Cambridge begin 2010 with two big wins, Part 2

20/01/2010

Cambridge won 9-6

When it came to the Northampton fixture, many of the advantages in the previous game against Hitchin had been lost. Last minute cancellations saw a depleted Cambridge squad head to Northampton to face a far larger squad on an unfamiliar pitch, but what they lacked in man power was made up for in good quality lacrosse and a fantastic team win in the run up to Varsity.

The Blues knew that it would be fruitless to try and outrun such a larger squad, so they had to play intelligently as they endeavoured to slow down the pace of the game and retain possession in attack. From the first face off, Cambridge didn’t rush their passing and soon opened the scoring before the defence had even had a touch of the ball. The next two goals for Cambridge came as they took advantage of a man up situation when a Northampton player was sent off for a personal foul. This was an important part of the win as the Cambridge attack, usually through the capable hands of Ian Ralby and Duncan Barrigan, were able to finish almost every man up opportunity. The Blues had the perfect start, going up 3-0 with only one goal in reply from a usually potent Northampton attack.

In the second quarter concentration slipped and Cambridge allowed Northampton to get back into the game all too easily. Northampton had some great attacking players who were able shoot from some distance. After a Cambridge timeout, the team took a step back and returned to the form they found at the beginning of the game, running out the first half as two well matched teams. Defender Mike Lipton did brilliantly to cover their main threat on goal, an ex- welsh international and Rowan Jackson had some fantastic hits to stop a number of Northampton players dead in their tracks.

The third quarter has always been the strongpoint of Cambridge Lacrosse, and this was no exception. The Blues really stepped up their game and Northampton were found wanting as they were unable to keep up with the solid passing and quality finishes exemplified by Cambridge. As Northampton began to get frustrated with a side who knew how to settle and play the game at their own pace, they began to foul more frequently and Cambridge just kept taking advantage of every opportunity. The face offs were somewhat evenly matched, but the speed of Tom Hoad, Dan Montgomery and Phil Hall never relented and they fought for every inch, almost always coming up with the ball.

Going into the final quarter, both teams had everything to play for. Last time these teams met, Cambridge lost in the last 40 seconds, but a determined Cambridge couldn’t let their advantage slip away. Unfortunately, with such a small squad, fatigue began to set in and once again Northampton scored twice in quick succession as one defender crashed into the goalie, allowing an easy finish. Once again, Cambridge called a timeout and took a minute to get their heads back into the game. It was simply a question of sticking to the fundamentals and playing for each other. The final quarter was a 2-2 draw and Cambridge ran out deserved winners 9-6 after playing to their strengths and working as a team.

By Sam Spurrell