THE GRAND FINALS DIVISION 3 and 5.

Arriving at Morrison Bay on Sunday there was a tangible excitement and anticipation in the air. Referees and players prepared on the sidelines, picnic blankets and chairs were set up and Bats supporters lined the adjacent fields 2 and 3 to cheer on our teams in their pursuit for NWSWF grand final glory.

There was a quiet not-so-quiet confidence amongst Bats faithfuls about our chances; Div 5 had a confidence-building preparation, keeping the Redbacks to a 1-1 draw last week, and Div 3 were out to prove their status as the best team in the competition after losing their first and only match to their grand final opponents, Putney-Tennyson Bowling Club, two weeks earlier.

FIRST HALF

Div 5 kicked off first by a few minutes, but they struggled early and the Redbacks capitalised with a goal in the 15th minute. The girls looked like they might be turning it around, pushing forward into the opposition half when a bad head clash between Mel and a Redback forced her from the field.

A free kick and a corner followed, but they were unable to put one in the back of the net. It was the only real bright spot for the half, with the rest largely spent defending their line against a barrage of Redback attack. The half-time whistle was moments away when the Redbacks sank another goal to go ahead 2-0.

Across the divide on field 3, Div 3 put pressure on Putney from the outset and, although Putney were able to clear a Bats corner in the 15th minute, the Bats went 1-0 up just a minute later thanks to pressure from Jane and Angie bringing about an own goal.

Nicky scored midway through the first half off a great corner from Kerry, but player and crowd celebrations were cut short when the referee disallowed it for pushing in the box. A familiar face on the Putney team put away an equalising goal just before the half-time whistle, sending the two teams to their respective camps at 1-1.

HALF-TIME

Oranges, plenty of water (it was HOT, HOT, HOT out there) and some pep talking later and our teams were back and ready to go for gold.

SECOND HALF

Unfortunately the Redbacks scored again in the first few minutes to put them up 3-0 and make it a tough hill for our Batties to climb. Batties don’t give up though, and Kelly-Anne made an amazing save to stop a fourth goal that prompted a switch in momentum. A few really close calls (via free kicks) later, we were left with no doubt as to how hard our girls were trying.

The Redbacks were able to put away a fourth goal in the closing minutes, leaving the final score at 4-0. Our amazing runners-up celebrated their season with some post-match bubbly in the shade and awarded Alex player of the match, before heading over to the presentations where they received their shiny silver medals!

Coming back out after the break, div 3 were full of fire and passion. In the first ten minutes Nicky got back the goal the ref took away from her in the first half via a dynamite pass from Jane, and five minutes later they scored again when Erin headed in a great corner from Kerry.

At 3-1 up there was no indication they were taking their foot off the pedal though, and another fantastic corner from Kerry was headed into the back of the net by Alice.

As the referee blew the final whistle, cheers erupted on and off the field and a celebrating div 3 congregated in the middle of the pitch to give themselves a well-deserved pat on the back!

POST-MATCH

Everyone headed over to see the div 5 and div 3 presentations, where the emcee awkwardly announced the winners first and followed it with the runners-up (anyone else think that was odd or just me?). Standard presentation procedures followed, with all the players introduced by name to receive their medals and the winning teams presented their trophies.

Many a celebratory beer was consumed at our clubhouse, the Golden Barley, afterwards (with rumours of parties continuing well into Monday morning!) to toast yet another fantastically successful and enjoyable season of the Flying Bats Football Club.

Hope to see you all next year but, for now, it’s the Batwrap signing off for 2009.

HOO-HAA BATTIES!