SHOTS were fired, challenges were met head on and cries of “referee!” filled the Abergavenny air as two footballing titans went head to head at Pen-y-Pound for charity last Sunday.

In the red corner, were last year’s winners, the cocksure Dugout, who were shooting from the hip and taking no lip.

And in the blue corner was the ever-optimistic and plucky Whiskey Barrel Brothers - fiercely keen to avenge a narrow 3-2 defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals in last year’s match.

In a pre-match press conference, the Whiskey Bros explained they weren’t just here to make up the numbers, they were here to “put the Dugout upstarts in their place and make right a terrible wrong.”

Meanwhile, someone in the Dugout camp was heard to snarl, "You gonna bark all day little dog or you gonna bite?"

The air was rife with rivalry, energised by ego and fuelled by footballing dreams of glory as the two old enemies took to the pitch.

The time for words was over and the time for action was at hand.

Dressed all in black like Darth Vader, the Whiskey Barrel Brothers made a fine fist of things against the Dugout, whose all-white strip was reminiscent of Luke Skywalker.

Locked in battle like two Jedi gods, no quarter was given or asked, as the 400-plus crowd looked on nervously, wondering who would draw first blood.

Yet when key organiser and man in black Gavin Trinder limped off with a fractured ankle 30 minutes in, it seemed the tide was turning in favour of the returning champions.

“I had to bow out of the big game early doors after a challenge by my nemesis Will Duggan!” Joked Gavin before ruefully adding, “I just hope it hasn’t ended my footballing career!”

A goal by Will Duggan and a brace by Jake Heckles secured the victory for the Dugout brigade, as the Whiskey Bros could only retaliate through a solitary goal by Tom Jenkins.

Yet who cared about mere score lines? By the time the last whistle blew both teams had raised nearly £10,000 for Mind Monmouthshire and Motor Neurone charity!

“That’s the only result that matters!” Explained Gavin Trinder, “We raised an incredible amount this year and couldn’t believe how many cash donations we were given at the gate. The crowd and staff at Pen-y-Pound were great and really helped the day and evening go with a swing.

“Plus the live music from September Sons and Three Ups helped everyone celebrate their victories or drown their sorrows, depending on what team they were playing for!”

With the adrenaline surging through his veins, and the opportunity to enjoy a post-match blowout with the boys, Gavin also neglected to get his ankle checked out in favour of spending the night propping up the bar and dancing like the world wasn’t watching.”

“In hindsight, that was a big mistake!” Explained Gav, who by the time the sobering chill of a grey Tuesday morning rolled around was wearing a ‘moon boot’ and looking and sounding a bit worse for wear.

He sighed, “It was all fun and games until I woke up Monday in absolute agony and couldn’t put any weight on my ankle. When I was seen at the hospital they weren’t too happy to hear that I left it until the next day and the other side of a session until I got myself checked out, but once the X-rays confirmed the ankle was fractured they patched me up, fitted the ‘moon boot’ and I was good to go."

He added, “Hopefully I’ll be back in action soon and it’ll be game on for next year’s match!”

Don’t let Gavin’s sacrifice to the cause be in vain. There’s still time to donate to two very worthwhile charities. Click here to make a big difference!