Varsity Victory for Cambridge Men!
27/02/2010
Cambridge won 8-6
The 94th Varsity Lacrosse match took place at University Parks on Saturday 27th February with Cambridge very much the underdogs against a strong Oxford team who had lost just one game so far this season. However, it was the Light Blues that would emerge the eventual victors in an incredible display of determination and teamwork that was simply too much for a group of individuals, regardless of how skilful or experienced they might be.
The game began with a great deal of intensity from both teams; with squad numbers limited to 13 men, whoever took an early lead would be put in a very strong position. Fortunately it was Cambridge attacker Todd Nichols who began the scoring, putting Oxford firmly on the back foot as they had expected to dominate the game throughout. Nevertheless, the Dark Blues had quality players in goal and on the face off who would frustrate the Cambridge offense repeatedly.
Cambridge were able to hold the ball well and moved it confidently around the goal, but nevertheless saw the scores levelled when an Oxford shot bounced off a defender and rolled into the goal. It didn’t take long for Cambridge to respond, determined not to lose focus early on, and Ian Ralby got his first of three goals to put the Light Blues back in front.
The 1st quarter ended 2-1 to Cambridge, with everything still to play for. Oxford struggled to cope with a tenacious midfield effort while Cambridge were competing with a highly experienced side that were prepared to turn up the intensity for the 2nd quarter. This soon became clear as Oxford put in two quick goals to go 2-3 up after half time.
Light Blue fortunes were not to improve straight away as Oxford put in one more at the beginning of the third quarter to extend their lead to two goals. At this point the weather turned to heavy rain and even hail; Cambridge had to step their game up or face losing Varsity for a 3rd year in a row. The Cambridge effort never let up and as mistakes in the Oxford game began to show, the Light Blue warriors took advantage of this fact.
For the rest of the third quarter, the Dark Blues were shut out by MVP and goalie captain Sam Spurrell. In defence, Blair Lapres and Rowan Jackson were more than a match for any attacking Oxford player as they regularly stole the ball when guards were down. On the clear, Alex Walker and Michael Lipton were unstoppable, using their speed to outpace a tiring Dark Blue team. At this point, Ralby and Nichols, ably assisted by Duncan Barrigan, alternated the scoring between them, putting Cambridge firmly back in front at 7-4 at the end of the 3rd quarter.
In the 4th, there was still a lot of work to be done. The midfield players, led by the outstanding Phil Hall, were absolutely crucial in grinding out a Light Blue victory. On the face, Dan Montgomery was fighting for every inch and now came up with the ball almost every time. Josh Findlay and Oscar Bennett had the stick skills necessary to carry the ball well and move it on quickly and accurately. Meanwhile, Tom Hoad used his blistering pace to make it to every ground ball, again giving Cambridge the possession they needed to dominate the rest of the game.
Nevertheless, Oxford weren’t about to give up without a fight. They continued to battle to the end and even brought the score back to 7-6 with just 10 minutes to go. Again, Cambridge had to dig deep to take control of the game and secure the win. With just 5 minutes left, Duncan Barrigan managed to kick the ball in to the goal to give the Light Blues a two goal cushion. To ride out the rest of the game, Cambridge were able to maintain possession in a professional and skilful manner, showing how disciplined they were.
To win the Varsity match in Oxford against a strong Dark Blue team, the Cambridge Blues had to step up and play a strong team game. They worked together and gave everything they had for 80 minutes and so fully deserved the victory.
By Sam Spurrell