Wednesday
GKT 1s 4, Imperial 1s 1
Fresh from a wondrous winter break, the GKT 1s were keen to build on their impressive first-half of the season, which left them in prime position for promotion and in strong contention for KCLSU’s “Team of the Year.” The first match of the New Year saw the GKT 1s play host to the Imperial 1s in a much-anticipated clash of ULU titans.
Determined to avoid any post-Christmas hangover, captain Dan ‘Big Paws’ Cromb urged his team to unleash their inner feline in preparation for the game. A solid warm-up by the ‘Karmic Cats’ set the stage for some classic Wednesday night hockey.
Despite missing two centre backs to dentistry and senilism, the GKT club once again displayed their impressive depth by slotting in Khush ‘Brown Panther’ Shah and Greg ‘Jew Cat’ Nussbaum in the heart of the defence. The first half was a tight affair, with neither side keen to concede the first goal. A tasty drag flick by Khush off a short corner was the only shot to bulge the twine before the half. 1-0 GKT.Following a galvanising pep talk and a delightful array of halftime snacks, the 2nd half saw the hosts pick up the intensity, and begin to exert their feline dominance. Led by some unbelievable tekkers by Jason ‘Hear-Me-Roar’ Gupta in central midfield, the GKT 1s pinged the ball around with exuberance and authority. A delicate through-ball by Ryoki ‘Sneaky Jaguar’ Arimoto sent Nick ‘Semi-feral’ Chang alone on a breakaway, only to be outrageously up-ended as he tried to hurdle the keeper. The subsequent penalty flick was calmly put away by set-piece specialist Khush. Arimoto extended the lead to 3-0, receiving a delightful pass from Charlie ‘Fat Cat’ Reeve, and placing it beautifully in the corner, just beyond a diving Imperial keeper and the opportunistic stick of Joe ‘Sabretooth’ Keighley.
Imperial refused to back down, as an opposing player was even sent off for some irrefutable ‘bloody naughty’ behaviour. In fact, he was so bloody naughty, that he was soon greeted with a second yellow upon his return to the pitch. Imperial soon cut the lead to 3-1, courtesy of a rebound goal off a short corner. However, GKT quickly responded when Theo ‘The Prowler’ smashed in a delectable shot off the half-volley. The final whistle brought an end to an impressive display by the hosts, who were keen to continue their unbelievable tekkers off the pitch and into the night. A ridiculously pre-mature Guy’s Bar queue failed to faze the 1s, as Harry ‘Dirty Cat’ Edwards graciously offered to host a night of fun-filled, DSB-free activities. Let’s just say that a potential CATastrophe was avoided (my apologies)! You stay classy, GKT.
Final score: 4-1
MoM: Jason ‘Hear-Me-Roar’ Gupta
GKT 2s 0, KCL 1s 12
Walkover to GKT 3s vs Goldsmiths 1s
