Basel Brocs
With the biggest Broc squad ever put together (11!) confidence was high entering into the Freespeed 10th anniversary tournament. With shiny new kit ready to be unveiled, things were looking up. After a rather mammoth journey, via the Ryanair shed in Beauvais, the Broc arrived in Basel and with the Swiss competing in their last World Cup group game, all was set for a few beers. We were amazed by the amazingness of the venue... All facilities surrounded the pitches, including the all important Swiss digital clock/thermometer.
We tore into the free welcome party drinks. We swallowed hot dogs and other varieties of wiener. We cracked into the old reliable drinking games. Beds were only a 2 minute walk from the bar and World Cup screen. The perfect way to open our 2nd European voyage.
After a night sleeping in a world war bunker, with all 23 Irish in the same room (except Donal who spent most of the night in the bathroom), game time was 9am. "The sun wont be as hot then" was the explanation of the TD for why the Irish were playing so early. We presumed it was a ploy to stitch us up but how wrong we were. 28 degrees Celsius at 9am and it was only going to get hotter.
With a good win under our belts against Radical we ran quicker than ever during the game to find the shade. Bainne, Shiftoid and FB were the big sufferers in the sun and they made good use of the factor 50+ Kids sun block. We then lost to Bologna and Geneva Wizards. 2 big European teams with a tolerance for heat. It had hit 37 degrees by now and the paddies were not loving it! Our last game of the day was against Lyon based Moustix. It was a must win game and we came out all guns blazing. Seeing as it was now 5pm, the temperature had dropped slightly. A mere 35degrees stood between us and the win we needed. The finest Broc performance to date resulted in an 11-3 thrashing of the experienced Lyon side. A good days work and time for some shade!
The Saturday party was themed "Surprise". The MAC ladies dressed up as Swiss cuckoo clocks but were outdone by the Parisian ladies of Yaka, who dressed up as 12 Marilyn Monroe's and entered the party inside a huge birthday cake. Their efforts ensured they took the Party prize.
Sunday's weather forecast was for thunder storms and we were looking forward to a bit of rain. Despite the heat, the pitches were in perfect condition from the overnight drizzle (and water sprinklers on each pitch). Our first game was another 9am start. Breakfast brought some great news. The win on Saturday had confirmed our Sunday morning game would be against Solebang who play in an all pink kit. Unfortunately, the players they were expecting off a train on Sunday morning didnt arrive. The battle of the metrosexual kits was not to be and we were given a 13-0 win. The photos would have been great, but our bodies were delighted with the break.
Our second game turned into a slightly messy affair. A tight game and some rather unnecessary calls left a rather bad taste in our mouths. It went to sudden death in the cap and despite a little bit of over-eagerness we got the point we needed to set up a Plate final against home team Freespeed. Despite our offence enjoying playing against a zone for the first time all weekend, the young legs of the hosts won out in the end and they took the win 9-6. A thoroughly deserved victory.
The final between Flying Angels Bern and Cota Rica turned into a corker, with Cota winning by 2 in the end. Literally minutes after the game finished, the thunder storm hit and everyone ran for the shelter of the party tent. High winds, sheets of rain, thunder and lightning did their best to dampen spirits, but everyone was on a high from the great weekend of ultimate behind them. To top off our 10th place finish, we were also awarded the Spirit of the Game award for the Open division and a photo album with shots of all teams in the tourney as a memory of the great weekend had by all. Here's to Peace of Cake 2007.
posted by Broccoli Ultimate @ 12:19 p.m.
