The only English team in the 14-side senior competition, WHAFC travelled with a squad of 10 following the late withdrawals of Darren Saffer, Robert Pearl and Lee Dicker.

On arrival in the Netherlands, they drafted in two local players in a tournament also featuring teams from France and Belgium. But WHAFC failed to score in their opening two matches, which ended in defeat. The “highlight was a 4-2 victory over Maror Ze in which Ben Simons scored all our goals,” according to player-manager Lustigman.

But their celebrations were short-lived as they were crushed 7-0 by eventual winners Koetjes & Kalifas in the following game – WHAFC’s “heaviest-ever defeat”.

Lustigman remarked: “We crammed all our matches into a few hours to ensure we could watch England’s World Cup game. We played six 40-minute matches in four hours which certainly took its toll on the boys.

“We went into the tournament with a depleted squad but the boys made up in spirit what we lacked in ability.

“We will keep going until our legs, or wives, say we can’t and will keep pushing the organisers into arranging a Masters’ tournament.”