On July 12th, 2024, Surfing Croyde Bay and the North Devon RNLI Lifeguards came together for our annual football match—a tradition that has become a much-anticipated event, fostering community spirit and friendly competition. This year’s game was no exception, with both teams giving their all on the pitch, not only for bragging rights but also to strengthen the bond between two groups deeply rooted in the local community. What began as a light-hearted contest has evolved into a beloved fixture on the calendar, bringing together players and spectators alike for an evening of fun, camaraderie, and support for a good cause.

“Kick-off was at 19:30.

The match began slowly until Surfing Croyde Bay conceded a penalty to the Lifeguards. For some reason, Alex Townsend decided to take it—and unfortunately, he missed spectacularly. I’m sure he won’t want that mentioned too often, so we’ll move on…

The game’s first goal came from Rob Morgan, though it’s questionable whether he is actually a Lifeguard. We’ll let it slide—being a family member of a Lifeguard counts, I suppose. 1-0 to the RNLI.

This lead was quickly canceled out by Nathan Adams, who slotted one into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. 1-1.

The remainder of the first half saw end-to-end action, but neither side managed to seriously threaten either goal.

Half Time: 1-1.

As the second half progressed, the pace of the game noticeably slowed. Ritchie Lyall was the first to find his shooting boots, neatly finishing a loose ball into the bottom left corner. 2-1 to SCB.

Shortly after, SCB was awarded a dangerous free-kick from around 20 yards out. Will Martin, one of our long-term hire customers, stood over the ball. He delivered a low cross into the box, which Ritchie expertly dummied, allowing the ball to roll all the way into the bottom corner. 3-1 to SCB. With 10 minutes remaining, it looked certain that SCB would hold onto the crown for another year…

That was until Beau Betteridge was unfortunately sandwiched in the penalty box and went down, resulting in a penalty for the RNLI. Sadly, Beau also had to take a trip to the North Devon District Hospital’s Emergency Department. At the time of writing, Beau is well on his way to recovery—he even went for his first surf this week and still probably outperformed 99% of the lineup, despite not being fully recovered.

Anyway… The Lifeguards ensured that Townsend stayed far away from this penalty. Instead, the “wannabe” Lifeguard Rob Morgan stepped up. There was never any doubt—he expertly converted the penalty. 3-2 to SCB.

With 5 minutes left, it was most definitely squeaky bum time for SCB. And we had every right to be nervous, as something dodgy happened with our backup keeper, Osca Sowden. Perhaps Osca was trying to decipher what Finn Gamblin was saying—his thick Geordie accent can be nearly impossible to understand. Somehow or other, the ball ended up in the back of the net, and Finn wheeled off in celebration. No excuses can be made for Osca, though—he’s had an absolute stinker.

And that was that. For the second year running, the match ended in a draw, and we went to penalties.

I believe the RNLI won the shootout 4-3. Much to Surfing Croyde Bay’s disappointment, the infamous trophy was handed over to the Lifeguards to babysit until we come back for it next year.

A couple of special mentions from the game: first, our favourite ginger Lifeguard, Charlie Greenway. For a guy who I believe has only played football twice in his life, he was exceptional between the sticks—no one could argue against him winning Man of the Match. Another mention goes to SCB’s Harry Hebard. Hardly anyone dribbled past him all game, and he got his head on everything that came into the box. It turns out that playing volleyball helps you beat everyone to headers.

Massive thanks to everyone who played and came to spectate. As much as we hated losing, it was a great laugh, and we raised some money for charity in the process. We all look forward to playing again next year and bringing the trophy back to the SCB garage!”

– Nathan Adams, Surfing Croyde Bay Manager