Today we split the tour party into A and B squads and both played two games in a mini-tournament against Kariya High School and Kobe High School. The A squad faced a tough task in their opening game against Kariya who are among the best school sides in the country, losing 2-0, both goals coming in the opening 10 minutes before the boys had really settled. Thereafter it was a fairly even game but Kariya deserved the victory for their superior quality. In the second match the boys took the lead with a well taken finish by Alex Gibson and then controlled the game for large parts. A 25 yard rocket out-of-the-blue provided a lifeline and an equaliser for Kobe, but the boys then showed their character to reply with a winner courtesy of a well taken one-on-one by Matt Everton-Wallach. The B squad opened with a 1-0 victory over Kariya with a striker's finish by Max Marcq and then secured a 3-3 draw in an exciting encounter with Kobe with goals from Marcus Maxwell, Nick Dann and James Hopton (making a rare outfield appearance!). Between the matches we visited an Udon restaurant and a Shinto shrine. Tomorrow we leave our excellent hosts in Kariya and move on to the bright lights of Nagoya.
