2017 Festiphil Tournament a great success

18 Sep 2017

The 2017 Festiphil Tournament once more proved an outstanding success as a mixture of current schoolboys and Old Harrovians of varying ages came together to contest a five-team tournament for the Jubilee Cup on Saturday afternoon. Ten games produced 22 goals, some fine finishing and goalkeeping, and no little amount of drama thanks to the surprise introduction of a new rule from across the pond.

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Some excellent team selections from organiser Charlie Walsh and OHAFC Secretary Harry Woolley ensured that nearly every game was a tightly-contested affair with three of the ten games ending as draws and decided by an MLS-style penalty shootout and another six decided by a solitary goal. Indeed, the only game won by a two-goal margin came in the final round of matches when a depleted Blues team lost 3-1 to Purples.

The upshot was that the Yellows, led by reigning Jubilee Cup holder Alex Gilbert, won the competition despite winning only a single game. Two further wins on penalties and a point for losing a third shootout left Gilbert's team on 8 points, one clear of both the Purples, captained by Charlie Walsh, and the Reds, who were led by Conti von Hirsch. Rollo Hovey's Blues ended on five points with Alex Breeden's Greens on three.

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The tournament was curious for the somewhat perverse rate of scoring: normally in competitions such as this, goals are hard to come by at the start but begin to flow more rapidly as tiredness sets in amongst squads and dead rubbers lead to some teams throwing in the towel.

Saturday, however, saw this trend reversed as the opening pair of games produced 8 goals between them but then a string of low-scoring affairs including a 0-0 draw, two 1-0 wins and a 1-1 draw ensued. Again, credit to the organisers for ensuring a close-fought competition that kept dead rubbers to an absolute minimum.

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The football played was of a generally high standard with the Phil pitches once again in splendid condition ahead of the new Arthurian League season.

At the close of play, OHAFC vice-president Fred Woolley and Life Member Gillian Whitmee presented Alex Gilbert and his team with the Jubilee Cup and goalkeeper Callum Jones with the Young Player of the Tournament.

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Thanks to Charlie Walsh for organising the tournament and to the Harrow School beaks for their help with officiating the games and organising the boys.