Overall, the performance given by the A team last weekend was probably the most convincing of the season. We began our pool games by playing Mohawks 2, second-from-bottom seeds in our pool. This easy start gave us opportunity to fine-tune our isolation offence and zone defence. We stuck to our game plan, and, although they probably scored a couple of points that they shouldn't have scored because of the odd lapse of concentration on our part, it was a good way to begin the tournament. The score? 13-3 to the best of my memory.

Slurrey Slingers provided a slightly different kind of challenge. They had developed a specific style of play and although they didn't have a gameplan as such, they were a more determined unit. We let them make a quick start, allowing them to score the first point. Even after we got off the mark and established a convincing margin, we looked a little tepid, allowing them to exploit the holes in our zone defence. However, they were never able to pose a real threat, and their poor defence showed their inexperience. I think the final score was 10-4.

Playthings were always going to provide us with the toughest challenge of the day. They had a strong team, and their co-option of Sven and Jaison provided the match with a healthy dose of friendly rivalry. They played with more structure and experience than any of the other teams we'd encountered. Fortunately for us, they failed to live up to their own expectations. We played hard man-defence to shut down their flow, and we were quick to take advantage of their mistakes. Our offence was solid, and they had no answer to our isolation play. The score finished 9-4 as far as I remember. (Sven and Jaison, I await your eager corrections if I've got this wrong)

This victory virtually secured us 1st place in our pool. The game against Bad Habits 2 was more or less a formality, although I would be a slack hack if I failed to mention that we gave a pristine demonstration of style of play I like to call "muppet ultimate" in this game.

Sunday

Our quarter final was against Strange Blue I, who have won this tournament two years running, beating us in the final and semi-final in 2001 and 2002 respectively. They fielded a weaker team than they have done to this tournament in previous years, but they still could have caused an upset, as their victory over Night Fever later on in the day demonstrated. We were determined to win this game but we weren't intimidated by the history of our previous encounters. Our defensive strategy worked, and we were pretty merciless when it came to taking advantage of the basic handling errors they made. Occasionally, our offence became too trigger-happy, but generally, when we turned over, we were quick to set up on defence. I can't remember the exact score (10-4??), but the margin was convincing.

This set us up for a semi-final against Playthings, who were determined to reverse the result of Saturday's pool play. They started the game strongly, tying the score 2-2 before we started to pull away. Both teams mixed up their defence: Playthings set up a zone which we played through confidently; we combined our standard zone with man-on. The game was closer than our earlier contest, but we were convincing winners, the final score being something like 8-4. (for corroboration/vehement correction, please feel free to consult Sven and Jaison, official spokesmen for the Free Ultimate Players of North London Association).

No.1 seeds Yo Mama proved to be our opponents in the final after making their semi against Hammerage look like a warm-up game. We traded points in a dramatic first half, which saw Matt headbutt a wall in a desperate bid on defence. He was substituted by Mark Macdonald, who replied with an awesome lay-out D that was converted into a point. The game saw some spectacular handling by Andy and Sean and some equally spectacular takes from Si, Mark and Kim. For the majority of the game, there was little to choose between the two teams. Yet at the most crucial moments, Yo Mama were able to unsettle our offence with uncompromising defence that forced stallouts and throwaways which proved costly. Their experience of playing and winning important matches narrowly edged us out of a close and exciting game, which did justice to the talents of both teams. Final score: 13-11.

OK, that's enough of the facts. It's now time for my Carrie Bradshaw moment, where I sit at my laptop, wearing designer clothes that are worth more than the aforementioned computer, and use the small experiences of my friends to draw crass conclusions about how the universe works. Or rather, I'm going to say somethings about the tournament that don't necessarily relate to Ultimate. Firstly, nice job! Thanks to everyone (and that pretty much was everyone) who helped out with scoring, accomodation, running the bar, harrying the rec's staff, moving large pieces of furniture etc. - a fantastic team effort alround. Special mention should go to Sarah (Terry's fiance) who wasn't playing, but gave up most of her weekend to help out. Lastly but by no means least, well done to Simon, who, for the third year running has overseen proceedings at this event, and delivered a high-standard, fun tournament with something for everyone.