Oct. 18th, 2009

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Driving lesson yesterday. Mounted the pavement twice attempting the reverse round a corner, but went OK the rest of the time. Peter said I still needed to work on thinking ahead, reacting earlier to situations and staying on the brake longer during approaches and turns, but that we'd have a mock test next week and that if that goes OK we'd look at booking a date for the real one.

From there it was on to Moneyfields, where Fareham Town were playing away. The good news was that the clubhouse sold mixed fruit Kopparberg. As I'd made my way to the bar, the overwhelming smell of chips and vinegar meant I was unable to resist ordering a portion; the bad news was that my chips took over 20 minutes to arrive, by which time it was nearly five to three and so I had to take my paper plateful of chips into the ground. That drew a comment of "He's brought his tea in with him" from a Moneyfields steward at the turnstile and "That looks healthy" from a fellow Fareham fan (another added "Looks good, though").

As the main railway line from Portsmouth runs alongside the ground, Paul ran a sweepstake among us Fareham fans on how many trains would go by while the game was in progress (ones passing during half-time didn't count).

We thought Gavin Spurway had scored for Fareham in the first minute but his shot just went into the side net. Fareham overcame a physical Moneys side to win 2-0 with a cracking header from Matt Jones in the first half, and a beautiful cross from sub Jimmy Cuthbert for sub Tommy Woodward to sweep home in the second. Moneys had a number of ex-Fareham players in their ranks; all of them got a fair bit of stick from some of the Fareham support and joy was unconfined when one of them, James Lacey, saw red for a second bad foul.

I'd gone for 24 trains, but found out from an old chap who'd picked 28 that we'd already reached 27 with about ten minutes to go.

Into the clubhouse to see the full-times coming in - Hawks lost :( but the Shire won 2-1 at Elgin and there was another crumb of comfort in the shape of two of the Big 4 losing.

Home for Strictly, delayed by the rain at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Excellent performance at the Viennese waltz from Jade; when she observed during her recap of the week that her mother was "adapting to me now being a beautiful woman" I said "You always have been, darling." Switched to Bravo at 9pm for TNA iMPACT!, the three hour show having to be butchered to get it down to two hours with ads included, meaning we often joined fights abruptly in the middle and missed several link sections. I do hope that when Virgin 1 starts showing it in a fortnight they put all the shows out in full.

Up at 5 this morning for Moto GP.
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Hawks Ladies v Reading Town at Fort Blockhouse this afternoon. Poor Reading Town are the whipping girls of the league, they're getting regularly spannered every week - respect to them for deciding to see the season out, so at least they can regroup a division lower next year, rather than fold - and two of their players turned up late today so they started with nine. Yet Yeovil stuck twenty-one past them earlier in the season, so, as Val and I observed, we could not afford to show mercy - the title might go down to goal difference.

Thanks to the Yorkshire trip, a free week, opponents scratching and my illness, this was the first time I'd seen my lasses for over a month. "Did you miss me?" Lauren asked me, doe-eyed.

"Of course I did, baby. Every day." Cue 'awww's from the assembled girls.

The girls did their bit to run in a hatful of goals, though to Reading Town's credit they kept plugging away all game, never giving up even as the score reached rugby proportions. With Hawks 10-0 up at half time, some of the staff and watching relatives and friends said they hoped we'd score 22 and so outdo Yeovil; I pointed out that the club record victory was 22-0 so it would be nice to break that.

When Chloe scored her fifth to make it 16-0, Sadie said Chloe had got a double hat-trick; Mike and Becky were quick to point out that a double hat-trick is six. Sadie, bewildered, said she'd always thought a double hat-trick was five, so Becky floored her with "How many is a hat-trick?" When we'd convinced Sadie that a double hat-trick is indeed six, I asked if anyone knew what a perfect hat-trick was. Mike did - right foot, left foot and header with no penalties. He added "I scored three of those in my playing days" and told us a yarn of how in one game he'd scored with header and left then taken a penalty, hit the post and netted the rebound with his right. "I waved to my dad up in the stand..."

"You big fibber," interjected Sadie, and made a 'long nose' gesture.

With ten minutes remaining the score was 19-0 and we spectators were beginning to give up hope of the club record. But then Charley scored in the 82nd minute and again in the 86th. Chloe notched the 22nd for her double hat-trick in the penultimate minute and we shouted "Come on girls, one more for the club record". Charley obliged in the first minute added on, smashing home a cross from Sam to complete her own double hat-trick as well as making Hawks Ladies history.

The girls invited me to join in their post-match buffet.

Home for the Brazilian Grand Prix, about as good as I could have hoped for. Webber won and Vettel overcame the handicap of starting 15th on the grid to come fourth and help clinch second spot in the constructors' for Red Bull. And I make no apology for taking some British pride in Jenson Button's championship, and a sporting romantic's delight in Brawn lifting the constructors' title in their first season. Toasts all round.

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