With a friend’s sons playing (for two different schools…!?!) at the Wynberg Freedom Cup this long pseudo-weekend, I’ve taken a couple of trips down the road to watch and support them, and enjoy some schoolboy football.
It’s not the usual thing we’re used to up at this end of town, with Rugby, Rugby, Rugby and Cricket being the standard sports of choice, and Football coming in a distant fifth (or sometimes even sixth behind Rugby). But this invitational tournament features a lot of local schools, and several from up country as well, and it’s been well-organised, well-attended and well-supported.
And because of the heavy rain yesterday morning, turning at least some of each of the seven pitches into churned up mudbaths, it very much reminded me of my own school footy. OK, maybe not quite as cold or deep, but somehow every bit as messy. Also, I don’t remember there being a vineyard at one end of our field. Or Table Mountain beyond it. But it’s been a while, and maybe I’ve just forgotten these things.
Thankfully, today dawned much more brightly, and it was almost pleasant (if rather bracing at 9oC) for the [checks notes] 7:30am kick off. Two goals for our protagonist in this one, as his side romped to a 9-0 demolition of a sleepy, lacklustre opposition. Even Oscar put one in.
The semis and finals are all on tomorrow (Saturday) if you want to go through: entry is free.
Sadly, given the actual professional football happening tomorrow, I’ll likely be watching my favourite sport at home rather than out on the touchline. But this has been a nice distraction from building work and everything else at home.