Ben Stephens

Ben joined the squad in 1997 as a defender, and acquitted himself very well. His commitment to defence saved the team on several occasions after I had been caught upfield looking for glory. Ben's forte was his quick-thinking on setplays, most notably throw-ins. In our triumphant 3-0 win, he built many attacks with his quick and simple throw-ins and intelligent follow-up runs. He and I exchanged close passes on the left wing several times, and these led to two good goal attempts.

Ben and Raj both played half matches each in order to maintain their fitness levels, and this meant that we had two like players who were interchangeable (as opposed to Anwar/Roger in 1995) and so the balance of the team was more evident. Ben's sometimes wayward shooting was the only blemish on his performance, but then everyone was guilty of this at some point (and Andy Cole has been guilty of it for the last 9 years!).

Overall, Ben showed the necessary commitment required for a 5-a-side team player (I wish he'd cut his hair though!) and has a strong call for a place this year since he is one of only a handful of recognised defenders. It is often suggested that, as Roger was made famous in 1995 for his shot which hit the bar, Ben should be remembered in 1997 for hitting the bar for shots (especially shots of vodka!)

1999 UPDATE
Ben missed the tournament because he was embarking on his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Expedition. Needless to say, we were all gutted. Ben summed it up perfectly when he realised the two dates clashed.... "bugger."

2000 UPDATE
Ben returned from 3 weeks in Canada looking scarily unshaven and dishevelled, however a new diet, some fitness training, and plenty of swimming has meant that Ben is gradually returning to the form that terrorised defences in 1997. With a bit of luck, our backpacking superstar will be set for a comeback in 2001, and no doubt he still won't have shaved by then either!!

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Copyright © 1998 S. C. Productions