THE GREEN SAMURAI
Being in Cambodia has been a humbling experience. The majority of these 16 year old lads from the Angkor High School, who played the game so brilliantly with us today, have been working alongside their studies since they were 10yrs old to provide for their families. According to our tour guide on the day, they will all, almost certainly, have to migrate to surrounding countries at some point to earn a decent living. For most, staying in Cambodia means long, hard, 7 day working weeks for low pay for the rest of their lives. Our youngsters back home are so privileged to have the opportunities they have. What these guys have in abundance though, as with all the Cambodians I have met so far, is a warmth, kindness and generosity that is absolutely priceless.
As for the game itself, our tour guide Sorn, my Japanese brother Suzuki and I asked a bunch of local kids if they wanted a game today. They had just finished school at 11am (7am-11am). The lads were all friends and played in their own team called The Green Samurai! We split the group into Green Samurai A & B teams. Suzuki was chief photographer and I was chief sweater in the 35 degree heat (11 am !!!). The A team were dominant from the start. Neat passing and great movement off the ball. Shots were placed with accuracy, not blasted, and the team work was briliant! The B team grafted hard but didn’t have the same understanding or link up play. If it wasn’t for 'Spiderman' in the B team’s nets it could have been a lot worse than the final 4-1 scoreline. The lads had a great time and were all excited that their game would be part of the 80. Good luck in everything you do boys and THANKYOU !!
