harry5

Harry is waiting his first start of the season for the Hart whilst working for 50p an hour for the evil landlord of the Hart Jason Barnam. He also has a trial coming up where he is the key witness.

Sunday arrived and it was the day that Harry was due to start in the first eleven of the White Hart. At 10am at the cricket club and playing Worting Aspects, team manager Ade only had 10 to pick from and no Harry. Fortunes changed and the WHLR won the game by a solitary goal despite the numerical disadvantage. A curvy chip from 18 yards was Clint White's sole contribution to the game. And it was only a last minute penalty save by player manager Ade that saved the day after a clumsy Big Lee lunge in the box whereby the only thing he got near to was the opposition players ankles.

Nevertheless the White Hart team were in boyuant mood when they reached the pub for a five hour debate on the game past. The first person they saw was Harry in the kitchen washing the dishes. "Where were you" they yelled in unison. "Overslept" came the pathetic reply. It turned out that the 13 hour shifts were wearying young Harry out and he had not woken in time for the game. The lads were going to make sure that Harry had plenty of pots to collect and ashtrays to empty that afternoon. After all three points in the bag was not a sober inducing situation.

The following day Harry was due in court to hear the case against the Hammer & Tongs lads who had beaten him up for being ginger. On trial were Lloyd Sowyer and John Woodman. The prosecution pointed out that the men had been caught on CCTV kicking the crap out of Harry and after the final kick had danced a gig of joy around the strang statue that is placed outside of Foodsmith's. The judge asked for their pleas and they stated jointly "we weren't even there don't know what your on about gov". The CCTV evidence appeared to show them placing one boot after another into Harry but it seemed that they may get away with this cunning total denial precept.

One by one the players of the H&T proceeded to supply alibi after alibi for the lads whereabouts that afternoon. Until big Micheal Duberries stood in court and said "I cannot lie I know its them what done it". The evidence pointed back to the H&T boys but their lawyer was not about to give in. "Tell me Micheal should Lloyd and John get convicted and receive a custodial sentence would that mean that your chances of playing next Sunday be enhanced as opposed to your usual position as substitute?" "yes" came the reply. The lawyer responded "I put to you therefore members of the jury that Micheal is merely lying to get a place in the Hammer & Tongs starting eleven and that all of the other witnesses have provided conclusive alibi's for the movements of the defendants"

"All rise in court" said the usher "the jury is now dismissed". The jury sent a message to the judge that they were unable to come to a verdict and required more time. The judge gave them the weekend to consider the case further. The cynics at the Basingstoke Gazette assumbed that the jury were just trying to get an all expenses weekend at the Holiday Inn and quite frankly they were because this was a clear open and shut case.

Harry knew that an acquittal was likely to end in a severe battering for him and he suspected that if they were convicted that there was a good chance another H&T thug would get to him. But Harry was tired of his meek ways and was determined that he was going to use the hotheadness that being ginger provides to fight violence with violence and he was going to prove that the following Sunday with a physical display as the White Hart took on the Fox.

Sunday arrived and this time Harry was at Down Grange before anybody else. At 10:10 he was still awaiting the rest of the lads. By 10:30 he was trudging back to Hart wondering how he had managed to miss the game. Jason told him that as there had been five minutes of overnight rain Sacco had called off the game and rung Nick who told Geordie who told Jason but Jason couldn't be bothered to tell Harry so tough luck on Harry if he went to the ground for no reason.

On Monday a rather forlorn Harry went back to Basingstoke court to hear the judges verdict on the Hammer & Tongs Two.

Episode 6 - The verdict.