www.thecourieronline.co.uk Monday 3 November 2014 Issue 1298 Free
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The fashion section sets the world to rights p.18-19
The Independent Voice of Newcastle Students
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Meet the Newcastle grad who’s started a record The official review is in p. 15 label p.29
Football united In August, medical students Neil Dalton and Aidan Brunger were killed while on a placement in Malaysia. Three months on, their friends and family gathered to celebrate their lives
Photo: Lexie Barton
By Tom Nicholson Editor
You will have heard of Aidan Brunger and Neil Dalton, even if you were never fortunate enough to know them. The two friends were killed after leaving a bar in Kuching, the prime suspect was apprehended within 24 hours, he admitted his guilt, and that was that as far as much of the world’s media was concerned. However, for everyone who knew Aidan and Neil, the grief continues. That’s why roughly a hundred of Neil and Aidan’s friends and family members made the journey to the vast playing fields of Cochrane Park in Heaton in arctic conditions to watch the two medics’ teams play each other in what is hoped will become an annual fixture. Aidan was a regular for the firsts and Neil was the captain of the seconds, so their friends decided to institute an annual friendly match between the two teams who for the last few years have been locked in a power struggle at the top of the Intra Mural leagues. The relationship between the two teams has at times been
spikey, to say the least, but all past gripes were put aside - for the day, at least. After trudging across the turf into a stiff, biting wind, the assembled crowd of players and spectators stood around the centre circle to observe a minute’s silence, followed by a minute’s hearty applause. The match, when it started, was a taut, cagey affair for the opening quarter of an hour. Perhaps the most interesting that happened in the opening exchanges was a wayward defensive header threatened to wipe out a table covered in cakes which had been set up (perhaps unwisely) by the edge of the pitch. The deadlock was broken by the seconds after 17 minutes, when striker Billy Horner shot low across the firsts goalkeeper Tom Watkinson (a late substitute, as the regular firsts ‘keeper had apparently fallen over at a performance of Romeo and Juliet and sprained his knee) who could only push the ball into the path of winger Guy Handley, who tapped the ball home. The score stayed at 1-0 to the seconds until half-time. Over in the firsts’ dug-
out, where Aidan’s shirt hung, flapping in the breeze, the general feeling was that their team was comfortably on top in spite of the opening goal. “We’re just missing that little bit of quality in the final third”, said one. “The lads are giving 110% though”, said another. “It’s a game of two halves”, offered a third. Clichés they may well be, but this assessment turned out to be stunningly accurate. With the half only a couple of minutes old, the ball bobbled about in a tangle of legs in the centre circle, and firsts centre-back Jonathan Old decided that he really ought to take charge of the situation. Throwing his own leg into the melee, he hoisted the ball high into the air downfield and presumably thought that a job well done. However, the ball caught the breeze and sailed forward, bouncing over Andrew Conley in the seconds goal and into the net. Almost immediately afterwards, Adam Duckworth nearly put the firsts 2-1 ahead, but shot straight at Conley after beating his man several times over. The fraught start to the half continued when a header from a corner was
cleared off the seconds’ goalline, and full-back Andrew Fretwell put the firsts 2-1 ahead with a towering back-post header from a corner on 63 minutes. The game opened up at that point, as the seconds pressed forward in search of an equaliser. A thrashed finish past Watkinson at his near post looked to have restored parity, but was ruled out for offside. Nonetheless, half-chances continued to come as the seconds gained the upper hand in midfield and forced errors from the firsts. “Calm it down lads!”, Durkan shrieked at one point, looking rather less than composed himself. The firsts could have scored a couple more on the break late on, but a combination of lackadaisical finishing from Arthur Okwonko and some desperate defending meant the game finished 2-1 to the firsts. Durkan and striker Matt Anderson were presented with a trophy by Paul Brunger, Aidan’s father, before playes and spectators repaired to the Black Bull pub to discuss the events of the match. The spectators were certainly pleased
with what they’d seen. Fifth year medic Claire Henderson said the game was “a lovely way to celebrate Aidan and Neil” and that she hoped it would become “a tradition which will continue for many years”. Bianca Wadham, another fifth year medic, agreed: “It was cold, but there was a lovely atmosphere. They would’ve been really happy with how the day went.” While the medics in the first team dugout might have been taking the piss with their platitudes and clichés, they did inadvertently capture the tone of the day. There was sadness there, of course, and a potent feeling that neither team was quite complete. However, there was also a good-natured, wholesome kind of gladness in the air. Despite the long-running acrimony between the two sides, there were no flying kneelevel challenges, no great uproar over refereeing decisions, no contretemps by the corner flag. It was, at its heart, a very well-attended kickabout in the park. Like they said, it was a game of two halves. For more pictures turn to page 5