With a number of players injured and others called up to fill gaps in the ranks of the 1sts and 2nds, Chard 3rds were left with seven players for this fixture. A swift exchange of emails with Sidmouth & Ottery established they could lend us four players to make up a full team to ensure the game went ahead. Had it not, we'd have missed another Man of the Match performance from keeper Nick Turner and a contender for Goal of the Season from Gary Wheaton, an unstoppable reverse stick shot across the face of goal into the top corner, an equaliser to the home side's early lead which their pressure fully deserved. Although Sidmouth & Ottery were soon ahead again, the longer the first half went on , the more Chard's makeshift 11 came into it, Martin Pinder ( their 3rds' captain) and his three colleagues increasingly relishing the competition against their usual teammates.

The game proved to be an evenly contested affair throughout, although the home side should have won by a wider margin. That they did not was down to a combination of Turner's heroics with some timely clearing away off his pads from the defence, in particular Paul Sainsbury and, when keeper and defenders could not prevent a shot, some wayward finishing from the home team's forwards. Chard's best chance of a second equaliser after the interval fell to Alan Cheffey, who found himself in centre forward position with only the keeper to beat, but slid his shot just the wrong side of the post.

So, while the game was forfeit as a 5-0 walkover to Sidmouth & Ottery, the score on the day was 2-1 to them, two teams played a game, which had looked in jeopardy, in excellent competitive spirit. The winner was hockey and thanks again to Martin, his three colleagues and Sidmouth & Ottery HC for making this possible.