Bangkok Tour 2003

Dire on Tour

Hopes were high in early December (about the 1^st) when it was known that ISCI would indeed have four Jakarta-based players, two Bangkok-based participants and a keeper as the core of the touring side to take on the might of Thailand in the 34^th Annual King’s Birthday Weekend Hockey Gala. Promises were made, commitments documented, undertakings given, fitness had been honed, drinking skills refined, t-shirts designed and printed, batik shirts purchased. The ultimate ISCI sporting machine was ready to perform.

Game 1 v MAS 1 – 0 (Nick Dyer)

Game 1 was scheduled for a mid morning start, not a problem for the well rested ISCI squad who breakfasted together and traveled in the team taxi to the ground with heaps of time to warm-up, insert contact lenses, chat with fellow travelers and select a balanced team of superior looking athletes. With John Twigg phoning to say he would be late because of traffic, entirely understandable in Bangkok early on a Saturday morning, the Four Clover Leafs set about rounding up the usual suspects.

A motley crew was assembled with the HK Police well represented, several SCC refugees and Phil Clear from RBSC. After a slow start the alcohol haze lifted and the boys got stuck in by about half way when Twiggy turned up. With Nick Dyer weaving magic in the middle of the pitch creating opportunities that a younger, more pacey Wren may have picked up, it was only a matter of time before his dominance resulted in a goal. With a cleverly constructed build-up from a Dodgson pass to Allan, who fed Wren out wide on the right, a tremendous cross required a piece of diving brilliance from the flying Dyer as he flung himself at top pace and with little personal regard to the normal health and safety policies of ISCI. The deliberately fine edge that flew into the top left hand corner beating the keeper pointless had to be seen to be believed.

Game 2 v Ram 0 – 0

Sitting around between games and over a few calming ales after the euphoria of our ‘first-game, first-win on tour’ victory, Nick regaled us with interesting stories of his time in the England Youth Squad interspersed with trips to the bar as he wanted to celebrate his goal and thus bought all the beers. What a great guy !

A similarly motley crew of shanghai’d cast-offs gathered for what should have been a shellacking. The oppo had 8 short corners to our one but neither side could score. Call it a draw I reckon. The backs stood firm with Twigg finally on the pitch and Nick Dyer sacrificing his normally attacking game to support the team at the back. Wren and Allan on the other hand hardly touched the ball as it was crisscrossing the opposition ‘D’ most of the time. Dodgson however did not fare so well and a blow to his nether regions, for once unprotected by rubber or plastic, put paid to any thoughts of ‘enjoying’ a massage at the end of the day.

Game 3 v Angthon 0 – 2

There had been some discussion that as this was the last game of the day, and pretty close to Massage Time, we had best call it off and let the organisers know early that we would not be able to field a team. However Nick said ‘we came to play hockey’ and that galvanized the lads to do the right thing ! Thus at 5.00 pm we gathered to honour our commitment !

Once again supported by the Police, SCC, Phil and Kanti from RBSC and a keeper who was promised immeasurable riches as he attempted to leave the pitch from the previous game, the game went with the seedings. With only Dyer capable of matching the pace and stick-work of the young, fit Army-types, Angthon rarely raised a canter or a sweat despite Nick creating a number of good chances.

Post game

The Leeds v Scousers game was selected as the early evening excuse for imbibement with Nick and Chris favouring the Reds, and Ken and Steve (losers !) supporting Leeds. We left the Londoner Pub after a Liverpool victory on which Nick had bet USD 100 at 2:1 so he offered to shout the boys for the rest of the night. What a bloke!

Nick, Chris and Ken decided that Nana Plaza would be a likely place to meet some locals and strike up a conversation about the state of the economy, Steve decided to take his bruised and battered body home to bed. After a few hours of watching soccer in various bars, and innocuous chit-chat with local ‘entertainers’, Nick reminded us of our impending clash with traditional rivals Singapore Cricket Club, and what it means to wear the Rolls-Royce/ISCI shirt in such an important game. We all then trouped off to get a good night’s sleep with Nick supplying Deep Heat to soothe tired legs.

Game 4 v SCC 1 – 1 (Nick Dyer)

Another late kick-off for our early rising athletes (9.40 am start) was fine and after the usual breakfast of yoghurt and fruits (a diet Nick picked when practicing with the UK Olympic squad) our intrepid team set off to take on the very serious SCC team.

With several of our ‘team’ suddenly on the opposing side, a rabble comprising the Police, The Twigg (early on this occasion), HK Football Club, and Phil & Kanti (RBSC), joined the ISCI Core for the final Pool match needing a win to seal second place in the Group.

It was stinking hot but Nick had enough Sun Cream for all. The game flowed fairly evenly with only occasional holes in Ken’s stick and after several forays up forward a very loud “Animal, you are shite !” from Chris Wren woke himself and Animal from a reasonably deep slumber. The ISCI lads then pressed forward from a long Dodgson pass to Animal and with Allan stealing the ball from a defender he fired across the top of the D to Chris who lined up the goals under severe pressure. The ball was deflected but instantly seized upon by the ever vigilant Dyer who dribbled expertly around three defenders, astutely ignoring Chris’ exhortations to pass the ball back to him, and with a will-o-the–wisp act calmly back-sticked the ball past a flailing keeper into the top right hand corner – another unbelievable goal ! The SCC boys tried to get serious and John eventually stole one back minutes from time. A fair result that left us exactly equal as runners up in the Pool, by our (and SCC’s) calculations.

A tired but happy Nick Dyer made the presentation on behalf of ISCI of a Batik Boys shirt to the Toddster (RBSC). In his brief but highly motivating speech, the enigmatic Dyer pledged to return next year, congratulated the winners (whom he said ISCI could probably beat on a good day), proffered a few words of advice on fitness and skills training to the locals in the Thai language he had picked up over the 5 days he was in Bangkok, and invited all 48 teams to the ISCI tournament next May, an event he helps to organize in Jakarta.