The Barswood Cup 1

14 October 2010Jim Ganley

There are some sporting encounters which capture the imagination of any warm-blooded soul. The Olympics, the World Cup, and the Stanley Cup are events which draw an intense, fervid interest and support. Some single sporting encounters are steeped in tradition and written into folklore. Greco-Roman wrestling is depicted in caveman drawings, bull-fighting is two millenia old, polo was played in Persia, cujo in China, while, two centuries ago, the Kentucky Derby, the Oxford-Cambridge boat race, and the America’s Cup started sporting contests hotly disputed today. The ‘Barswood Cup’ stands on equal footing as an athletic spectacle.

Contested between the Brentwood senior boys soccer 2nd XI and the John Barsby 1st XI, this cup competition dates back … well, a few years now. It is a 2-leg affair, home-and-away fixtures counting towards the winning result.

So, the 2010 contest began with only 13 Brentwood players dressing for the trip to Nanaimo. Barsby had hundreds on their team, boys of all ages and nationalities. It was a daunting task for the Brentwood team. The battle was fierce; the players blooded, but when the final whistle blew, the score stood at 2-2. Brentwood goals came via Nic D who hammered home a free-kick from all of 40 yards, and Sean H who got the last touch on a ball ricocheting around their box. Jian M was a tower of strength in goal, even surviving a harsh collision from one of his own defenders!

Next week, on Oct 21st, the return leg is to be contested, on the shores of Mill Bay, at 2pm. The ‘Barswood Cup’ is on the line. If you are an aficionado of top-class sport, you will not miss what aims to be another classic encounter.

Mr. Garvey, Coach and Poet

Photo from streetsmartreport.com

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