Cauliflower Ears Page 3

  He looked at me. ‘And we’d have had a party because Wings is leaving us and we have to give her a fitting send off.’

  I started to feel all sniffy.

  ‘Speech! Speech!’ the Greens yelled.

  ‘I can’t,’ I said.

  ‘Yes you can,’ said Dad. ‘You always have plenty to say at home.’

  There was silence as everyone waited for me to finish blowing my nose. I took longer than I needed to because I was trying to think of something to say. Trying didn’t work. The words didn’t fall into my head. So I stopped trying to force them out and I just said what I was feeling.

  ‘I’m really going to miss you guys. Miss you heaps. All the practise sessions, and all the games. Not being here to defend the Cup next year. But Mr Marlow is right about us. We are a great team and it’s because we’ve got such great players.’

  ‘And because we had my lucky laces,’ said Sprigs. ‘Don’t forget them.’

  ‘And because we’ve got Sprigs’ lucky laces.’ I remembered the broken piece was still in my sock so I pulled it out and waved it around my head.

  ‘Sprigs’ grubby laces,’ said Sprigs’ mum and everyone laughed.

  ‘It wouldn’t have mattered if we hadn’t won today

  because we would have given it our best shot and that’s all that matters,’ I said.

  ‘Liar,’ said Grubber loudly.

  ‘But true as well,’ said Mr Marlow. ‘Some other

  team will be lucky to be getting you as a player Wings.’

  ‘Three cheers for Wings,’ said Chips.

  ‘No, for all the Greens,’ I said.

  So we all shouted our slogan: ‘Three cheers for the Cauliflower Ears!’

  And then we got stuck into the feed.