Tornados M1s vs SCC

The sun set over a sell-out crowd at Sengkang Hockey Stadium. There was a whiff of haze and anticipation in the air. Tornados Men’s 1s against SCC; red against yellow; poor against rich; sleeveless against sleeves. Were the hordes about to witness one of the great upsets of the 2023 season?

The umpire exhaled and forced a gust of oral wind around a cork ball in a plastic case to signal the beginning of the game. With that gust of wind came another, metaphorical gust of wind with the intensity of a tornado, or rather, Tornados. A high-octane game ensued, and Tornados executed perfectly the gameplan of International Player-Coach Harry York. The chances came and the chances went for Tornados until SCC managed to draw first blood; a slick passing move that carved up the veteran Tornados defence. One nil to the yellows.

Tornados stuck to the plan and began to threaten more in their opponent’s D, but their short corner threat wasn’t enough to break the SCC lines. The SCC goalkeeper managed to fend off the onslaught of attempts on goal from Captain Stefan Von Haenisch and his trademark scuffed push pass.

And then, disaster: Tornados hardman and Boat Quay loyalty card holder, Mark Pellatt was on the receiving end of an aggressive cuddle from an SCC attacker and was unable to continue. There are rumours that he was later spotted lunging on a Boat Quay dancefloor, but these are yet to be verified.

Unperturbed by the departure from the game of his beloved enforcer, Captain Stefan Von Haenisch managed to release a back-stick bullet from the top of the D that ricocheted off two defenders before limping into the goal. Game tied, game on.

The deadlock continued into the second half with good chances passing by for both sides. And then, crisis! Former East England Under 16 non-travelling reserve, and veteran unsung hero for Tornados, Alex Pilgrim pulled off what many are calling an inspired intervention, which earned him an undue 5-minutes in the sin bin. The next few minutes were nervy, but the shorthanded side managed to run the clock down to ensure the score remained level. After a welcome rest, the fan-favourite returned to the field, but unfortunately his return coincided with SCC taking the lead. Young French wunderkind Benoit Dequidt showed his inexperience and left his marker to discuss tactics with the umpire. The SCC midfield noticed the free man on the penalty spot and found him with ease: two goals to one for SCC.

An impassioned speech from International Player-Coach Harry York after the third quarter compelled Tornados forward. The pressure was piling on for SCC – would they be able to hold on to their victory? Yes, they would. An edge-of-seat thriller for the fans, but Tornados were unable to put away their chances and again left Sengkang without picking up any points. The team have two weekends off to lick their wounds and return to Sengkang on June 10th to face Hollandse Club.