In the late 80s we entered a few Tournaments which all had a slightly Soviet aura to them. We won the Moscow Narodny Bank Cup in 1987 and the entered the May Day International Socialist Friendly Tournaments in 1988 and 89. These were organised by a team based in the Landor pub in Clapham.
1988
We lost on pens to a team who unbelievably wore Hawaiin shirts ffs how very gay- hugely embarrassing- it was 6-6 and I went and missed the vital pen – Steve Wally Walford was in goal and got nowhere near any of them so we lost 7-6– we did win the plate but it was still not the Tornadoes finest hour!
1989
We entered again the next year, Ges was doing something early in the day so I organised it. I was on a mission to erase my embarrassment from the previous year and we had a really strong team – obviously stalwarts from Duffers corner and beyond were asked first – luckily most were doing their hair.
I think we played 3 or 4 games before the final which we won 4-0. Aidan scored direct from a free kick and got player of the Tournament and a little footballer badge. We went back to the Landor and the prizes were presented by the UK editor of Pravda ! I subsequently had various visits from people who looked like they had been in Smileys people, checking as to why I had been associating with these enemies of the state, fortunately my liberal credentials and the fall of the Berlin Wall got me out of trouble. I cracked a really good joke about our pairofstrikers (arf!) and was presented with a Samovar.
We were entered as the GLC Torpedoed which someone thought was really funny. I kept the Samovar for 20 odd years and then took it to a new year’s party which spookily was at the house of one of the Dynamo Landor players. He and his missus reckoned I had knicked it and that we should have taken it back to be played for the next year – I haven’t seen it since despite repeated requests.