wtfif

aussiefitzy.com

DAY 136a

Week 20

WELLINGTON ~ World Golden Oldies Rugby Festival – Day VI (Wellington, NZ)

Game 3: Dingoes -v- Upper Hutt Yellowbellies from New Zealand

Friday November 3rd, 2006

TODAYS MILEAGE – 7 miles or 11 kilometres

TRIP MILEAGE – 24971 miles or 40187 kilometres

The final day of competition was held at Kilbirnie Park where we took on another local Wellington club, the Upper Hutt Yellowbellies. As luck would have it, our team liaison officer Brent plays for them and if he was anything to go by, then they would be a terrific bunch of blokes.

The Dingoes were down a couple of numbers due to injuries to Hugh (broken leg), Mugsy (bruised ribs), Powelly (both hamstrings), Fitzy (neck) and the cheerleaders (broken wine glasses), but in the true spirit of the festival, we fielded a team and what a match it was.

Firstly, we will never complain about the cricket pitch that used to take pride of place in the middle of all games on Anzac Oval (in Alice Springs) as this mob had not one, but two concrete cricket pitches on either end of the park, just on the 22 meter lines.

The game was played at a frenetic pace (they almost broke into a sweat and very near a jog) and featured a scrum by all the cheerleaders from both teams. Fair dinkum, you've never seen anything like it. The Front Row consisted of 4 shielas on both sides, Second Row had 5 shielas, plus 3 #8's. There was also a very loud and healthy discussion as to who was going to be the hooker. Talk about funny as!!!

In the dying seconds of the game, an international incident of monumental proportions occurred — shades of the Trevor Chappel incident in 1981, on very near the 25th anniversary of that day in infamy no less.

With barely seconds to play and with the Yellowbellies captain taking strike, our captain Batesy took it upon himself to bowl the last ball of the see-sawing rugby match. With all 20 Dingoes crowding the batsman holding off the advances of the opposition, Batesy rolls down an underarm googly no less?

What's going on shouts the crowd!!!

The Yellowbellies captain takes an almighty lusty kick at the ball in hopes of clearing the fielders and getting the ball into touch for the win. Fortunately the Gods were smiling upon us that day and he banana kicks the ball over his head and into the arms of a Dingo who falls over the line to score, ensuring a memorable draw.

Talk about a wonderful way to finish the Festival formalities.