This past weekend, October 19th marked my 24th birthday. It would be my first out of the country away from family and friends and one I wouldn't forget.


First, in the afternoon, I was hosted to lunch by Quentin Jacks who is a very good friend of Ms. Simms. Quentin is 91 years of age and doesn't look a day like it. He still has all of his hair and teeth and fitter than the average senior citizen. Each morning, seven days a week at 6am Quentin swims 10 laps of a 50m pool.How's that for someone who is 91?
It was a great meal and at the end, to my surprise, I was given a birthday cake by Ms. Simms. This was a great way to start the day and I was very appreciative of this friendly gesture by my Canadian family.


Later that night I went along to a hockey game with Justin (who is soon to be family to Aaron Bethel). It was the Vancouver Canucks against the LA Kings. Canadians take their hockey very seriously and this was a surprisingly hostile crowd. Throughout the entire game the term, "GO CANUCKS GO!" was being blasted at my ear by a little kid beside me.

To be honest I didn't understand anything that was going on but really enjoyed the experience. In the end the Canucks lost 2-4, much to the displeasure of the fans who while leaving were all echoing the words, "The Canucks Suck". It turned out to be a very good day thanks to special people who I will never forget.


Match Report
The next day was my first game on home soil against the Bayside Sharks for the 1st team. This was a big grudge match as Bayside defeated the Lomas by one point in the BCRU semi-finals in their last match. I was selected at outside center which was the only change in the backline for the 1st team.

The weather conditions on the day was like a category one
hurricane to me. It was about 40 degrees with torrential rain. Once again, thank God for thermal wear.


Meralomas started the game strong working our way into the Bayside 22 and in the 10th minute were awarded a try from openside flanker "Crazy Dave". It was a great try but it was a bit funny as Dave scored from the bottom of a ruck coming out with half of his body completely covered in mud. Mike Hall converted and we were up 7-0.


The game totally changed at this point as both teams tightened up in defence but there were continuous high tackle infringements from Bayside which led to a penalty converted by fullback Mike Hall. Just a note, Mike is the guy who always gives me a lift to and from games and represented Canada at u19 and u21s. He's a pretty skillfull player and has a great boot on him.


A couple of minutes after the penalty with Bayside deep in our end they were awarded a penalty in front of the post after a high tackle infringement. Bayside kicked the penalty and it was now 7-3 with 5 minutes to go. Soon Bayside were again penalised for another high tackle with the player being red carded which was much to the pleasure of the Lomas. Lomas kicked for touch but were halted by the halftime whistle.


It was pretty much the same for the second half as both defences were not letting up. The ball was kept in the tight for most of the game due to the wet conditions and the backs for Lomas never saw much possession. Later, in the 60th minute, Bayside scored under the posts after a well executed backline play. It was now 10-7 Bayside.

Meralomas pressured from the restart, camping in the Bayside half for a few minutes beforing being awarded a penalty for yet another high tackle. This one was a bit different as it was me on the receiving end of quite a nasty tackle. It was one of my few touches of the ball in the game. It was a really hard hit as I was on the floor for a moment and had to receive attention from the physio.


WIth a few minutes to go, Bayside were penalised for hands in the ruck and Mike Hall converted the penalty making scores 13-10 with the game nearly at an end. For the rest of the game Bayside threatens but never scored, with handling mistakes and some strong defence by the Lomas.


It wasn't the prettiest of games but we came away with the win. Not a very good performance on my behalf on the offensive side as I dropped two balls and didn't see much ball. On the other hand, defensively I had 8 tackles and stole 2 balls.


I think this might have been my last game for the Lomas as there aren't many games left and I recieved a bad knock to the leg. I'm now day to day.


Thanks to 'Pedantic Timmy Thompson' for pointing out that these scores are all wrong!

The scores should have read: 7-0; 10-0; 10-3; 10-10; 13-10