Last season on the ladder: a recap from the referee
The season finished on a Friday with the whole room watching a final that went to a replay. Caroline Fisher, the league referee, tells it the way she saw it.
The closest final yet
I have refereed a lot of Thursday fixtures, and I can count the truly close finals on one hand. Last Friday's was one of them. Two teams that had met four times already, each winning twice, played the deciding match with the whole club room standing behind them and the tea break postponed by popular demand.
It ended in a replay, which is the best possible outcome for a referee: nothing was in dispute, the first game simply ended in a dead heat, and both teams asked to play again. The room went quiet in the good way, and the replay was decided by one clean move in the last minute.
What I noticed from the side of the room
The ladder did its job
Teams that began the season near the bottom finished mid-table, because the draw mixed experienced players with newcomers and nobody got stuck. The two finalists included a pair who had joined only eight weeks before, which tells you something about how fast people learn when they're taught kindly.
Disputes stayed small
We logged four disputes across the season and every one was settled in under ten minutes. Three ended in a replay and one in an apology. Nobody left angry, and the chat server stayed gloriously boring on the topic.
Roster life got a hearing
Quite a few players work shifts or harvest hours, and we moved a dozen fixtures to suit. That flexibility cost us nothing and kept the ladder full to the end. We'll keep doing it.
The honour board
The winners' nicknames are now on the board beside the door, in fresh paint. They chose the game for the next Saturday, and the loser of the final chose the music for the tidy-up. That has quietly become a tradition.
Thanks to everyone who played, watched, rolled cables and made tea. Until next season, keep the ladder warm, and keep your replays friendly.