Despite a comparatively low turn out (for SYA) of just over 50 players, everyone was in very good humour during Shaun's pre-game briefing. For those that had attended 'low turn-out' games before, they knew that these days could be every bit as exciting as capacity Open Days at South Yorkshire Airsoft thanks to the experience and cunning of the SYA staff. So expectation was high as the players gathered for the commencement of the day's activities.

Above: The sheer size of the SYA Proteus Camp site means that organizing interesting games for relatively small numbers has it's own peculiar challenges. But the SYA staff did us proud and kept the objectives and areas of play tight - making for action packed skirmishing! (Click pic to enlarge.)

Meet me behind the tank sheds!

This was my first game at SYA starting from the 'tank sheds' as a base of operations, but I found them very cozy (in an agricultural sort of way, as the local farmer stashes his hay bales there). And Team AKA soon set up shop, flag and all, in front of our own little hay castle.

A very welcome neighbour was the Airsoft Skirmish's travelling store in the adjoining shed, and the proximity of so many airsoft goodies proved to much for some members of the team (particularly Legs, who bought a lovely little TM Vz. 61 Skorpion machine pistol).

Warm up (...literally, it was bloody cold!)

I'm always a little cynical about the tactical merit of the morning games, as I feel that they can sometimes be a little contrived and simply a pre-amble to the more intense afternoon semi-milsim event(s). But I was very surprised by the excellent quality of the first few games on this day.

The SYA war chiefs - Shaun and co. -  had devised a series of wonderful 'point to point' games based on extraction and patrol, which not only kept us constantly on the move, but also concentrated the point of contact between the two forces into a small area.

Left: The 'Ragtags' snatch a Pyrrhic victory from the jaws of defeat! (Click pic to enlarge.)

The first game event in particular, where we had to get a downed 'Dutch missile' from point 'A' to point 'B' –  was a corker. Either team took it's turn to be the hunters or the hunted, as we either tried to evade detection and extract the 'package', or searched the compound for the team with the 'package'.

Of particular note was the 'Ragtags' team effort, for their superb self-destruction of the 'missile' to deny it's capture to the opposing team. Their thunderflash nearly took out the whole tail fin of the mock missile!

If you go down to the woods to play...

At this point I have to relate my own version of how Joe – my team mate – and I got 'lost in the woods'. In actual fact we didn't really get 'lost' as such, but just completely detached from the main game as it moved passed us and to the far side of the camp...

While the main battle went on way to our far 'right' and out of ear-shot, my 'opo' – Joe – and myself were actually embroiled in our own little private war with a section of  the Yellow Team, who outnumbered us 7-2. Apparently, the group of Yellows were just as oblivious as we were to the fact that the game had ended, some way away and some time ago.

Eventually a search party was sent out to look for us and tell us the game had ended 5 minutes hence, and we were rebuked by our team mates for holding up the start of the next game....There's gratitude for you!

Afternoon delights

If anyone thought that we had had enough frantic running about in the morning session, then they were in for a big surprise. The pm games were just as fast paced and intense, with the SYA staff constantly cajoling us to 'push, push, push'!

There was no let up in the tempo of the battling well into the late afternoon, and the 'house to house' combat was very aggressive indeed. Luckily, everyone was so good natured on this day that despite the ferociousness of the CQB inside the camps buildings, no one lost their rag, and as far as I could see there were no 'calling out' or heated disputes.

All in all, it's actually hard to recall the events of the rest of the day, as we lost all track of time, so caught up in the game were we. The time simply flew by and before we knew it the day's end was called.

Conclusion

I love low turn-out days I have decided. And although Shaun will have a completely different view (having to make his bread and butter), I prefer days like these to the 'over-crowded' ones, where you can't seem to move without bumping into a large patrol of enemy. But there again, I do find that you do tend to be forced into tighter team work on on the  'sell out' events. So it's all swings and roundabouts.

But ten out of ten for the organisation of the day – we all enjoyed it.

Highlights:-

Best moment: Forget all the 'kills' - the wonderful feeling I got when I medic'd a team mate.

Worst moment: A nasty instinctive bit of shooting I did on one yellow that hit him right in the family jewels at close range. I apologised profusely (sorry again if you are reading this).

Best turned out team: SART, in their Police tactical black uniform

Best individual uniform of the day:  Tied between the guy with the Ghost Recon loadout, and Eddie with his superb Russian Partisan.

Best weapon on site:  Afraid it was one on the Airsoft Skirmish stand - the Mauser Kar 98.

Best game of the day: 'Alamo' game (which we Reds won) - where we had to prevent the opposition getting to the 'Alamo'

--- With thanks to the South Yorkshire Airsoft staff, and my team mates on Team AKA.