Royalist Cup 14 was played on Sunday December 20th at Bedgrove, Aylesbury, Bucks. It was a benefit  game to raise funds for the beleaguered people of Haiti in the carribean after the severe widespread destruction of the recent Hurricane Matthew.

After the frustrating (but now seemingly expected) delaying of the kick off, due to late time keepers and non shows, the two teams kicked off  with 10 players apiece. A young lad of 15 who had been kicking a ball about with a friend was asked if he wanted to play and make up the numbers due to the shortages of personnel. He kindly agreed, and what a revelation he was !!! He was not in the least bit fazed by the jump up in age and size. Little did we know, Max came from a very good local footballing pedigree ! (his Dad being former Aylesbury United legend Cliff Hercules). He ran with such pace and dribbled and controlled the ball with an confidence way beyond his years !!!. The sky blue Cavaliers had a fearsome Wall in defence with big defenders Aiden Bailey, and Leon Thompson, and though the sky blue Cav`s went on to win the game 3-2, Max certainly caused the whole team problems all afternoon with his trickery and speed.

Ryan Blake turned out once more for the Cavaliers, this time for a very worthy cause, and his jet heeled pace and deadly eyed markmanship was clearly displayed again with another brace. The Sky Blues and Damsons led 1-0 at the half  The Golds started the second half with poise and purpose, and looked to be controlling the game, and certs to equalise, but a great long range dipping shot from Jordan Castello found the top corner to make it 2-0 to the sky blues and took the stuffing out of the Golds come back. Ryan Blake then controlled a long crossfield pass from Jordan Castello and shimmied his way just into the area and shot across the goal and onto the far post and in to make it 3-0. Andy Peattie then thumped home a header from a corner to put the golds back into the game. Rai Lee-Long raced on to a through ball to despatch the ball beyond Simon Mills and make it 3-2 (his 37th All time Cav`s goal) very late in the game to make it a very nervy couple of final minutes as time expired.