For the average Londoner Theydon Bois is not the easiest place to get to especially when you have to be there at 9 o’clock on a Sunday morning. Spirits were high with the motley crew of London Archers and Imps, with plenty of threats on who would shoot who. One would-be paintballer with a hangover, (not saying who Chris Eames ) and another enroute, we made our way to Mayhem Paintball and signed our lives away. Once changed into our camos and with plenty of paint we went to a briefing which no one paid much attention to. Finally we went out into the field for some fun.

Teams were split into the ‘young’ who were the reds and the ‘older’, the blues. The first game saw the blues unleash Blitzkrieg, annihilating the reds. In fact they did so again in the second game so a reshuffle of teams was needed to allow for a more even game. Although I was physically the oldest in the group, I was also mentally the youngest, so a change of teams suited me fine. The reshuffle seemed to work with the reds managing to draw the odd game and even win one with just three team members left.

Fun was had by all, and there were some memorable moments we will find difficulty forgetting. Adam Jenkins did a lot of impressive flying and diving which would have gone down a storm in Hollywood, but not in Theydon Bois, where the sight of him in the air managed to attract paintballs. Claude Van Damme he ain’t. Vicky ‘Wheelhouse’ came away with two of the most impressive bruises, Mark was later heard defending himself to her parents by claiming ‘she fell down the stairs’. Dave Spinner made an impressive run with the flag in the last game with no ammo and won it for the blues (git).

To round things off at the end of a hard days shooting we all retired to the local pub. Some of us even managed to spend more money that day on alcohol than we had on the paintballing. Not that great a day before the county champs. Mmmmm, fun.

Thanks to everyone who took part, and Spinnman who organized it, let’s do it again next year.

Simone Smith

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