Debalderin 1 – KCD 4 34-15
After five long days at work, you hope to catch a bit more sleep on a drizzly Saturday morning. But around 9:30, I was jolted awake… hmm, I had promised to come watch a match my daughter was playing in. A quick bite, and off to Wageningen. It must have been at least 25 years since I last visited De Bongerd… A beautiful time back then, visiting your wonderful tournament with Rust Roest’s G-team. It’s great to see that this tradition is still going strong after all these years.
But I wasn’t asked to write about the past (though there were plenty of wild times with Attila Wageningen…). No, there was a match to be played. This year, I’ve seen some transition class A matches, but the atmosphere at this basement-level 😉 match was definitely comparable. Great energy upon arrival, and two teams preparing fanatically. I even noticed a bit of psychological warfare: KCD had been on the field for a while, while Debalderin was still debating whether they would do a chant or high-fives… Maybe this slowed the game’s start a bit.
After an evenly matched first five minutes, a few players began to stand out. For the many spectators (a solid eight of us!), the most suspenseful part was that we couldn’t see how much time was left or what the score was. However, thanks to dynamic rebounds, there were plenty of second chances, and eventually, a few shots went in. Don’t ask me how many… At times, it felt like they were playing with a shot clock, given the sheer number of attempts.
Halftime came sooner than expected, though maybe that was just my lingering fatigue—perhaps I dozed off for a bit. During the break, I saw that “the daughter” was warming up. I can keep this brief: the enthusiastic cheers from the bench when she finally made a shot spoke volumes. A justified penalty (defending with raised arms) and a sneaky push that sent her opponent crashing to the ground (she tripped over her own feet; it was just a slight nudge) rounded out her performance.
Fortunately, others were hitting their stride, and the match was wrapped up in a professional manner—with a buzzer-beater as the cherry on top. The bench went wild for that too.
A quick photo with the scoreboard afterward—you can be proud of the number of goals scored, though conceding 15 was a bit much. But hey, it was your third match, and you’re still growing as a team. With the next games, some automatisms will develop, and if a few players maintain their accuracy, a championship should definitely be within reach.
Will I come watch again? Doubtful—I’m not a morning person. But I hope to see many of you at the Attila tournament. On April 12 and 13, the finest korfball tournament in Eindhoven will be held. Playing is no longer an option for me with the Old Huns, but I’ll definitely come to watch.
See you then,
The father of…
Father of family Willaert