we had inter school sport just the other day and i was the coach for the Jr. boys softball team. i did the write up for the news letter at school...and it goes sumthing like this- Remember the Titans- As the sun rose on the 30th of March over the small town of Rainbow there was a thick layer of triumph in the air. As the roosters crowed and the feral cats down the Main street started to go to bed, the team of 10 keen, strong and willing men started to wake up and prepare for the day of carnage. At 5 past 9 in the morning I proudly watched my soldiers climb the steep steps of the bus…the bus of destiny. The journey went along fast and the men made use of it by having a look at the game notes and the play set ups that I had sat up all night making. The strong band of the Rainbow Ravens stepped off the bus and on to the playing field for a quick warm up before their first game. We were only 5 minutes in to our 1 hour vigorous warm up when I received the shocking news that the Rainbow Ravens (all of which were from the Jr. side) were to play the Hopetoun Hamsters (a mixed number of the senior girls and boys). I am swollen with pride to say that not one of my men dropped their head when I told them the news. The one last piece of earth shattering news that I found out, was that the Hopetoun Hamsters were fielding a side of 11 boys and girls. That meant that I had to suit up and play along side my fellow soldiers. The Ravens started off by fielding. I took up position in the middle of the out field and waited with ready hands for the ball. I am more than happy to say that I only got one possession for the whole game…my men covered the ball so well that I was not even needed on the field. After a quick stint in the field the Ravens ran off the field with heads held high and put on their armour and went in to bat. After an extremely short and spirited game the Ravens came out victorious with 19 runs to a laughable 9. It was the next rough battle against the Birchip Bunnies that I was dreading. I watched the Bunnies get off the bus and I realised that they must have something in the water over their way to make their Jr. side massive mounds of muscle. I was not needed in this game, as the Bunnies were fielding a team of only 10 boys. So it was going to be an even numbered clash against the Ravens and Bunnies. The Ravens started off by fielding. I would have been forgiven if I had of mistaken Adam and Ashley in the left out field as two young Gazelles. The two men were as fast and electrifying as the mighty African animal itself. It was so realistic it was almost scary. Their ability to pounce on the ball and to take off at high speed at any given time made me think that I was watching two gazelles grazing in the vast African plains of Africa. Then my attention was drawn away from those two young go getters when I smelt the harsh smell of smoke. I started to panic and I was just about to call the local fire brigade, but then I realised that the smell of smoke was coming of Justin’s high-speed balls he was pitching. His rapid pitches were leaving the Bunnies batting line up in all sorts of trouble. Justin’s pitching was more than wonderful, but the Ravens would have been in a world of trouble if it wasn’t for trusty young Jayke and his impenetrable body mass. On the very rare occasion that Jayke missed a ball he was more than prepared to take a body shot to let the ball get away. After watching Justin’s fireballs being pitched at the unmoveable mountain called Mt. Jayke, my eyes started to wander over to a truly magical sight- the tag team of young Sam and Kris. To see these two young men in action was a very high quality event almost like the famous pairs of Simon and Garfunkle, Starsky and Hutch or I would even dare to say Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid. With Sam’s lightning fast reflexes at shortstop and Kris’ catapult like arm on 3rd base, the Bunnies had no chance of piercing the defensive line up on the right side of the field. After getting the Bunnies out, the Ravens went in to bat for the first time. After a wobbly start, the Ravens finally found their feet (or wings) in the second innings. And this, my loyal readers, is where the Ravens happened to show their elite skills and took over the game with their high quality batting. The whole team stepped up and brought the sweet victory home. With the likes of the old, experienced veteran Jackson, there was no stopping the Ravens. Jackson’s patience and ability to pick a ball from a strike at 1000 yards really impressed me. His batting style reminds me a lot of his sense of humour- very relaxed and confident, but has the ability to smack you out of the park when need be. The very able and very strong Jake was able to help put a leash on the rabid pit-bull called victory with his batting. On more than one occasion I happened to witness the cover coming off the ball after Jake hit it out of the park. Raking up 3 homers and the respect of this old coach, Jake was an asset to the team. Then there was the all mighty, king of big hits…the emperor of the bat even. If it wasn’t for Rhys’ extensive training in superior softball bat handle then the batting line up would have been behind. His extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of his favourite bat licked the final stamp to put on the letter marked- Destiny At this stage I know that one certain reader will be thinking “has the coach forgotten all about me?” Truth be known, I wanted to save this young gun until last. The best all rounder out there on the day was none other than Ben. The young man took his positions without question or complaint and performed like a true elite Raven player should. I would like to point out at this time that Ben received the highest batting average out of all the boys in the Ravens, Hamsters and Bunnies and managed to get the lowest number of strikes. I have spoken of being proud of my boys previously in this, but I was none the prouder when the day finally came to an end and I saw each and every boy climb the steps of the same bus that had brought them to the ground. Every single Raven held their head high and knew that they had performed to their highest extent. I did not hear one sledge from one Raven to another on the day and I did not once see any hint of bad sportsmanship. Finally I would like to thank Mr. Rob for looking after us and umpiring and Mrs. Fulton for umpiring and being there for moral support. Another thank you goes to Larry for taking the time to drive the Bus of Destiny to and from the playing field. There is no feeling better than playing your hardest and winning at the highest level, and that’s just what the men of the Ravens did. Each and everyone one of you know who you are and should be as proud as I am of you. -Coach simmo