Bintangs vs Geckos, Kuta, 15 August.

A minutes' silence preceded the match - dedicated to Craig Senger and others lost to us in similar circumstances. It was a reminder to live every day as though it was your last.

Fitting, because that was how the Bintangs played.

From the opening tap, the ball was kicked quickly to Butcher who goaled. The next tap hit Bandy on the fly. Kicked. Marked by Butcher. One minute. two goals.

If Bali was stunned, the Bintangs were completely taken aback by this. Following a game plan has always been too swattish for this proud club of renegades. But the penny dropped. We weren't meant to butcher our opportunities, but get the ball to some bloke with the same name. Verb/object confusion: I blame the fact that they dont teach grammar any more in our schools.  Now it's all touchy feely stuff as the kids run wild.  Either that or the fact that Bintangs players tend to tune out at the sight of a coach's board. For that, Hak has to take some responsibility.

At the end of the first quarter, the Tangs had built up a commanding lead. The gap was widened in the second quarter. While the finishing was a strong point, across the park the Tangs were harder at the ball and cleaner in their disposals: in the thick of battle Bandy, MJ, Tully, Arch (who was marking Gunny), Ben and Drew were outstanding.  Rob Law deserves credit for coming the closest to having a brawl.

The hard dry surface, the hometown advantage, a bit of niggle - none of it mattered.  No distractions and no quarter. This was a day to play hard and win well. The only down note was Jason "Roger" Iten having to leave the field in the second quarter after a head clash and broken nose. General consensus was that he was ugly before the incident so the damage was of degree rather than in kind.  Beyond the skin deep issue of beauty to important things like form, Roger had a strong game in the ruck, winning taps and clearing well.

The third quarter saw four years of underachievement put aside when Barra kicked his first goal for the Bintangs. Playing his last game, Barra took an uncontested mark. MJ, who made the kick, insists that this was not charity. MJ has pledged, however, to donate the Rp200,000 reward for his role to a needy cause. After calmly slotting it through, a wave of excitement passed through the football world of South East Asia.  Stevo in Manilla was wrapped. Toby in Sumatra thought it was a prank. But Barra's

instant impact raises a question: should he have been played forward all these years? The answer: no.

While Bali managed to slow the momentum in the last two quarters, the result was never in doubt. A trademark Muzza dropkick sealed the win just before the siren.

Butcher's 12 goals set a new club record.  His performance was the

football equivalent of shock and awe: one spectacular mark after another as a succession of Bali players tried and failed to keep him quiet.  Other goal scorers, besides those mentioned above, included: Arch (2), Tully (2), Bandy (1) and Yates (1).

For the entire team, except maybe Roger, the wounds and skinned knees were worth it.  The big result meant there was plenty to go on with on Saturday night, and not a few did.  Bring on the Asian champs.