THE STORY
On Sunday 21st October 2007, Food & Beverage Manager Donald MacDonald, Head Chef Myles Fraser, Duty Manager Bartek Bukowski, Breakfast Chef Stephen Ross And Barman Ross Geddes Set off for Newcastle at 8am to take part in a 5-A-Side football tournament organized by Mark, General Manager at Premier Inn In Newcastle for the charity Hospitality Action.
Hospitality Action is the nominated charity by the Whitbread Group and provides vital support and help for those who work in the catering Industry. Visit www.hospitalityaction.org.uk for more information on the services they provide.
The tournament was due to start at 3pm at the JJB Football Arena in Newcastle, so our boys had plenty of time to get down there, or so they thought!!. After getting lost In Perth, Edinburgh and Newcastle plus getting a parking ticket for good measure, they finally arrived at the JJB Arena at 3pm on the dot, so after a 7 hour drive and tempers beginning to fray, it was straight into the football and with Myles bandaging up his already broken toe our boys, you would agree, were hardly In the best shape to take part in a 4 hour long tournament.
Sprits were high amongst the team from kick off, even after such a journey there was a genuine belief that they could win this tournament and it showed by winning their first two games, after losing their third game our boys turned on the style to win the fourth game 10-0 and two games later they booked their place in the semi-finals with two hard fought wins. With Donald, Stephen and Ross on the goal trail, Bartek superb in goal and Myles shutting up shop in defence and playing though the pain. Spirits were even higher now!
At the short break in between our boys were becoming a bit jealous of those teams knocked out of the tournament, who turned up to watch the rest of the games with a pint of lager in hand, but our boys still had some footie to play yet so it was on to semi-finals, this was a two game affair which would determine the final, and after two very hard fought games our boys came through to win a place in the final, almost there!!
The final game of the afternoon was going to be a game of two 10min halves with Hosts Newcastle City Centre Vs Inverness Auld Distillery, the game resembled something like an England vs. Scotland affair, as if both teams were playing for the World Cup, The atmosphere was tense, plenty of support arrived, all in the shape of Newcastle fans so our boys had to dig deeper than they had all afternoon, they had played nearly 2 hours of football by now, and to reach the final with no support and against more fancied opposition, this was against everybody’s expectations and fine achievement in itself, but our boys did not travel all this way to go home second best and empty handed!
At kick off, our boys were up against it, Newcastle were the pre-tournament favorites and it showed and come half time, our boys were down 3-0, heads were beginning to fall and beginning to think that their dream was over. Not So!! Our boys had other ideas, they came out for the second half more determined than ever, for that 10 minutes they gave it absolutely everything they had left in them, Donald made it 3-1 with a superb strike and with Ross and Stephen both bagging a goal each to make it 3-3 what a comeback!!, our boys held on to make it 3-3 at the final whistle, but this game wasn’t over yet as the penalty shootout loomed.
If this game was tense before it was on a different level now. But nevertheless our boys came through the shootout champions, one miss from Newcastle, on the very last penalty meant the trophy was ours!!! Our boys all jamp onto Bartek in jubilation of their success, well worth all the travel headaches!!
As our bruised and battered troops (Myles picking up another broken toe!!) They headed back to find their hotel for a well deserved pint and in the words of starting as you mean to go on! They got lost again but that’s another story!! By the way don’t drive the wrong way up a one way street it’s quite scary!!
Congratulations!! To Bartek, Donald, Myles, Stephen and Ross from The Auld Distillery on winning the first Whitbread Charity Football Tournament.
Thanks also to the other competing teams (Sorry Boys, better luck next time!!) and especially to Mark from Newcastle City Centre Premier Inn for organizing and making the event the success it was!!
Our trophy is proudly on view behind the bar at The Auld Distillery complete with a photo and a signed shirt our troops wore that day.
The Auld Distillery Went To Newcastle, Got Lost In Newcastle But Finally Conquered In Newcastle!!
