MIND “Stroll Don’t Run” Charity Tournament — Billericay, 3 March

There was a bite in the early spring air but the Essex sun rose kindly over Billericay for the fourth annual “Stroll Don’t Run” tournament in aid of the mental health charity Mind Basildon. Fifteen teams assembled to usher in the 2026 walking football season, boots laced not only for competition but for a cause that matters.

What had been billed as a mixed-gender tournament carried more than a faint whiff of that great smell of Brut. Only Leyton Orient truly embraced the inclusive brief. Elsewhere, strong squads from Bexley, Little Oakley, Blackmore and Chelmsford arrived with the unmistakable look of sides with silverware rather than charity foremost in mind. Chelmsford, led by their recently crowned world walking footballer of the year and England Over-70s captain, cut a particularly imposing sight. Surveying the assembled ranks, the Reds might reasonably have wondered whether they had wandered into something rather more serious than a friendly fundraiser.

The format had the air of bureaucratic ingenuity: three groups of five, fifteen-minute games, the top eight progressing to the quarter-finals via a formula of such Byzantine complexity that it appeared to factor in points, average age, gender balance - and perhaps, whispered some, waist circumference and follicle density. Still, the draw proved kind enough to Leyton Orient, captained by England international Phil Stevenson, sparing them the early collision with the tournament’s behemoths. Four tricky group games awaited but, as it turned out, the Reds had little reason to fret.

They opened against Blackmore Whites, effectively the club’s second string and unfamiliar faces to the Leyton Orient side. In a scene reminiscent of the unflattering Barclays TV promotional video, the Reds kicked off and as Eades drifted towards the penalty area, the Whites obligingly opened a path for Pillay to roll him the ball to cooly knock past the keeper. Control followed control. Twice more Eades slipped free to complete what must rank among the gentlest hat-tricks of his career - three goals in five minutes. He looked almost apologetic as he departed for a breather, replaced by Conlan. From his goal, the untroubled Weston might have felt the strange calm of the uncanny valley as the Reds eased home.
Final score: Blackmore Whites 0 v 3 Leyton Orient (Eades 3)

Billericay Blue promised sterner resistance and duly delivered a tighter contest. Rohm, Lewzey and then Hyatt were impenetrable at the back while Pillay, Stevenson and then Conlan calmly conducted proceedings in midfield. Eades twice went close - flashing just beyond the post - but the Reds were content enough with a goalless draw that preserved both composure and momentum.
Final score: Billericay Blue 0 v 0 Leyton Orient

With a round to spare, Leyton Orient watched their remaining group opponents lock horns. And horns were indeed locked. Stones, traditionally rugged, met Valley Green, a side that had evolved from last season’s pushovers into something far more pugnacious. Two sets of players who grew up when the beautiful game was, in fact, no Bobby Dazzler. When a goalkeeper would pick up a back pass, bounce the ball 50 times, before hoofing it skyward down a pitch that looked like a World War 1 battlefield as a toothless striker smashed into a centre-half with a nose like a prize-fighter at the end of his career. Good times. Running, jumping and tackling - the holy trinity of walking football sins - appeared with alarming frequency. The air thickened with uncharitable language. The bad-tempered tie was settled with a disputed penalty in favour of Stones. For the Reds - message received and understood: buckle up.

Valley Green began their meeting with Leyton Orient in similarly combustible mood. The Reds, however - rested and composed - knocked the ball around tidily and moved with purpose, still attracting fouls but avoiding the worst. Early deft interplay, involving every Leyton Orient player, saw Eades find Pillay on the overlap. He skipped past the defender and, from the angle, smashed the ball into the roof of the net. Unsurprisingly, the Greens were reduced to five for too many fouls. The Reds turned the screw. Another slick passing move and Eades was one-on-one. A signature shuffle and shot and the net rippled. The Greens tried to press but the Reds controlled till the final whistle.
Final score: Valley Green 0 v 2 Leyton Orient (Pillay, Eades)

The Reds were starting to believe. A point in the final group game would seal passage to the last eight.

Stones were to provide another muscular challenge but, with composure and craft, the Reds soon got on top. Stevenson threaded a pass to Eades, who twisted a defender inside-out before hammering the opener beyond the keeper. Then came controversy. Stones overloaded down the right and, as the cross arrived in the “corridor of uncertainty”, Hyatt took an elbow to the face that the referee somehow missed. The equaliser followed immediately. The Reds accepted the draw, ambition intact and physiognomy only lightly bruised. A quarter final beckoned.
Final score: Stones 1 v 1 Leyton Orient (Eades)

The tournament fixture algorithm - mysterious to the last - paired Leyton Orient once more with Valley Green in the quarter-final. The pattern repeated. The Reds' passing was crisp, Valley Green’s intentions more forceful. When Pillay released Eades down the flank it looked harmless enough until the striker conjured space and drove a low shot past the startled keeper. Soon after, the favour was returned: Eades slipped Pillay through to jink past his marker and finish coolly. Once again, the Reds' defence held firm as the Greens tried to respond - a specious claim for a penalty when Pillay was barged into his own area the closest they came to threatening a comeback. It was déjà vu all over again as the final whistle blew with the Greens surely grateful to see the backs of Eades and Pillay.
Valley Green 0 v 2 Leyton Orient (Eades, Pillay)

So to the semi-final and, inevitably if bafflingly, Stones again. This time caution prevailed. Stones doubled up on Eades and Pillay, forcing Leyton Orient to circulate possession patiently. Chances were scarce, Weston largely a spectator. Then, in the dying seconds, drama. As the Reds' final attack fizzled out, the referee spotted a Stones player inside the area: penalty. With the last kick, Eades sent the goalkeeper the wrong way but watched in agony as his strike clipped the wrong side of the post.

The lottery of penalties would now settle this. With the score one apiece, after ten - yes ten - spot kicks, Conlan, Eades, Pillay and Stevenson had the excellent Weston in goal and Rohm to thank for saving their blushes and keeping it level. Then came the moment: goalkeeper versus goalkeeper. Weston strode forward and struck a glorious effort towards the top corner. The Stones keeper guessed correctly but seemed beaten - until a desperate right arm windmilled upward, clawing the ball onto the post and then the bar before it spun clear. A magnificent save. Moments later, Stones converted to win it.
Final score: Stones 0 v 0 Leyton Orient (Stones win 2 - 1 on penalties)

And so, in a week when the planets almost aligned, Leyton Orient fell just short of the final. Hearts were heavy but heads held high. Unbeaten in open play, eight goals scored, one conceded: the numbers told their own story of a side in which every player understood his and her role and performed it with quiet excellence.

Captain, Phil Stevenson said, "A very enjoyable well organised tournament. It was a pleasure to captain the side. The O’s played well throughout and the spirit in the squad was excellent. Every player made significant contributions to a successful day. Congratulations to Clacton Knights for lifting the trophy."

At the presentation ceremony tournament organiser, Stuart Short, singled out Leyton Orient for special praise, commending the club’s continued commitment to the mixed-gender ethos that lies at the heart of this competition.

And perhaps that was the true victory. On a bright Essex morning, amid the laughter, the rivalry and the occasional flying elbow, football once again proved its rare ability to bring people together for something bigger than the game itself. Silverware may have eluded the Reds this time, but their football - composed, generous and spirited - felt entirely in keeping with the cause they had gathered to support.

Leyton Orient squad: Tony Weston (Gk), Adam Rohm, Debbie Lewzey, Phil Stevenson (Cpt), Nad Pillay, Steve Eades, Sherille Hyatt, Chris Conlan.

Goalscorers: Eades 6, Pillay 2