Holland Tour 2012

An early start saw us depart Hove at 3.30am, the boys and adults were tired but looking forward to the weekend ahead. We reached the ferry teminal in Dover at 6pm and then boarded the 7.30 ferry to Calais. An exhausting journey took us through France Belgium and we finally reached our destination in Holland at 5pm.
A short rest and we were down for a great Spag Bol meal in the Hotel followed by a quiz. Lots of laughs and good team bonding throughout the day

Tournament day 1 up early at 7.45 arrived at the tournament VDZ Boys in Arnhem first game 9.30 v Portsmouth FC, that was followed by playing a German Bundesliga top flight girls team followed by games against 2 Dutch sides. The weather was kind to us and the highlight of the games was Willis scoring in the final game.

We then were back at the hotel for quick change and out for a visit to Arnhem centre and have a walk around the town. The boys visited The Arnhem Bridge scene of WW2 1944 British and American forces battle - A Bridge Too Far. We then went off and had meals out in Arnhem centre.

Up early again on tournament day 2 having finished in 3rd place following day 1 we found ourselves in Pool 2. We faced English conditions as it rained all day but despite the awful conditions the boys were looking forward to the games ahead. First game was against Scottish team Renfrew Victoria then we were up against a Dutch side followed by the girls team again and lastly Church Stretton from Shropshire. The games were great for development and some were against some u15's sides, different foreign teams which gave a great all round experience.

In the evening we ate in the hotel again and finished with certain awards and a quiz. All the boys had a great time and were all sorry to leave the next morning. A stop off at the chocolate factory and a rush to get the ferry in time ended a fantastic tour.


Day 1 Results

Portsmouth FC 0-2
Bad Neunenahr 2-0 Max Bo, Chay
OSM 75 0-1
SKV 5-1 Lucas 2, Chay, Max Bi, Willis

Day 2 Results

Renfrew Victoria 0-1
Osterbeke 0-1
Bad Neunenahr 0-0
Church Stretton 2-1 James, Henry