2004 QUEEN ELIZABETH GOLDEN JUBILEE CUP.

THIS WAS THE 3RD PLAYING OF THE Q.E. II GOLDEN JUBILEE CUP AND AS IN PREVIOUS YEARS THE TOURNAMENT WAS ARRANGED AROUND TWO VENUES WITH POOL 1 (INCLUDING THE MIDDLESBROUGH TEAM) PLAYING AT SOHAM AND POOL 2 (INCLUDING THE MANCHESTER TEAM) PLAYING AT BURWELL.

POOL 1 (SOHAM) MIDDLESBROUGH, BURY, KINGS LYNN, COLCHESTER, CAMBRIDGE.

POOL 2 (BURWELL). MANCHESTER, NORWICH, STEVENAGE, PETERBOROUGH, ELY.

AFTER ALL THE POOL MATCHES THE RESULTS WERE TABULATED AND THE FIRST 2 PLACES IN EACH POOL WERE TO MEET AT SOHAM TO DECIDE ON THE FIRST 4 PLACES WHILE THE REST WERE TO PLAY OFF AT BURWELL. AT SOHAM THE WINNERS OF POOL 1 PLAYED THE RUNNERS UP OF POOL 2 IN THE 1ST SEMI AND THE WINNERS OF POOL 2 PLAYED THE RUNNERS UP OF POOL 1 IN THE 2ND SEMI.

1ST SEMI MIDDLESBROUGH V NORWICH.

MIDDLESBROUGH WERE COMFORTABLE WINNERS OF THE 1ST SEMI AND EVERY PLAYER PERFORMED WELL IN AN EXTREMELY SOLID DISPLAY. AT THE FINAL HOOTER THE SCORE WAS MIDDLESBROUGH 10 NORWICH 2.

2ND SEMI MANCHESTER V BURY.

THIS WAS A MUCH MORE EVEN GAME THAN THE 1ST SEMI WITH MANCHESTER GOING IN FRONT THEN BURY COMING BACK, THEN BURY TAKING A 2 GOAL LEAD ONLY TO HAVE MANCHESTER SCORE 2 THEMSELVES AND GET BACK ON LEVEL TERMS. IN THE FINAL FEW MINUTES ANOTHER GOAL EACH MADE THE SCORE 4 – 4 AFTER NORMAL TIME. 5 MINUTES EACH HALF OF EXTRA TIME FOLLOWED AND ALTHOUGH NO FURTHER GOALS WERE SCORED THE CROWED WE STILL KEPT ENTERTAINED BY THE TWO TEAMS. THE DREADED PENALTIES FOLLOWED AND ALTHOUGH IT DIDN’T SEEM FAIR THAT EITHER TEAM SHOULD LOOSE MANCHESTER JUST MANAGED TO CONVERT MORE OF THEIR 5 PENALTIES THAN BURY TO GO FORWARD TO THE FINAL.

3RD AND 4TH PLACE PLAYOFF. NORWICH V BURY.

THIS GAME WAS NOT QUITE AS HECTIC AS BURY’S GAME WITH MANCHESTER AND THEY TOOK CONTROL OF THE GAME EARLY ON AND SOON HAD A COMMANDING LEAD. ALTHOUGH NORWICH DID MANAGE A BIT OF A RALLY IN THE SECOND HALF BURY HUNG ON TO A WELL DESERVED VICTORY.

THE FINAL MIDDLESBROUGH V MANCHESTER.

MIDDLESBROUGH SAVED THEIR BEST PERFORMANCE FOR THE FINAL AND ATTACKED MANCHESTER STRAIGHT FROM THE START AND WERE A GOAL TO THE GOOD WITHIN 60 SECONDS, THEN 2 MORE WERE ADDED WITHIN THE FIRST 7 MINUTES. MIDDLESBROUGH COULD HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN FOR TAKING A BREATHER AND PROTECTING THEIR 3 GOAL LEAD BUT THEY PRESSED THEIR OPPONENTS BACK AND AT HALF TIME THE SCORE WAS MIDDLESBROUGH 5 MANCHESTER 0. THE SECOND HALF WAS MUCH THE SAME AS THE FIRST AS THE MIDDLESBROUGH TEAM DOMINATED THE GAME WITH THEIR SPEED AND PASSING TO MAKE THE FINAL SCORE MIDDLESBROUGH 13 MANCHESTER 1.

ONCE AGAIN THE ORGANISATION OF THE TOURNAMENT WAS EXCELLENT AT BOTH VENUES AND A GREAT DEAL OF THANKS GOES TO EVERYONE CONCERNED FROM THE EASTERN COUNTIES. WELL DONE.

AFTER MIDDLESBROUGH WON THIS COMPETITION, IT MEANS THAT THEY HAVE RETAINED LAST YEARS CUP SUCCESS AND NOW GOVE 21 GAMES UNBEATEN THIS SEASON, A FANTASTIC EFFORT.

MANCHESTER ALSO DID THE REGION PROUD, AND ITS GREAT TO SEE OUR REGION CONTESTING THE FINAL WHILE PLAYING IN INVITATION TOURNAMENTS OUTSIDE OF OUR OWN REGION.