05/06 May 2007GBFF National Championships 2007

Lightning lose out in Plate Final

Lightning went into the weekend without Steve and Niall but still fielded 14 outfield players. Unfortunately the team did not get off to the best of starts in the 3 group games on Saturday losing goals on the very first shift. In game 1 Dundee beat Lightning 6-1, in game 2 Cotswold Cobras (winners of Nationals) won 8-1 although Lightning were not disgraced. In game 3 Campden Dragons got off to a great start and Lightning never recovered and went down 5-1. Due to an injury the trialist keeper Danny was replaced at half-time in that game by coach Bob with the team 4-0 down. In the second half the team tied it 1-1 but the first period damage did not help the team. All were a bit down after the events on Saturday and Captain Craig and Coach Bob took the decision to drop the two trial players for the next day’s play.

On day two Lightning played far better and it was helped by both the decisions taken late on Saturday and call-offs from Kevin and Alan which meant the team would play only two lines. Rolling three lines caused a bit of fraction on Saturday and with two lines the team played a different game.

The first game on Sunday was the Plate semi-final which had the two Balwearie teams playing each other for a place in the final. Thunder struck first – again on Lightning’s first shift – through Klaus. Speed king Shaun though struck twice to put Lightning ahead at the interval. A speculative distance shot that deceived Bob got Thunder back in the game. Despite play swinging from end to end there was no further score and so the game went to penalty shots. Thunder missed their first penalty as did Lightning. Indeed Thunder failed to score any as Raphy and then Shaun sealed a penalty shot victory.

In the Plate final Lightning faced up against Campden Dragons in a repeat of the Saturday group game. For a change Lightning scored first to lead 1-0 at the first interval. However this changed to a 2-1 deficit after the second interval as Dragons took advantage of a penalty against Gary and poor play to get ahead. Lightning had a goal disallowed before Shaun sped through to get the equaliser. With only around 4 or 5 minutes to go Dragons got ahead once more and then followed that by another quick goal to lead 4-2 and kill the game. So near so far for Lightning, however the experience from the weekend will benefit all in the team. Also they will have “bragging rights” over their Thunder colleagues until they meet again in competitive action next season.

Thunder's Story

After all the admin and organising the National Championships are here in Scotland, the Northern League committee have organised the biggest national venue yet and it was a roaring success for the League CV.

In the first match against the unknown to us ' Crusaders', Thunder played it cautious until we had a perspective of our opponents. Most of Crusaders were Scandinavian and were fast and Skilful, We matched them for effort but soon found ourselves two to nil down. A glimmer of hope was given when Michael Stewart scored to bring Thunder back into the game. However a disastrous defensive mix up cost us another goal and this was to be the final goal of the game. Thunder going down by three goals to one.

Second group game was against our old foes from the Northern league, Glenrothes. This game was as even as it could get when two bizarre refereeing decisions went against Thunder leaving them with Three outfield players on the rink. Glenrothes took full advantage of the extra two men and promptly scored the only goal of the game. Thunder were extremely unfortunate not to at least have a draw from this game but left wondering what could have been instead of losing 1 - 0.

Another unknown quantity came next in 'Brighton Rock' the only thing Thunder knew about Brighton was that they were also mostly Scandinavian and had just beaten Glenrothes so a hard game was in store.

Not much to say about this game except Thunder attacked Brighton as much as they themselves were attacked but as in the other group matches we could not get the ball into the net. Brighton on the other hand managed to score eight and that was how it finished 8 - 0. Thunder played extremely well in all group matches but need to improve the finishing to proceed further in any tournaments. They were also without key forward Klaus Wilcken for the group stages and he was a big loss to the Thunder team.

So to the plate.

Thunder were pitted against our club mates Lightning and although Lightning had never beaten Thunder, most matches were close as each team is familiar with each others style of play.

Thunder scored first and it looked like we could break our duck in the competition. Lightning had other ideas and promptly scored twice. Thunder attacked the Lightning goal again and again but it was Captain and defenceman Clint Blight who once again came to Thunder's rescue with another looping drag shot which deceived Bob in the Lightning goal. This was too little too late and this was the first game of the tournament to go to penalty shots.

Thunders penalty shots went the same way as their shots on goal and that wasn't in the back of the net. Raphael Jakob and Shaun gear for Lightning showed them the way and lightning went through on penalty shots. Although disappointed for themselves, Thunder were 100% behind their club mates and wished them well for the final.

Last game in the tournament was against RBS Linlithgow and Thunder had to win this not to finish bottom. We completely dominated this game as we should have and if it wasn't for some superb goalkeeping by Nick Goldfinch deputising in goals for their absent keeper, the score would have been higher. All credit to RBS as they were short benched but they still played with a smile on their face and hopefully enjoyed their first national championship. Thunder 3 - RBS Linlithgow 0.

All in all a great weekends floorball but Thunder's time has not yet come. Both Balwearie teams played some good floorball but it's back to the drawing board for team selection next season as we have to improve our league positions in 2007 / 2008.

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15 Apr 2007Northern League Cup Qualifiers

Thunder perspective by Pete Heggie

The league cup qualifiers got underway at FIPRE and Mayfield on the 15th April.

The format was a round Robin with the qualifiers split into two venues.

The Balwearie teams Thunder and Lightning were in a group with Chapel and Aberdeen Oilers.

First up for Thunder were their club mates Lightning. This was a very close game and Thunder didn't take it lightly. Thunder scored in the sixth minute courtesy of Klaus Wilcken but could not get the ball in the net for a second goal, this was not for the lack of trying. Lightning scored in the seventeenth to go into the break at one - one. Two minutes after the break Thunder went ahead as Klaus Wilcken netted another for his brace. Try as they might Thunder could not add to their tally and the game ended 1 - 2 in Thunders favour.

Next up were newcomers Aberdeen Oilers, sporting two ex Balwearie players in Sascha Faessler and Lorna Teal who have formed the Oilers and will be joining the Northern league next year. Oilers certainly made it hard going for Thunder in the first half as Thunder could only manage one goal in the first half, this was scored by Klaus Wilcken after five minutes. Oilers equalised in the sixteenth minute and that was that, until the break. After the break Thunder got their act together and went on a goal spree as a goal every other minute took the tally to eleven with Oilers second goal coming in the thirty-fourth minute. At the end of the day a satisfying win for the Balwearie team which guaranteed a semi-final place on May 27th.

Third up were Chapel. This was a back to back game for Thunder and whether they were tired or could not concentrate. Chapel began to dismantle Thunder and went into a three to nil lead in the first half. After the break chapel scored two more goals to go five up. Thunder tried a comeback, scoring two goals but Chapel scored again, to win easily by six goals to two. It was a strange day for Thunder as they did not play particularly well but still managed to go through to the semi finals.

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25 Mar 2007Northern League Tournament 7

Thunder perspective by Pete Heggie

T7 the ultimate league tournament of 2006/2007 season and do or die in Thunder's quest for third place.

Hawick although a skilful and fit team travelled north with no subs and were understandably tired when they took on Thunder, however Thunder playing as they should and going for a win were still cautious playing a side that kept surprising everyone. It took Thunder until the twenty third minute to score but thereafter it was all one way traffic on Hawick's goal and every two minutes the ball hit the back of the net. Thunder ran out 8 - 0 winners but were still full of praise for Hawick's sterling efforts.

The next game was the game everyone had been waiting for; The battle for third place and Thunder had to win to claim it.

Thunder and Dundee Northern lights had drawn both previous games and had some good tussles together. As in previous occasions Thunder took the lead in the fourth minute through Jason Wilkinson then went two up courtesy of Mark Parter. Dundee pegged one back in the fifteenth and that was it until the teams went into the break 2 - 1 to Thunders favour.The game swung from end to end but there was no more scoring until the thirtieth minute when Dundee equalised. Five minutes later Thunder went ahead through Michael Stewart and things were looking up. Disaster struck as Dundee equalised again with three minutes to go. This meant Thunder had to go for the win but only to concede a goal in the same minute. The Balwearie team tried to go for the win but Dundee were resolute and in the end deserved third place. Thunder were three minutes from third but the team cannot be faulted for effort throughout the season as they showed in their results against the top teams.

Last up were a team also fast improving and proving to be no push overs. RBS Linlithgow had pushed Thunder close in their games throughout the season.

However Thunder had to put the disappointment of losing third place behind them and wanted to finish on a high.

It took until the eleventh minute to score against the fast paced Linlithgow side but from then on in Thunder took control of the game. Three more goals went in before the break. Linlithgow were still up for it and pegged one back after two minutes. It took Thunder another eleven minutes to score again but that was swiftly followed by another two, making the final score 7 - 1 in Thunders favour.

So there we have it we set our stall out for third place and so nearly achieved it. Balwearie can be proud of both it's teams this season as Thunder owed a debt to Lightning for supporting them throughout the season.

Roll on next year and lets go one better.

Lightning perspective by Colin Bell

Lightning were determined to finish the season on a high in Dundee in T7. They had a good squad although - as has plagued them all season – no goalie. It was decided in advance that Bob, Mark and Colin would play in goals so the team could play in the final league games.

In game 1 against Chapel Bob played in goals and performed superbly throughout the game. Lightning’s speed kings – “Shaun and Raphy” terrorised the Chapel defence in a typically open game of floorball with Chapel. We all tend to enjoy playing Chapel, as their game does not involve intense pressing so Lightning got chances throughout the game.

Chapel scored first through former Balwearie player Scott Westland, however Richard Baillie assisted by Raphy hit a scorcher into the Chapel net for 1-1. Chapel scored twice more before Raphy again reduced the deficit to 2-3 before Chapel got another first period goal. In the second half Chapel increased their lead before Raphy again scored a goal to bring Lightning back into the game at 3-5. Although Chapel scored a couple of more it was a great end-to-end game. Lightning’s team defence let Bob down in the last minute by conceding goals at 39:12, 39.45 and 39.49. Apart from the last few minutes Lightning can be proud of giving Chapel a run for their money. In his after match speech Ross (Chapel’s captain) acknowledged that it was a very good game and the score did not reflect the way Lightning had played.

In game two Mark played in goals against our bogey team Linlithgow. Niall opened the scoring for Lightning assisted by Kevin but alas Lightning fell out of the game as per usual against the shoot on site RBS Linlithgow. I genuinely believe that Lightning are the better team, however, it is goals that count and Linlithgow are masters at shooting and scoring from anywhere. Lightning were 1-2 down at the interval and the next goal would be crucial. However Linlithgow raced into a 5-1 lead before Colin set-up Lorna for Lightning’s second goal. This was too little too late though and Linlithgow rounded off the scoring to win 6-2. Bad result for Lightning and it showed that the team has much to learn against Linlithgow.

In game three Colin played in goals against Hawick. This was a superb game of floorball to be involved in and ended up 6-6. Lightning were behind only once in this game as the scores went from: 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 3-3, 4-3, 4-4, 5-4, 5-5, 6-5 and finally 6-6. Top scorer was Jim with 2+1, Shaun 1+1, Gary 0+2, Raphy 1+0, Daniel 1+0, Lorna 1+0, and Alan 0+1. Great game to watch and be involved in. Eventually in the last game of the season Lightning got a point playing against a Hawick team who played all day with no subs!

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20 Mar 2007Balwearie Roster Grows

Balwearie just keeps on growing and growing with another new player joining the club. Klaus Wilcken joins us from Finnish club Salibandyseura Wirmo.

26 Feb 2007Northern League T6 Review

T6 and Thunder are the only Balwearie team playing today as Lightning is rested. Only two games for Thunder today as the Chapel v Thunder game was brought forward at T4.

Game one

First up is a game that is becoming a must watch for spectators, Thunder vs. Dundee. These teams have in the last couple of seasons played some tough games against each other and this was no exception. In a fast and furious game, switching from end to end, it seemed like the defences were on top. Dundee scored first, through a bit of slack marking in the crease by Thunder. Possession was probably equal to both sides but to be fair, Dundee had more shots on goal than the Balwearie side. Ken Brooks had another outstanding game in goals saving time and time again from the Dundee forwards.

It was left to a Thunder defenceman, Captain Clint Blight, to show the Thunder forwards the way to goal with a trademark drag shot which completely deceived the Dundee keeper. This was an exhausting game for the players but hopefully a good game to see from a spectator's point of view. The game ended 1 - 1, low scoring but plenty of action. Thunder also missed their influential centre Romina Micheli who was unavailable for T6 but should return in T7.

Game two

Thunder is up against the fast improving Linlithgow RBS. There are now no easy games in the Northern league for any team and Linlithgow, the newest addition, are coming on leaps and bounds. This was a game that Thunder had to be on their toes for; as to take any team lightly would be fatal to their ambitions of climbing the table. Disaster struck when Linlithgow went one up in the first half after some pressure on the Thunder goal. This prompted Thunder to lay siege to the Linlithgow goal but try as they might, the ball would not end up in the net. The first half ended with Linlithgow one up at 0 - 1. This prompted a debate at half time on the Thunder bench as it was felt we were rushing our game to cope with the Linlithgow fast paced style of play.

Thunder took to the rink in the second half determined to pressure Linlithgow but it took it's time coming, eventually youngster Michael Stewart breached the Linlithgow goal with a well placed shot. If Thunder thought the floodgates would open for them, they were mistaken. Linlithgow to their credit still pressed forward hoping for a second goal. However Thunder found the net another twice to get a hard earned win. A 3 - 1 score line in Thunder's favour but Linlithgow deserve credit for raising their game to be a real threat in their first season in the Northern League. Only two games but what hard games they were. Thunder can take heart that the defence only conceded two goals all day but we need to turn advantage into goals.

New Swiss player Raphael Jakob had a hard debut in Scottish floorball, as the game is much different than in his native rinks. Raphy commented that "The pace is faster and the referee's call more fouls due to the nature of the game." Welcome to the Northern League Raphy.

21 Feb 2007Player Changes

Balwearie are pleased to welcome another newcomer to the ranks. Swiss player Raphael Jakob will be joining us from Swiss team UHC Herisau for the forthcoming Nothern League meeting on Sunday 25 Feb 2007.

14 Feb 2007Sponsorship News

Balwearie have received a sponsorship donation from Kirkcaldy Lions Club. Further news to follow as the clubs figure out ways to help each other. This is good news for Balwearie on top of their agreement with Ultimate Floorball.

28 Jan 2007Northern League T5 Review

Thunder are rested so Lightning are representing Balwearie at this meeting.

First up are Hawick YM who missed T4 through default.

Lightning's hopes of running the borderers close looked good in the first half as although the score shows a four to one deficit, Lightning gave as good as they got. Hawick's class showed in the second half as they went six to two up. Lightning still tried to mount a comeback and scored on the twenty-eighth minute but Hawick scored again in the thirty-fourth to tie up the game at Lightning two, Hawick seven.

Next came the game Lightning needed to win to lift them off the bottom. RBS Linlithgow the new kids on the block were already one game to the good over Lightning and had a game awarded through default by Hawick's absence at T4. If Lightning weren't to finish bottom of the table, this was a must win game.

It didn't start too well for the Balwearie boys as they went two down in the first two minutes. This started a spell of intense Lightning pressure and resulted in them pulling one back in the fifth minute but not clearing the lines resulted in another RBS goal in the eighth. Going into the interval Lightning were three to one down. Lightning had all the possession in the second half but RBS played a good defensive game and got another goal against the run of play. Try as they might Lightning could not get the ball in the back of the net. RBS Linlithgow played the game to their strengths and although Lightning had all the pressure, not much luck in front of goal was their downfall as RBS took their chances and won the game by four goals to one. Lightning could not be faulted for effort but should have won this match.

The final game of T5 was a chance for Lightning to do Thunder a favour and take points of Dundee Northern Lights.

The Balwearie development team didn't hang back and went at Dundee straight from the face off but as luck would have it the Lights scored from a loose ball and fired a shot into the net after thirty seconds. This didn't deter Lightning and they kept at it, eventually the only woman on the rink, "Lorna Teal" scored in the tenth minute to level at one - one. This remained the score until the break. Lightning threw everything at Dundee resulting in the Lights calling a time out. The outcome was that the lights shortened their bench to their best line up. It had the desired effect as Dundee scored within eight seconds of the restart. The game then went end to end but the Lights scored twice more but although they won, Dundee knew that they had been in a game and Lightning can count themselves unlucky not to have taken more from this game.

Three games no wins but lots of effort for Lightning and praise for not shortening their bench and playing everyone till the end. This shows the spirit in the team and gives hope to all who start out in floorball as winning isn't everything to everyone. It's nice to win but it is playing the game that matters. Lightning can go to T7 knowing they have nothing to lose but everything to gain and play for the good of the game. With luck on their side, who knows what may happen.

The results at T5 puts Thunder under the spotlight at T6 and they will also have to raise their game to take anything from the penultimate Northern League tournament.

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17 Dec 2006Northern League Tournament 4

Well I said last time that we needed to turn effort into points, this time that reality became a step closer. Both teams upped their efforts but still need to take the game one step further further.

First game and Lightning take on Chapel. Lightning had trialist keeper Graham Welsh between the posts and he did a brilliant job for his first time as a floorball keeper. Chapel won this game 0-6 but were made to work for their victory by a resolute Lightning performance from the Balwearie team.

Due to a no show by Hawick YM Thunder had a 7-0 walkover.

The next Balwearie match was the derby; Lightning against Thunder and at first it looked like Lightning were the team looking for the win as they took the game to Thunder. However the selectors choice came to the fore as late as the sixteenth minute as Thunder at last got their act together. Sascha Faessler scored twice in a minute to put his team in front. This was followed by goals from fifteen year old Michael Stewart, Jason Wilkinson and Paul Walker.

Another fifteen year old Niall Handyside pulled one back for Lightning, which was then countered by sixteen year old Graeme Heggie. This is actually good news for Balwearie as the youngsters coming through showed they are destined for the top. The final score was Lightning 1 Thunder 6 but if Lightning had taken a few of their chances in this end to end game the outcome may have been different.

Lightning next met their nemesis Glenrothes but were determined to do better than previous games against them this season.

As in the previous game against Chapel, Lightning played a defensive game, hitting on the break. This kept the score down but only one goal came Lightning's way, scored by the God of evil himself Mark Duthie. However as games against Glenrothes go, this was a marked improvement for Lightning and they can only hope to build on this performance. Final score 1-6.

Next was Thunders chance to show one of the top teams that Balwearie are fast improving as they next faced Glenrothes. Thunder have also tightened up their defence but are well capable of scoring goals from all areas of the rink. This was proved as Thunder took the lead in the tenth minute through forward turned defenceman David Mansson. It took Glenrothes until the twenty-fourth minute to equalise. Thunder pressure then forced an own goal from Glenrothes in the twenty-sixth going to the break at 2-1 up. However Glenrothes equalised again in the thirty-first followed by a long range goal in the thirty-second. Despite Thunder going for the equalising goal. Glenrothes scored again in the thirty-fifth to win the match 2-4. Thunder can feel disappointed as they deserved more from this game.

It was decided to bring forward a Chapel v Thunder game since Hawick's no show had left a three hour gap and it was felt it would be better to utilise the time. If Chapel had known how the game would go they might have been tempted to leave this fixture to it's original slot. Thunder opened the scoring with a thundering free hit from Sascha Faessler in the third minute. Chapel equalised in the fourteenth but then Thunder went into overdrive scoring with a brilliant one - two from Romina Micheli to Jason Wilkinson. 1-2 Thunder. However Mark Parter had the halls attention when he put Thunder 1-3 up on the league champions in the sixteenth minute. Thunder celebrated again as Paul Walker scored but this was chalked off for an infringement.

This was a relief for Chapel who then pulled one back in the nineteenth minute through a long range shot from Ross McEwan. Chapel then equalised in the thirty-fourth and scored again in the thirty-seventh. Despite Thunder going all out for an equaliser the final score was 3-4. Thunder left the rink totally disconsolate as they were never in a better position to record their first win over the league champions. It was agreed by most who played or witnessed this game that Thunder were now a team not to take lightly. This remains to be seen as Thunder have led a lot of games only to throw them away and must tighten up further when in front.

Both Balwearie teams head into the new year break proud of their progress in this tournament. Both Glenrothes and Chapel will also be glad that they don't play Thunder again this year.

25 Nov 2006Northern League Tournament 3

Midway point of the season and Balwearie have yet to turn their pressure into points. The teams are gathering praise for their style of play but need to start climbing the table.

First up is the inter club derby and a test of whether the selectors are doing their job properly. The game went the form way with a competitive game won by Thunder 1 - 8 However there are a good deal of Lightning players worth consideration for a T4 move to Thunder. Lightning played to win and played well and Thunder can find no joy in beating their clubmates when the teams are selected to maximise Thunders potential but they need the points to progress and hopefully this will benefit the club in the long run.

Thunder face up to returnees Hawick in an end to end game. Hawick take first blood in the eigth and tenth minutes with sixteen year old Graeme Heggie replying for Thunder in the eleventh and nineteenth to even the game. Hawick took the lead within two minutes of the restart and it was not until the thirtyfifth minute when Graeme Heggie notched up his first competitive hat trick for Balwearie to even the game for the second time. Both teams went for the winner but Hawick pulled it out the bag to win the game with a minute and a half on the clock. Final score 4 - 3

Lightning took on the Lights next and immediately went on the attack, taking the game to Dundee but could not find a way past Colin Ferguson in the Dundee goal. Dundee took the chances that came their way and ran out 0 - 5 winners with goals dispersed evenly throughout the game.

Thunder against Chapel usually means a big score for the League champions but Thunder tried a new strategy this time and although they didn't score any they kept the score down to a respectable 0 - 4. More work has to be done to compete with the big boys but hopefully Thunder are getting there.

Glenrothes have developed into Lightning's nemesis this League campaign and this game was no exception. Lightning have endured many changes this season with players to and fro-ing between the Balwearie teams to try and find settled squads. This hasn't helped their campaign this year but the players have stuck to their task and played to their best ability. Unfortunately Glenrothes; league title contenders, have the hoodoo over lightning and ran out comfortable 0 - 15 winners.

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29 Oct 2006Northern League Tournament 2

Thunder v Glenrothes matches so far this season have been much closer than in previous encounters and this was no exception. Thunder took the game to Glenrothes scoring with four minutes on the clock with Glenrothes replying in the seventh. This was how the game went with one goal in it for either team. Glenrothes only took the lead in the thirty-first minute however Thunder levelled in the thirty-fourth. Unfortunately Glenrothes scored again in the thirty-sixth for the final score to end up 3 - 4 to Glenrothes. Thunder thought they had scored another but the referee didn't give it even though the Glenrothes keeper admitted he thought it had crossed the line. Unfortunately the referee is the guy who matters and if he didn't see it cross over then that's it. A hard fought end to end game by both teams with both keepers making good saves but Thunder deserved at least a draw.

RBS Linlithgow v Lightning should have been a foregone conclusion for lightning. Unfortunately nobody told new team RBS, who complete with a new goalkeeper scored first. Lightning replied in the 19th and then went one up in the twenty-sixth. RBS then scored three in four minutes to go four two up. Lightning scored in the thirty-eigth minute but had no time left to rescue the game, eventually losing 4 - 3. Lightning had quite a few changes from the first tournament wih some stepping up to Thunder and some new players coming in but even then on Paper still had a very good line up. The lack of training together as a unit may have hampered their chances but well done to RBS for their first competitive win in the league.

Chapel v Thunder was a tight game in the first half as although Chapel went two up it took them until the tenth and thirteenth minutes to score with Thunder replying in the seventeenth. However the second half was a different story as Chapel took control and scored six without reply. This was due to their superb passing and patience, always looking for the opening with their forwards moving constantly, coupled with their defence able to shoot from anywhere totally took the game plan that Thunder didn't really have apart. Thunder never gave up but Chapel never looked like losing this one. Final score 8 - 1.

Chapel v Lightning was a similar game and the score line for Lightning was only was only two more against at half time 4 - 2 The second half also went the same way with Chapel runnung out 10 - 0 winners.

Thunder v Dundee have always somehow been close games and this was no exception. Thunder scored in seven minutes and then went two up in the sixteenth but this was still an end to end game. Dundee struck back after the interval straight from the whistle, taking Thunder by surprise and eventually scoring in the thirtyfifth minute to level the match. Despite both sides going for the win the game ended up a draw at 2 - 2. This was another good game to watch from the spectators point of view.

Glenrothes v Lightning was a case of one team at the top of their game and another going through the motions after a hard tournament. Lightning to their credit tried their best but a combination of new players and some needing a few games under their belt to sharpen their game up, proved too big a burden for the Balwearie team. Glenrothes striving to win the league title this season overran Lightning finishing 15 - 0 winners.

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24 Sep 2006Northern League Tournament 1

The start of a new year for Balwearie. The Bees have been retired as National Plate Winners and a new team, "Lightning" have emerged. Balwearie have changed the squad format this year and merged the squads to form a first team and a development team. This is to strengthen the Balwearie Thunder team and hopefully still field a good lightning team with the emphasis on the Lightning guys pushing for a spot on Thunder to keep both teams on their toes.

Tournament one thrust Thunder up first against a Glenrothes side who also strengthened their squad this year and were a strong favourite to take the league title. Thunder playing both youngsters Michael Stewart and Graeme Heggie were looking to take the game to Glenrothes but lost two goals in the second and fifth minute, after that it became end to end with both goalkeepers on top. Thunder were unable to reply to the two quick goals and went on to lose the match 2 - 0. Although a defeat it was a good performance from a Balwearie side against Glenrothes.

Lightning were the next Balwearie team up against Dundee Northern Lights. Lightning stunned Dundee with a goal in the first minute by Derek Baillie and then took a further lead in the twenty fourth by their Captain Mark Duthie. Unfortunately Dundee scored in the next minute, equalised in the thirty fourth and scored again in the thirty seventh to take the match 3 - 2 a great performance by Lightning who were unfortunate to lose after leading for most of the game.

Next Thunder took on the new boys RBS Linlithgow who stunned everybody by going into a 2 - 0 lead over Thunder in the first three minutes. Thunder soon got their act together and eventually went on to win 2 - 11. Despite the early scare Thunder didn't panic and took hold of the game but promising outlook for RBS if they keep this up.

Lightning then came up against League returnees "Hawick Young Men" who were up for showing they were still a good team after a two year Northern League absence. Hawick scored first then Lightning and it was tit for tat scoring for thirty five minutes at 3 - 3 Hawick then stepped up a gear scoring three goals without return to in the last five minutes to win 6 - 3 despite a valiant effort by Lightning.

The final game for both teams was the inter club game Thunder v Lightning. This would prove if the selectors got the teams right or not. Thunder went 3 - 0 up by the seventeenth minute with Lightning scoring in the twenty second. Thunder went further in front in the twenty fourth but Lightning were reduced to four outfield players as their number 12 took a two minute penalty, however it was Lightning who scored to further reduce the deficit to 4 - 2. The game ended with Thunder's Alan (Grandad) McDaid scoring the last goal in the thirty fifth minute to tie up the game 5 - 2. A great game enjoyed by both teams.

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