Men destroy league rivals

30/01/2010

Cambridge won 11-2

The Cambridge Blues faced Walcountian Blues this Saturday as they fought out the battle that would go a long way in deciding the league winner this season. The last time these teams met it was a low scoring draw and going into the game it was clear that at least on paper there wasn’t much to pick between the two teams.

Fortunately, Cambridge were well prepared for the game and brought a desire to win that in the end turned a slow start into a sold win over the confident Blues side. The game began with Walcs who had much of the possession. They won the first face off and moved the ball threateningly to worry the Cambridge defence. However, it was Cambridge who scored first through a good finish from Dan Montgomery, and the strong defence led by Captain Sam Spurrell was able to handle the Walcs attack throughout.

Walcs had turned up expecting Cambridge to struggle at the offensive elements of their game. During the previous encounter Cambridge had relied on just two players to be their main threat on goal and it was hoped by the visiting side that if they shut out these two players, the game was theirs for the taking. Once the game got underway, however, it soon became clear that every Cambridge player was able to score goals which is reflected in the fact that 8 different players scored by fulltime.

The first quarter ended 4-1 after Cambridge showed their strength at the back and new found competency in attack. The single Walcs goal came when Cambridge were man-down in defence and were beaten by a good offensive play by the opposition. The second quarter continued in much the same vein as Cambridge put another 5 goals on the scoreboard and shut out Walcs entirely. By half time Cambridge had clearly asserted their dominance on the game, but still couldn’t afford to rest on their laurels.

Unfortunately, there was a marked change in the playing style of Cambridge in the second half. In the third quarter the only goal came from a bizarre swipe at a groundball from the Walcs attack which slowly trickled over the line to give them their final goal of the competition. Cambridge were unable to respond, perhaps partly due to a Walcs defence that had got their brains in gear, but also Cambridge were no longer feeling the sense of urgency that was present earlier in the game.

In the final quarter, Cambridge put a final two goals in the back of the net. The Walcs defence was frustrated and so suffered penalties as they got aggressive as a result. The game ended 11-2 and Cambridge have only one team that could stop them from winning the league and being promoted.

By Sam Spurrell