Heavy defeat fails to dampen Maverick resolve.

And so the weather broke with blue sky and warm (relatively)) weather. The Mavericks turned up at Birkenhead Park rugby club with a weakened and depleted team due to late cry offs and injuries together with the usual holidaying (in season) players. So 14 arrived and took to the muddy and heavy pitch. This week that Mavericks welcomed Sam Braithwaite back to the throng and thanks to Dan from Wallasey for supporting us in our hour of need. A welcome debut for Simon ensured he had a full 80 minutes of game time and promises to be a welcome addition the The Mavericks family.
What followed over the next 80 minutes is best summed up by reflection. This was our heaviest defeat as a Maverick unit, however it was a strange feeling the Gaffer experienced.
Now, don’t get me wrong I am used to experiencing pride and admiration for my team, but this was a totally different ‘thing’. When a team is truly struggling, backs against the wall and thoroughly beaten you get to understand what playing rugby means to a person. The game, the team and the club is what kept The Mavs playing right up until the 80th minute. We were battered, bloody and in some cases broken but we played on asked no favours. I have never been more impressed with my team than I was this week from individual performances to the collective will, we did what we could against the better numerically superior team we faced.
Now, maybe I’m a bit jaded, being long in tooth, crooked in back and broken in leg but I remember the days were we took pride in the simple things of rugby, yes it was a hard tough game and occasionally just plain violent, but I remember that spirit of sportsmanlike endeavour, the spirit of the game and such like. What I witnessed yesterday from Birkenhead Park was far removed from any such ‘spirit’.
Kick off arrived and the 14 of Anselmians took to the field against the 15 of Birkenhead Park. Whilst their substitutes enjoyed 40 minutes of down time on the touchline the Mavericks were taking their punishment like men. No offer made and none asked to even the side. Just before half time we lost Tom with a painful hamstring injury, the 14 were now 13.
Park were 70+ - 0 ahead and definitely on the front foot, rules of the league tell us that in the event of numerical differences then the dominant team should play with one extra player. The Mavericks asked at half time whether this rule was to be upheld and were given short shrift by The Birkenhead Park Team. 15 played 13 for the remainder of the half somewhat inspired by this public display of disregard for the spirit of the game The Mavericks were first to score during the second half, thanks to the ever present Jack Stopford, this was to be our consolation points of the game to let Park know we weren’t to be beaten down.
Now I’m not normally one to complain and gripe however the purpose of the above comments is due to one fact and one fact alone that being during half time the Gaffer was party to a discussion between the Park skipper and the ref when The Mavs were accused of being unsportsmanlike because we took a quick penalty when they weren’t ready, a shimmer of comical genius in the midst of a calamitous afternoon for The Mavs.
Congratulations to Birkenhead Park on their win against us this weekend. We drank with them after the game, we celebrated our battle and took the merriment that a game of rugby has been designed to provide. The final score of 100-7 to Park is a reflection on their superior skill with the ball, but should also be tinged that it was not a great game of rugby (we’ve had some real humdingers in the past) it was a procession of tries scored by a numerically superior team who played their overlaps well .
Here’s to our next meeting next season and the hopes that we can play on a more even footing when we meet.
Before I sign off the final word must be about The Mavericks, a true indication of the strength of a team is how they cope with adversity, and what they learn from their mistakes. Another tough fixture in two weeks against Ellesmere Port at Eastham so we will re-group and finish our season with a bang.
Enjoy the last few weeks of the season guys, it’s been an absolute honour.

Semel a Mavericus, Semper a Mavericus

The Gaffer