We are a walking football club based in Rutland. We play local sessions in Oakham and Uppingham to keep fit, have a good laugh and occasionally hit a decent pass or get the ball into the net. Most of our players are over 40; some of the most energetic players are over 70! We are an inclusive and good-natured bunch and supportive of players at all levels. We are always keen to grow our club, so do come along and join us.

Lambeth Tournament April 2024

We value the social aspects of our club as well as the football

On to the actual competition: facilities at the centre were excellent, and Oakham faced three teams from Lambeth (South, East & West) and Wandle Wanderers. Disbelief set in when, despite delivering a barrage of shots in Lambeth's direction, the opposition eventually emerged as 1:0 victors. It clearly helps to have an

On the 20th April the boys from Rutland set off on an adventure heading to that there London. Quip of the day came from Matt, who gazed up in awe at the majestic arched roof of St Pancras and remarked, 'You could stack a lot of hay in here! It's like a Dutch barn, only bigger!' Shortly afterwards, Tony demonstrated why he was leading the gang as he drew upon his intimate knowledge of the underworld. No, strike that. I meant the underground, and he led us to Brixton despite attempts to block our route by sabotaged signals at Victoria (desperate opposition tactics?).

International goalkeeper between the sticks! Mind you, Oakham probably had the best Iranian GK in Oakham, who had a fine afternoon throughout the competition. Undaunted, our boys went on to win the next two games, 3:0 and 2:0, and if they had held on to their lead in the last match, they would have ended the day as competition winners. That honour went to Lambeth West, with Oakham a worthy second.

What did we learn, apart from competing in tournaments can be good fun? All teams were pulled up for running, although the refs were no stricter than those we are used to. They generally tried to keep the game moving by not halting play when both competing players were running, and no advantage was gained. What was a learning experience was that absolutely no contact was

allowed. So, even if the tackle was made head-on, if there was any follow-through after the ball had gone, no matter how slight, the defender was penalised. However, we had been forewarned in an excellent referee's briefing before kick-off.

So, with Oakham the proud winners of the Fair-play trophy, it was on to the Duke of Edinburgh, which, despite a crowd almost equalling the population of Rutland, gathered to watch the FA Cup semi-final in the vast beer garden was a very friendly and efficiently run pub.

Then, back North without further misadventure with the good wishes of the Lambeth club and the notion of inviting them back to our patch. Many of them expressed how much they had enjoyed the Rutland experience the last time they came.

We are fortunate to have some skilful players within our ranks and can field teams in the over 50s, over 60s and over 65s in leagues in Peterborough and Nottingham. We benefit from affiliation to Oakham United FC and, through them, are affiliated to the FA.