Paul Walker

SUS is always the most popular kayaking tournament at Glasgow Uni Canoe Club.   The fact it is hosted by us, and for some uni's essentially constitutes a weekend of drinking and hungover kayaking chat is besides the point.   Much to my joy, I was able to get this final SUS competition off work so I could join the A-team as their goal keeper.

In order to be fair to our Division 1 A-team, and in order to have the maximum firepower to bring to bear, the team consisted of nine players:

Paul Walker
John MacArthur
Chris Bell
Colin McMorrin
Ben Marshall
Ross Barnie
Ezra Watts
Euan Richardson
George Elderfield

This large a team also meant that we would need to split the players time to not tire them out, and to give the weaker players some game time (something that Ross still felt a bit sore about from last years SUS).

Our first game was very good.    Stirling A had a strong Div 1 player, that gave them a significant boost and were only held at bay by the fact that our entire team had played together at Div 1.

And we were further helped by my continued progression from a permenant keeper to an all round player.   Actually, I think one of my proudest moments of the competition was in our final game against St Andrews Univeristies A-team, when Chris (who I have always considered to have one of the best shots in the team) passed back to me allowing a surgical, and game winning, goal.

I suppose I need to mention the only team that beat us: Aberdeen Univeristy.   They brought with them the player with the best shot against whom I've played.   Actually stopping a couple of his shots seemed a success, and only losing 1-0 in the semi-finals seemed a victory.

Overall this was probably the most balanced SUS (in terms of the main competition) that I've seen.   Every match after the group stages was close, and that made this, to me, the best SUS in which I've competed.

Open Trophy: Edinburgh A
Open Plate: Glasgow B
Women's Trophy: Aberdeen A

A few special mentions I think are in order.   Patrick Jennins, the winner of the best paddler award, in what really was a long overdue award as he has propped up the St Andrews team on more than one occation; to the Edinburgh player who tried to take on the entire St Andrews B team at once; and to James from the Glasgow B team, for one of the best goals of the tournament.

Utterly fantastic weekend...I just wish it wasn't going to be my last.