LUSS annual trip to Yorkshire
LUSS Trip of Football and History!
Finally, a Luss trip, someone says. However, remember that the last trip took place in February. Now there was very little time for planning. Previously, during the autumn we were assigned a match in the spring and members had plenty of time to plan, now it was very short notice and difficult for many after a holiday to be able to go away again. On the other hand, maybe it was a top match we were assigned when Newcastle came to visit. I don't know if you should say unfortunately without Isak and Elanga we only got to play for a short time, but our own Gudmusson made a very solid impression both backwards and forwards.
On Friday evening it was time for the big bowling competition. We only had six registered players and some reshuffling and a dark horse appeared, which made it unpredictable how it would end. There were no future great players to be found and a bit of a board war was fought. Unfortunately Gustav succeeded and was able to mathematically be determined as the winner in terms of points. Considering the fact that it was a board member, who might have had inside information, no prize was awarded!
We gathered for the pre-match at Clayton on Saturday. The mood was cautiously optimistic, before the match. Many tips were that Leeds would win. When you are in England you cannot fail to comment on the weather, during pretty much the entire match it rained and we were glad that we were sitting far under cover. It seems it had no effect on the game.
When the match was over it was noticeable in the stands that many were content with a draw. My summary of the match is that we dominated possession in the first half and lost the initiative in the second. However, we probably had a few more chances in the second even though there weren't that many real "close goal chances". The atmosphere in the stands was a direct barometer of the chances or pressure we had. One point can probably be considered fair.
Some of the Swedish group went to the bar in Holbeck, some others went to the Peacock after the match.
The activities on Sunday were different. On these trips a few of us like to get to know Leeds and its surrounding Yorkshire. I and a few others went to Haworth, via Keighley with the Steam Locomotive as the last part. The English really embrace the old times and the steam locomotive that we rode for about 20 minutes also had a bar!
When we arrived, there was a steep climb up to the top of the village. There was the house where the Brontë sisters grew up. Before we got there we passed a cemetery that looked like it been inspired Steven King. One thing we saw when we looked closely was that the people who were buried , many had lived very few years. I looked it up on internet and in 1850 the average life expectancy was 25.8 years and 41.6% died before the age of six. You can probably imagine what it looked like when you see how water ran through the cemetery. Along with all the waste that ended up in the street and ran into streets at the bottom of the village. What a toxic environment it was in combination with damp houses and with coal/peat burning.
Anyway, we found a pub that warmed us up well and sheltered us from the rain.
Let's hope it won't be a year and a half until the next Leeds trip.
