These words are how the Anne Arundel coaches describe us in their match report.

Junior lacrosse doesn't get much better than this - 2 competitive teams going toe to toe, on a beautiful summer evening, in front of a large burger eating crowd.

The boys started the game on the front foot thanks to a free face off and enjoyed a few minutes of possession as we neatly sprayed the ball around to give all the attack an early feel for the game. We weren't able to test their keeper however, and Anne Arundel quickly showed us one of their qualities - fast transition from defence into attack. They had the ball in the Mellor goal but it was disallowed (maybe it was paying the refs up front or maybe it was to throw Huss the match commentator), however the reprieve was short lived as they soon went 1 up.

The boys responded positively however, Joe was getting joy at the face off (next season?) and after a strong run fed Jamie for a great calm finish (as if it was Sunday morning training) to the delight of the home crowd, to draw us level. We looked threatening in attack , Eddie's pace had the beating of a number of their players and created space for us while George forced their keeper into a smart save to prevent us taking the lead. After withstanding this early pressure though AA then broke quickly to score 2 quick goals and a very even qtr finished 3-1 to AA.

The 2nd qtr again started well for Mellor as the midfield looked strong, aided by some fast and tenacious H.Mersey boys, and a well crafted move saw one of their boys feed George who slammed home. Maybe this stirred AA to another level but 3-2 became 8-2 within what seemed like a matter of minutes. Ned was left exposed as AA moved the ball at speed to have what seemed like an extra player on the pitch. They also demonstrated another strong aspect of their game, which our attackers and defenders will hopefully have learned from. They seemed to relish taking on a defender in close body contact and in doing so creating enough space to get a close range shot on goal which gave Ned no chance. The qtr became a bit 1 sided with only 2 on target Tom efforts to show which their keeper dealt with efficiently.

The 3rd quarter saw a few new players introduced and again Mellor had plenty of possession with Josh and Ollie looking comfortable spraying the ball around as we tried to create an opening. AA though were beginning to be more ruthless every time they attacked (3 games in 4 days no doubt helped give them a clinical edge we sometimes lacked at the key moment) and soon 8-2 became 12-2. With still a good qtr and a half to go the scoreline could have become painful but it was our boys who dug deep and took the game back to them. Led by Sam, who showed his class throughout, we suddenly played with a bit more fluidity and a Tom feed resulted in Sam's first goal with a fine finish before another spell of sustained pressure saw Sam take on a number of their defenders before another high quality trademark finish. We ended the 3rd at 13-4 down.

As we went into the 4th qtr, we seemed to increase the tempo with Joey's aggression in defence leading to a number of turnovers and penalties for us. Alex was also giving their attack less room and showed great stick skills to transition the ball up field to attack. While Will was holding his own against boys 2 years older and showing great calmness distributing the ball. Some slick team passing led to George having a sniff of goal, which is all he needed, as he finished in his usual no nonsense fashion to make it 13-5. The game was end to end now in all out attack, Ned produced a number of top class saves and he was assured in goal all night. AA did manage to score 2 more before Mellor's last goal of the evening which again deservedly went to Jamie who had an outstanding game in attack. A final AA goal and the final result was 16-6.

This was a performance that every player and parent should be proud of. Not only were we playing against a top quality team but 4 of our players will be playing in this game in 2yrs time as well, all of whom showed skill beyond their years! The effort, determination and quality of play was superb throughout, by all the 18 players, and despite only 5 training sessions with H.Mersey the boys looked like a team that had played together for a long time - so a lot of credit goes to all the coaches, as well as the Mersey boys for their efforts. Special mention, of course, to the Anne Arundel team for the spirit in which the game was played and for showing what we need to do to get to the next level.

A number of players could have won the MVP but no one will argue with it going to Ned who produced a fine performance throughout.

All the players ended the game with a smile on their faces whilst we were left to wonder if Will and Rick will be shouting "Who's hot" from the sidelines next year - whatever it means!

Match Report by Austin Brady