Vets Weekend training camp resume.........

It might not be widely known that there was a rigorous selection criteria to qualify for attendance at the inaugural Guernsey Vets training camp and many an esteemed player didn't quite cut the grade, often with a number of players falling at the last hurdle.......'no darling, you are not going to Guernsey as you promised to take the children to Santa's Grotto and me to Ikea and then we have lunch with my Aunty Bev on Sunday'.......
Thus only 14 players with a strong support team of Fitness, Physio and Skills coaching staff set off on Friday afternoon to meet at Gatwick.
For obvious reasons the full disclosure of our training regime can't be published in this forum, though a few insights might be appropriate.

Getting from the airport to our destination soon became our first training task! The bus could only go so far but couldn't make the last half mile up the steepest of hills, even I have encountered! We had to get out and carry our kit bags as we clambered up, almost crawling, to our temporary home!

On arrival we quickly familiarised ourselves with the harsh reality of the former army barracks.......damp, musty and 6 old metal bunk beds per dormitory.......we new that we needed this tough environment to get us in the right frame of mind for the training that lay ahead.

The Friday night training session was fairly intense and there were only a few casualties. Our training was so impressive that one of the local lads, a useful second row unit, developed a good rapport with the coaching staff and managed to make selection to become our 15th team member and just in time too!!

On Saturday after a nutritious breakfast we were all ready for our match against St Jacques with an early KO at 1100. Perfect pitch and a mild breeze helped us shake off Friday nights niggles and we quickly got in to form, running lines and angles, scissors, switches, miss moves, and all sorts of patterns......so with the warm up over, we kicked off and took for an age to find our form!

Lineouts functioned quite well, scrums were in the main pretty good and at the ruck we had to work quite hard, often not clearing out our own ball quick enough. St Jacques did sneak in for a well worked try, but in the end our fitness excelled and the boys came together to play some good patterns, though the score ( 7 - 29) flatters us as we hard to work hard for the result.

A heart felt thanks to Kezzy and all the guys for such a warm reception at your wonderful Club, we really do want to return the favour for when you come over to our humble abode. The nutritional Man of the match award you introduced us to will be suitably matched by our long established drinking vessel......!

After leaving St Jacques we went on to support the 1s in their difficult encounter against Guernsey RFC. The result isn't always what matters and being plagued by injury and left with only 11 players on the field playing against 15 and sometime 16 meant the guys were digging deep into the sort of character that makes a Barnes player. Despite all the odds against them, they didn't give up and continued to not only defend gallantly but would also attack at every opportunity.
I was pleased and proud that the Vets were there to share a beer or two afterwards and see the lads in good spirit with their heads held high......that's true Sportsmanship......and it's not easy to do.

Guernsey RFC, in all it's splendour, was equally hospitable and whilst their Vets side were unable to play us due to entertaining a Touring/Stag Guys Hospital team, our Vets side warmly welcome you to South West London for a fixture in the not too distant future.

This left us to enter in to our final training session for the night, preceded by some traditional formalities which remain on the island and become part of its undiscovered legacy!
In the main we worked hard and for the first time ever we split into two pods and lost some guys early on to the effects of over eagerness possibly to impress Skips and the Management team!? Casualties will remain nameless, though you know who you are!!
Our efforts were rewarded with fine local food and plenty of isotonic fluids before an early bed, (for some)!

The rest is a blur and Saturday night was soon Sunday morning seeing us packed and ready to return harnessing our new found skills, improved fitness, sharpness, awareness, vocal training complete and above all some great friendships which will last for ages to come.

Some memorable phrases.........'oh my ears', Frodo, golf ball, where's Jonny, twenty please, club tie!!, find my iPhone app, 10cc, two golf balls!, 'a French sounding Hotel I think'....'Things we do for love'!

Our training camp brings an end to this first half of a mixed season and well placed to meet 2014 head on and so may I wish all of you, players, supporters and your families, a peaceful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.......
And my personal thanks to all the better halves who are the unsung heroes that enable the Vets to be.....

Skips

The training squad

Finche (Skips)
SP
Baby
Beney
Rory (and Matt from St Jacques)
iPhoneless
Frodo
Shoeless
St Bernard
Polish Express
Flying Horse
Welsh Wizard
Mugabe
Spaniard
Baritone

Mgmt: Col, KW, CCS, Scooby! plus Chris Bryant on debut......