ICHC: Men’s 4s get underway in arduous season

In their debut appearance in the Felix, ICHC Men’s 4s made the brave and treacherous journey out to the ‘Fortress’ Harlington to play 2 year rivals, New Bucks University. After a narrow win in last season’s league, tensions ran high before the match. Captain Ethan Houchen was overheard saying ‘This is going to be a tough one lads… ‘ and with new blood to the team, chemistry was the most crucial dynamic the squad could have asked for.

The whistle blew… and the teams were off. Straight away, IC 4’s felt under threat – the aggressive style of play by New Bucks threw the home team slightly off guard. After a quick reorganization of Hunter’s nose, and a 2 on 1 ‘sweaty’ with the keeper, ICHC 4’s the ‘DeVIants’ were 1-0 down in 10 minutes.

With a chance to get panicky and flustered, the boys kept their cool and played to their strengths. With some formidable ‘Tiki-Taka’ around the midfield from Philpott, Houchen and Woodburn, the team managed to thread some through balls up for the strikers to take advantage of. Soon, the lads got into their stride, coming into half time with a 2-1 lead.

Into the second half, the ‘DeVIants’ really started to settle into their stride. With a frankly ludicrous control and half volley from Berridge and an almost careless reverse deflection from McDermott, alongside strong plays from Singh and Robertson, the score line settled to 5-1.

To celebrate the victory, the boys yearned for a well deserved ACC night. With Hall, Xu, Lloyd and Willis’ excellent costumes, the team are yet to truly encounter the full force of their fresher intake, with good prospects for the Men’s 4s for the rest of the season.