The U18s returned yesterday from their tour to Zevenbergen in Holland. After their arrival and some sight-seeing in Amsterdam on Friday, a friendly 6-a-side tournament was organised for Saturday with 15 mixed teams made up with players from the 3 clubs taking part – Zevenbergen, Chelmsford and Casuals.

On Sunday the more serious part of the weekend began, with Casuals winning both their morning matches against Zevenbergen and Chelmsford 4-0 and 3-1 respectively.  Curiously the Casuals’ return games in the afternoon produced exactly the same score lines, giving them first place overall.

On the Monday the boys proved their physical fitness with a 4 hour bicycle trip to the historic city of Willemstad. After a short rest, they took on the Zevenbergen U18s in a final evening match. In front of a large crowd, the boys played some of their best hockey of the season: they went 1-0 up from a penalty corner early on, but Zevenbergen equalised from the penalty spot. From then on, the Casuals took control of the game and were 5-1 up at the interval. Their irrepressible attacking play tore through the Zevenbergen defence, with 2 goals coming from moves of 8-10 passes. This was an impressive display that earned them plaudits from those present, and the final 10-4 score line reflects a thrilling display.

A great weekend of hockey was complemented by the social side, with the 3 clubs all having great fun at the Discos and Music Quiz. A big thank you is due to Zevenbergen for their excellent organisation and their great generosity and help with anything the Casuals needed.