Game Reports

November 19, 2004 - Cal Maritime 0 v Diablo Gaels 34
Taking on a Division 1 men's team was always going to be a challenge but
much was learned . Something about the purity of defending for most of the
game helps create that defensive structure. Tackles were uncompromising
and the importance of not giving up possession was demonstrated. Time to
learn from the lessons and move onwards.
*MVP’s – Brian Schafer and Scott Keever.

The Referee Report (www.pelicanrefs.com)
Cal Maritime 0 v Diablo Gaels 34
Referee: Bruce Carter
Where to start?
     Did you ever sit looking out the window while killing time in an airport and
notice a pilot walking his plane? This time-honored ritual precedes every flight.
A practiced eye looks for anything amiss and anticipates the activity to come,
circumambulating the aircraft even if it is a brand-new number. The pilot begins
the mental and physical rituals which evoke his training and his passion.
     So it is with us. Like any good referee, LP always walks the pitch before a
match and feels the same call of his craft: the rituals preceding the contest that
lead to peak performance. Players and coaches notice this detail and
appreciate that they have a professional in charge of their safety.
     Under Coach Edward Roberts, California Maritime Academy has continued
their practice of a significant physical-plant upgrade each year. The concrete-
block equipment room has been converted into a clubhouse, cleaned up and
carpeted, with photographs and mementos on the wall. There is a new prefab
garden shed at the opposite corner of the pitch now for the grounds-keeping
and training equipment.
     With about 700 students, the CMA is probably the smallest college that
supports a rugby team in the USA.
     The Diablo Gaels have responded to the challenge of the mixed first/second
division schedule by blurring the distinctions between the two: they have
recruited and upgraded significantly. Their captain is Pelican scrumhalf John
Kunz, for one.
     From the opening whistle the Gaels were at pace and on form, phase following
phase, the Keelhaulers back on their heels and defending desperately for
most of the game.
     Lois dropped by on her way home from Davis to honor the referee by watching
his game.
     One of the players introduced the referee to his nephews saying, “This guy has
been refereeing me for sixteen years” and alas, it was true.