Return of the Irish!

Today, we were a bit reduced in numbers again! Only Lawrence and I of our group were down, though Frankie was joining us with his lovely Irish.
As I was feeling tired, I just reffed the game and left Lawrence and Frankie to fight it out.
The scenario I set was in Ireland where an Irish chieftain has decided to attack a local Viking settlement.

The small Viking settlement...

...surrounded by woods... 

 ...perfect for the fleet footed Irish.

First to show themselves were a few light horsemen, scouting out the defences. 

The mass of Irish waited in the woods. 

A small group of javelin-men  were round the flank.

 The horse trotted forwards, raising their war-cry!

The Vikings set their archers near the village, and these began shooting at the advancing Irish. 

One of the flanking Irish took a light wound. 

The horse were worried by the archers, their leader retired to cover sporting an arrow in his shield! 

 Some Viking slingers probed out after the retreating horse.

The main body of Vikings had now formed in a large block, their lord and his Hearth-guards stood ready behind. 

The flank skirmishers were wary of approaching them. 

The shield-wall advanced, ignoring the javelinmen. 

 Seeing this, the Irish chieftain began bringing his men out of the woods.

The horse, though, were not quite ready to do so! 

 The Viking archers began to ply their bows against the advancing Irish.

 One of them took a light wound.

The Irish were not deterred! 

One of their javelins injured the archer's leader. 

The bowmen returned shots, and hit more of the javelinmen. 

Another Viking took a javelin wound. 

Some brave Irish went nose to nose with the shield wall! 

Their javelins caused some lucky damage, killing one and wounding another! 

The Viking archers only managed to light-wound one of the Irish. 

The Viking Lord moved to support the archers. 

Suddenly, a pack of war hounds loped out of the woods... 

...straight towards the flank of the advancing Shield-wall. 

 More Irish advanced, the 'Sons of Death!'

Lawrence's archers and slingers moved to shoot at them. 

The horsemen now, seeing it as a safe move, advanced to support their friends. 

The Viking slingers bravely held their ground. 

The archers, though, were being outflanked by more Irish javelinmen. 

They evaded a charge, back toward the village. 

 The war-hounds 'bounced' of the Viking war-band.

Undeterred, the Hound master drove his charges back to the attack! 

...the pooches did a little damage before heading for home!

Lawrence's lord moved towards the flank, to support the slingers who had evaded a charge by the 'Sons of Death'.

The Irish were probing into the edge of the village. 

However, leaving the horsemen to watch the slingers, the Sons moved back to attack the archers. 

The horsemen, meanwhile, were chasing the Viking slingers.  

Back in the centre, some javelinmen had chased the Viking archers away. 

The archers took cover behind a house, only to see the Horsemen racing through the village! 

 The slingers wounded one of the horsemen, but this only stiffened their resolve!..

...they charged the slingers off the edge of the table! (in reality, of course, this only means the slingers skulked off to sit out the battle in a wood!)

 The Viking Hird-men finally crashed into 2 groups of Irish close combat troops. 

 A small group of them broke off to chase some javelinmen threatening their flank.

At first, the Vikings impetus pushed the Irish back... 

 ...but gradually, they began to be surrounded and cut down.

A group of javelinmen tried to charge the Vikings in rear, but got scattered for their trouble!

 Lawrence's Lord was holding the flank against the Sons of Death. 

He too bravely held off the greater numbers of Irish.

Eventually though, even the archers had to join in to help. 

At this point, though, Lawrence decided to break off, his men were gradually being surrounded and killed, and there always seemed to be more Irish coming round the flanks!

I think it was a good decision!

Both players, though, enjoyed the game, which, in my book means everyone won!