It doesn't get any better than this. RAF v Army, the perfect pitches of Sandhurst, a glorious late-Summer's day and 2 highly motivated teams of 'old guard' players. Add to that the backdrop of the Qaboos pavilion, the Old College, vintage artillery and a pitch-side of families and friends, and it was all to play for.

Whilst Icarus v Crusaders is a regular fixture for the First XIs of both teams, this was a new fixture for the Vets' teams and one which will hopefully endure for many years to come. Vets' football is always well-spirited yet competitively fought and this match was no exception. The Crusaders were an unknown quantity and they made a lively start pressing Icarus hard in the early stages of the first-half. Jones as ever though was exceptional and he quickly organised his defence to help neutralise the Crusaders' advance. Icarus soon settled, the pace of Bond and Beer up front proving troublesome to the Crusaders' back four.

Chances soon came Icarus' way, Bond crashing a shot onto the bar and Beer dragging a strong one-on-one chance just wide of the outstretched keeper. With a quarter of the game gone it was Icarus who broke the deadlock, Bond latching on to a loose ball and firing a curling shot just beyond the Crusaders' keeper. Icarus were ahead as the referee signalled the half-time break. And whilst the lead was well-deserved, it was hard to know whether or not Icarus had given too much too soon. Several players were struggling in the hot conditions and Icarus made 3 changes at the break.

As the second-half commenced the Icarus balance had clearly changed and initially Crusaders' pressure began to cause concerns particularly across the Icarus midfield. In a bid to break this strong period of Crusaders' pressure, Roughsedge stepped up to the plate with a committed and crunching midfield challenge. Sadly it was a little more crunching than he might have liked, an over extended ankle ligament (by about 12 inches by the screams), ruling him out of any further involvement. It was a serious blow causing further reorganisation. Greenway came back on as Roughsedge was carried off for treatment by the Icarus Physio, Fiona Simmonds. Icarus though continued to press, Beer setting up Hays who struck the bar with a curling effort and Lindsay setting up Beer who forced an excellent save from the Crusaders' keeper.

Bond who had been full of energy throughout was now starting to feel the effects of 2 games in one weekend but not before he had put the game beyond the Crusaders reach following a defensive mix-up. At 2-0 Icarus managed to hold the ball up well and, despite the loss of Henderson late-on, managed to see out the remaining time in reasonable comfort. On tired legs across the park however, the Crusaders were tenacious and pressed to the very end. In the dying minutes the Crusaders' striker forced Jones to parry a ball against his right-hand post which he collected at the second time of asking. The referee put the seal on what had been a very positive start to the season for the Icarus FC Vets. This had been a tough encounter, only 5 of the Icarus outfield players surviving the full 90 minutes.

Of those, Bond up front was excellent and Jones at the rear his usual 'tidy' self. Heath in defence though was steadfast and solid. Not long back from injury and increasing in fitness week-on-week, his was a true Vets' performance and merited the accolade of Man-of-the-Match.