The football team went to Beijing Qinghua Yucai School and were welcomed formally by the Principal. Ian responded with a quick speech and the respective captains also spoke - Olivia B did a great job considering she wasn't expecting it! The team then performed one of our cultural items which was well received and to finish, a student from the host school performed a short song/ speech and dance. Pleasantries now complete it was now time football!
In a very even 1H, Bex scored St Oran's very first international goal after a sweeping attack up the field - it was a fantastic feeling but the advantage was short lived as the hosts scored soon after and we went to half time even-steven. The second half was frantic and high paced as both teams searched for the winner, and unfortunately we let in two easy goals at the end to lose 3-1.
We headed off for lunch at a local restaurant which specialized in donkey (unfortunately for us, and the donkey too I guess). Most of us had a try of the donkey and I think it tastes like beef really and not too unpleasant. Otherwise the lunch was fantastic and everyone enjoyed it.
Back to Qinghua Yucai for game two. Our opposition now was Daxing Technical School and when they were warming up we could see they were slick and well drilled. After kick-off it was all on and before we knew it, they were up 3-0!! We stepped up a couple of gears and didn't let them score for the rest of the game. There were some exciting moments- in the first half when they fired four shots in quick succession Kennedy saved three direct shots and Olivia's head saved the fourth. Kennedy certainly put her body on the line and will bear the battle scars for a while!! Following the game we discovered their coach was also the current coach of the China national under-17 team! I think the team can be pretty happy with that result..
Play of the day for football was (of course) the goal from Bex!
Now, for hockey's first day out. They travelled for half an hour to Lucheng Sport & Technical High School. This is one of the high performance training facilities in China and home to the only indoor hockey stadium in the world. We were facing two teams from high-performance institutions today. These girls typically attend school for the morning and then train for 4 hours in the afternoon, 5 days a week! Wow!!
We did a double take when we arrived and saw SHEEP wandering around outside the stadium. Who would've expected we would see sheep in China, let alone the middle of Beijing! Furthermore, a sizeable vegetable garden is sited in the midst of the playing fields!
The first game was an eye-opener for us - the opposition were highly skilled and tough, and we would end up losing 6-1. A very bright spot was Lucy scoring the first international hockey goal for St Orans however. Following this game's result and knowing the challenge we had in front of us, we decided to play game 2 the very best we could and to leave the field with our heads held high!
We had a quick lunch in the college's cafeteria before hitting the turf for game 2. This time we were up against it and we're trailing 6-0 at half time. After some tough talk we went back on and played our hearts out. It was some of the best hockey we've played and the final score was 9-0. And we DID have heads held high at the final whistle.
Sue and Kirsty are very pleased with the team and the way the structure has continued to develop. The team is looking really sharp. Special credit to the two keepers - it was a tough tough day and they both did a great job against world-class competition!
On a final note, today was the first day for everyone to experience the unique sanitary appliances found in most Chinese toilets in Beijing, ie floor level toilet bowls (or holes in the ground). The football team were extremely lucky Diane was on hand to demonstrate the correct techniques, stance etc (although Barb had to video it in case she forgot...).
Some photos of today attached below and more will be loaded to our store soon...
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