The tournament began with Rockets A versus Celtic Storm. The hosts looked nervous with three new young players taking to the pitch for the first time in competition chairs and the Cornish team took full advantage running into a 4-0 lead by half time. The Rockets began to find their timing in the second half and were beginning to show glimpses of ability, but the skill and experience of their opponents continued to show as Celtic Storm ran out 6-0 victors.
Next up, Rockets B took on Aspire Hotspur and it quickly became apparent why they are the champions as virtually every attack culminated in an Aspire goal. As the score sheet ticked over at a regular tempo the Rockets began to lose their discipline as they went out of position in an attempt to chase the game and were caught out by their skilful opponents, finally ending in a dominant 15-0 Aspire win.
Rockets B then had to try and pick themselves up to face the challenge of Celtic Storm, and sadly for the Rockets, this match had an unfortunate similarity to their previous game as the Storm ran out 8-0 victors.
Next the A team had the opportunity to avenge the heavy defeat of their B team as they took on Aspire, and in a spirited performance by the Rockets, they defended hard against a very strong Aspire attack. The young A team continued to show signs of improvement throughout the game as they grew in confidence and the ability they showed in the first game became more and more apparent Eventually, they went down 3-0 but the Rockets came away knowing they had performed well against quality opponents.
Next was the match that would prove to decide who would take the winners trophy home as Aspire took on the Storm, and in a hard fought, skilful battle, Aspire ran out the 2-0 winners, and with that we knew that the cup was going down the M4.
The finale decided 3rd and 4th places as the two Rockets teams faced each other. The A team again showed flashes of talent as they quickly ran into a 2-0 lead with goals from Brandon Jones and Adam Yuill, but unlike the previous games the B team kept their discipline and stuck to the task resolutely, refusing to concede any more goals, but by this stage the A team had done enough and comfortably held onto their lead to claim 3rd place.
The awards were presented by Ricky Stevenson of The Wheelchair FA, Barry Stephens of Wiltshire FA and the winners received the Parachallenge trophy from Swindon Paralympian Keith Bell.
Despite the results, the Rockets gained valuable experience and learned what playing in national competition will be all about, with regards to the level of skill and speed required to compete against the best, and each player came away with admiration for their competitors, but also with the determination to succeed.
For more information on Swindon Parachallenge 2008, visit www.swindonweb.com or www.swindon.gov.uk/de/challengeswindon/parachallenge