half and that really got the school boys, who were supporting in good numbers, going and with the extra noise and support it pushed us on and the first goal was quickly followed by a second… GAME ON!
By this time the atmosphere became one of nerves and excitement for both sets of supporters. Glenwood scored again, making it 3-2. By this time the slightly older average age of the DHS guys started to take its toll on the guys and we were not able to recover defensively as quickly as we would have liked! However, this conceded goal only ignited the desperation not to lose once again and we equalised with about 10 minutes left in the Game.
Both sets of school boys by this time were making heaps of noise cheering on their respective teams, as were the parents of the boys who were watching. Glenwood rallied late and managed to grab a couple of goals to win the game 5-3 and deservedly take the bragging rights this year.
Overall, it was an extremely successful evening and we are hoping to try and make this an annual event which always gets good support and hopefully continues to entertain and showcase the sport of hockey in a positive light and expose the boys who wouldn’t normally see the game to the possibilities of playing it.
Thank you to the Blackmore House boys for their support! A video of the war cry they did with the Old Boys after the game can be found on the Blackmore House Facebook page.
A special thanks must be made to Mr Michael Baker of Glenwood for putting together the first of hopefully many, many more exciting Friday nights!
Ryan Beaumont
M-i-C Hockey
