Étincelle - Parcelle incandescente qui se détache d’un corps enflammé ou qui jaillit du frottement de deux corps. (a ‘spark’ in languages that don’t mess around..)

Étinceler – scintiller, chatoyer

If there was a team to scintillate on this fine, warm, sunny, Ireland winning Grand Slam on St Patrick’s weekend, Saturday, well it was not Étincelle. Instead, RBBFC Vets 1 were the team with the electric spark from the beginning.

It took Massimo 30 seconds to figure out that 18 March 2023 was a day for the high press and immediately Vets1 set fire to the visitor’s defense. Rice picked up a loose ball, beat his man, flicked the yellow mitre to Milos, who did the rest. Of course, he did. Goal 29 of an extraordinary season.

Seconds after the re-start, Massi picked out Mark marauding down the terraces side of the Rosieres sythetique and the flying Frenchman-Canadian-Englishman-Belgian crossed for Milos to make it 30 for the season, two away from Kenny Francey’s all-time club record.

From a wicked JC corner not long later, Horacio made it 3-0 and any spark that Étincelle arrived with was surely extinguished.

Not quite, unfortunately. A hopeful long ball caught our defense napping, one forward squared for the other and for helvede, up went Tommy’s clean sheet in puff of smoke. The Great Dane was most unhappy and took out his considerable ire on Rice for not covering enough ground. Unfortunately for him, Rice was wearing his Fitbit watch under his gloves and could point out that he had run nearly 7km. This made Tommy even angrier. Sparks flew.

Yearsley was also wearing a fitness watch but had forgotten to charge it or so he claimed after the game when Strava recorded him covering 0,73km.

Horacio bagged another from range, a smart finish after Marcelo had a shot from range blocked, to calm any potential nerves amongst the outfield players. Then Milos turned provider, squaring for Rice to tap in with his left foot. 5-1 at half-time.

No immediate changes as there were no chèvres on display for Vets 1, who were humming like the snazziest of vintage Chevrolets.

Shortly into the second half Rice picked the ball up and exchange passes with Captain Lolo. Étincelle’s high defensive line was breached and Rice fired passed the onrushing keeper with unerring precision.

Mueller on for JC, Nel on for Horacio. Fresh legs against an Étincelle side that were beginning to need spark plugs. Unfortunately for them, Mark and Marcelo decided it was time for some vintage M&Ms. 7-1. 8-1.

RBBFC moved to a two-man defense of Christensen and Mueller. Lolo played the ball to Rice in the midfield and continued his run down the wing. Receiving the ball back in oceans on the right wing, and with the excited screeching of the first team ringing in his ears, Lolo loped into the box and took a shot that pinballed around and back to Paul ScholesRice who scored his third of the day, second with his left foot, previously only useful for standing on.

9-1 it ended. A scintillating performance all round. There will need to be a bright spark in the Étincelle management team if they are to avoid another spanking in the return fixture next week!

Sejersen – Christensen, Legere, Yearsley – Thuan (Mueller), Guarnaccia, Rice, Henriquez (Tsopo), Pellegry – De Lima, Stanojevic

MoM: Legere