As it often happens, the game was won on the picking board and then by the winning captain deploying his resources to best effect, and once tasks and roles had been assigned then some gentle cajoling was occasionally employed to maintain momentum - it was like being back at work (see below).

The Deming cycle of Plan, Do, Check, Act was clearly evident throughout the evening.

Plan - I knew I needed a Striker (Mac), strong midfield (Blake and Rod), a centre back (Bob), a goal keeper (Brian) and some flair players (Richie, Gary) and some foot soldiers who could be relied on (Noel, Carl). Mike obliged by allowing me to pick who I wanted.

Do - Having picked a strong side, during the warm up I then assigned roles and responsibilities, ensuring everyone knew what was expected of them.

Check - Throughout the game I monitored what was happening to ensure the game plan was being followed successfully, and where necessary ...

Acting to recognise good performance and acting to correct poor performance.

Following the above plan we battered them! How we didn't end up with a lot more than the 3 goals we got (Mac x 2, Gary x 1 with an assist from Mac) was a mystery to both sides. It was so one sided that Brian eventually complained that he was bored in goal since he hadn't touched the ball once in the first 40 minutes. Since we were winning 3 - 0 I decided to risk giving him a minor role at left back, and went in goal myself. Carl and Brian then contrived to lose the ball allowing Ben to score! However, this was the only mistake we made and we closed the game out at 3 -1.

I thought this was the first time I'd won the Captains Cup, but Gary corrected me, pointing out that I'd also won it in 2002. Congratulations to Mike for reaching the final, and I'm sure that once he's gained some leadership experience over the next 20 years or so he'll also be a winner.