*Half-Blue

*Half-Blue

Match Report

• 15.30, Sunday 10th March, Southgate Hockey Centre, London
• Starting XI: Felix Styles (C), Will Harrison (VC), Graeme Morrison, Will Cairns, Dan Balding, David McLean, Rory Preston, Jasper Joyce, Charles Hardy, Sachin Jivanji, Wes Howell
• Substitutes: Giles Kilbourn, Sam Bowker, Charlie Bennett, Jamie Bristow, Joe Rich
• Drew 1-1, Varsity honours retained
• Scorer: Will Harrison (PS)
• MoM: Graeme Morrison

Despite the famous 5-3 victory of 2012, Cambridge went into the Varsity match as underdogs against an Oxford side that was flying high in its Saturday league, and was still challenging for promotion to the National Conference. However, a strong run of form since the Christmas break had seen the light blues rise from 10th to 5th in the East League, and they were confident of causing an upset on a freezing afternoon at Southgate.

The opening passages were cagey, with Oxford having the better of the play but resolute Cambridge defending denying the dark blues any clear-cut chances. As the half wore on, Oxford began to dominate, but were unable to convert several short corners. Cambridge held firm at the back, but were restricted to the occasional counter-attacking foray. The pressure took its toll in the 25thminute, Stobbart’s deft finish from close-range giving Oxford a deserved 1-0 lead going into half-time.

The second half proved a different story altogether, as Cambridge, roared on by the vociferous light blue support, took the game to their opponents. Oxford’s attack was not quelled, and as the second half progressed Cambridge had their defence to thank for keeping the score at 1-0, with goalkeeper Morrison producing several outstanding saves.

The industrious work of the Cambridge midfield and front line stretched Oxford as the game entered the last 5 minutes, with a reckless Oxonian challenge earning a dismissal just as Cambridge appeared to have gained the upper hand. A surging McLean run drew a rash challenge in the D to finally reward the light blues with a first short corner. Styles’ spin beat the first runner and laid the ball off for Harrison, whose goal-bound effort struck a defender’s foot on the line, earning a penalty stroke.

Harrison duly stepped up and rifled the ball into the top right corner, sparking relieved celebrations among the massed Cambridge support. Somehow the light blues held out against a late Oxford onslaught, with a last-minute short corner flying wide, and thus retained the Varsity honours for 2013.

Whilst Oxford dominated the first half, the resilience and fighting spirit shown by the Light Blues throughout was admirable, with the second-half fight-back particularly impressive.  Overall, the draw was a fair reflection of the balance of play. The retaining of the trophy was on the whole a deserved recompense for the 16 members of a Cambridge squad that had worked very hard over 7 months, and dug very deep over 70 minutes.

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Match Report

In the Women’s fixture, Cambridge, captained by Charlie Banfield, extended their lead to a margin of six (49 wins to 43) following a disciplined display of teamwork which saw Susannah Stott and player-of-the-match Mel Addy score to wrest the Varsity trophy from the grip of their Dark Blue opponents for the first time in nine years.

Match Report

• 15.30, Sunday 9^th March, Southgate Hockey Centre, London
• Starting XI: William Cairns (C), Rory Preston (VC), Samuel Brooks, Felix Styles, Alexander Defroand, Richard Cartwright, David McLean,Nipuna Senaratne, Timothy Swinn, Kieran Gilmore, Wesley Howell
• Substitutes: Giles Kilbourn, Joseph Rich, Jamie Bristow, Johno Cobbold, Nadesh Ramanathan
• Won 2-1, Varsity honours retained
• Scorers: William Cairns, Wesley Howell
• MoM: William Cairns

The Men’s  Blues returned the Varsity trophy to Cambridge for a third year running after a dramatic 2-1 win at Southgate on Sunday 9th March. The Light Blues took an early lead through skipper Will Cairns, but were pegged back in the second half before Wes Howell deflected home the winner with ten minutes remaining.

The game began in stark contrast to 2013’s scrappy 1-1 draw, with both teams exhibiting flowing hockey on a sunny afternoon in North London. Charlie Bannister, the Cambridge coach, opted for a high aggressive press, a tactical decision which almost paid off immediately, Jamie Bristow’s early effort flashing just wide of goal.

After ten minutes of energetic running from the forwards, Cambridge finally won a short corner through Joe Rich. A Felix Styles drag flick was met with a smart save from the Oxford ‘keeper, but the rebound fell to Cambridge captain Will Cairns, who emphatically volleyed the ball into the top corner to give Cambridge a deserved lead.

Oxford almost hit back within minutes, when their centre-forward was sent through on goal, but Cambridge goalkeeper Sam Brooks reacted quickly to clear the danger. The Light Blues began to settle into the game, with Cairns and Styles spraying passes from the back, and Preston and Senaratne bossing the midfield. Cairns nearly doubled his team’s lead when he robbed the Oxford centre-half and surged forward, only to blaze his shot over.

Cambridge were firmly on the front foot as half-time approached, with Oxford’s attack looking short on both ideas and fitness. Half-backs Defroand, Cobbold, and Cartwright were advancing at will down the wings, while fresher Kieran Gilmore terrified the Oxford defence into numerous mistakes. The Dark Blues held out until half-time, although their deficiencies were brought into sharp relief when Dave McLean somehow evaded four Oxford players near his own corner flag in a spectacular piece of individual skill.

The second half began with the same frenetic pace, although Oxford had regrouped, and were by now enjoying the majority of the possession. The BUCS South Premier champions were hitting their stride, and this was reflected by a succession of short corners, the second of which was rifled into the roof of Sam Brooks’ net to level the scores.

End-to-end hockey ensued, proving nail-biting for both sections of the 1,000-strong crowd that had descended upon Southgate. Time after time, attacks were foiled at both ends, and even when it seemed Howell had given Cambridge the lead, the goal was ruled out for an alleged obstruction.

As the half wore on, Oxford began to struggle under the Light Blues’ high press and the physicality of the Cambridge defence. A clumsy tackle from one frustrated Oxon earned a dismissal to the sin bin, and Cairns’ men surged forward, winning a short corner. The Styles flick hit the Oxford’s captain’s knee on the way to goal, leading to the dark blue skipper limping off and a re-awarding of the set piece. This time, the drag flick was fed to Howell, who ghosted in at the far post to tap in his 31^st goal of the season for Cambridge.

The massed light blue support erupted. With ten minutes remaining, Cambridge kept hold of the ball, and weathered a late storm of Dark Blue attacks and short corners, before the umpires blew the final whistle on a famous victory for Will Cairns and his team.

After the game, Coach Bannister commented: “We were delighted that everything went to plan. The boys were terrific: it was an excellent performance and they were deserved winners. We had the better of the game and caused Oxford some problems which they never came to terms with.”

Original report for The Cambridge Tab by Felix Styles

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Video credits: Jamie Bristow & Tim Swinn

*Half-Blue

Match Report

Cambridge entered the Men’s fixture as favourites, following a successful East League season that has seen them in consistent competition for 1st spot in the league. Oxford had had some success in a competitive South Premier League, but sat in the bottom half of the table going into the Varsity Match, although the Dark Blues would have been buoyed by another strong BUCS South Prem showing which saw them finish 3rd to Exeter and Bath.

Cambridge Man-of-the-Match, Kieran Gilmore

The match was alive immediately as Kieran Gilmore broke down the left hand side of Oxford’s D, before reversing a well-struck shot goalward that slipped under the grasp of Oxford goalkeeper Fernando to make the score 1-0. Minutes later, Cambridge were awarded a short corner and the match was beginning to look like the slightly one-sided affair that some had predicted pre-game.

Fortunately for the 800-strong assembled crowd, Oxford responded well, keeping the short corner out and starting to assert some control over the game. After the initial period of Cambridge dominance, the game drifted into a cagey affair, with both sides struggling to penetrate the oppositions defensive D.

Just when it had begun to look as if the teams had settled for a 1-0 half time score, former-Cambridge Captain Will Cairns drifted up the left hand side of the Oxford half, before playing a tremendous reverse stick ball to the near post. The pass was brilliantly met by Jamie Bristow, who himself had made serious strides from the halfway line to be in position, and his deflection saw the ball fly into the roof of Michael Fernando’s net to complete one of the finest Varsity goals in recent memory.

Oxford were not to be completely outdone, breaking themselves into their offensive D to win a short-corner on the stroke of half time. Oxford Captain Ollie Sugg’s drag flick looked destined for the left hand side netting, but was tremendously saved by Sam Brooks, in his first involvement of what was to become an amazing performance. Cambridge 2- Oxford 0 at halftime.

The second half was to be almost entirely Dark Blue dominated. The opening minutes followed the pattern of much of the first half, with both sides struggling for traction in the final third. However, the turning point was to be the dismissal of Jesus 4th year Nipuna Senaratne, who had been influential in man-marking Oxford’s former captain Ollie Lobo. Cambridge had been warned previously for breaking down play, and hence the umpire was left with little choice but to show the yellow card when Senaratne collided with Lobo in the middle of the park.

Without the persistent figure of Senaratne in his shadow for the first time in almost 2 Varsity Matches, Lobo was freed to have huge influence on the game. The former England Under-18 player began to call the shots in the middle of the park, and it was following one of his surging runs into the Cambridge D that Oxford were awarded a stroke for a shot being blocked on the line by a Cambridge defender. Up stepped Oxford Captain Sugg, and under huge pressure with 16 minutes to go, he calmy slotted the flick into Brooks’ left hand corner.

Oxford’s pressure continued, only denied for brief periods by Cambridge’s Gilmore who was quite brilliant in the top half of the pitch for the Light Blues. As the game opened up chances fell to Cambridge, but apart from one straightforward save by Fernando and a charged down short-corner, they were unable to come close to sealing victory.

Just when it appeared that Oxford would be unable to level the scores, the Dark Blues broke into Cambridge’s D. A goal-mouth scramble saw the ball roll out to Keble second year Joe Foster, who with aplomb planted the ball into the roof of Brooks’ net on the reverse stick. While there was a hint of an Oxford foot, nothing could be taken away from the strike, which was a worthy equaliser in what was becoming a most dramatic fixture.

With 2 minutes on the clock from the pushback, Oxford again raced forward to win a short corner with 1 minute to go. Sugg had scored a delightful flick in Oxford’s 2014 Varsity Match loss, but this year he wasn’t to repeat the feat as the ball went untrapped, and full time was called.

Cambridge captain, Wes Howell, during his penalty

For the first time, the Men’s Blues Varsity Match went to shuttles. Cambridge went first and current undergraduate and club President Johno Cobbold calmy rolled Fernando to put the Light Blues in the lead. Sugg was the denied by Brooks, before Cambridge MoM Gilmore also slotted his opportunity. Oxford MoM Lobo was brought down under pressure by Brooks, and although the umpire had a long look at the tackle, no foul was awarded, leaving the score at 2-0 to Cambridge with 3 takers remaining for each side. When Swinn selflessly provided a comedy interlude, and Rupert Allison’s well won stroke was just converted by Sugg, the tension at Southgate had reached breaking point: 2-1 to Cambridge with 2 shuttles remaining for each side. However, Cambridge Captain Howell coolly slotted his opportunity away under immense pressure, and it was left to Brooks to have the final say, with a solid save to fresher Claughton’s shot. The Light Blues charged away to celebrate a famous varsity win.

A loss on shuttles perhaps hurt all the more for Oxford, having come so close only to fall once again at the final hurdle, but Brooks’ heroics were a fitting way for the match to be won. The England Under-21 keeper was simply outstanding in the shootout, as were those who stepped up to score for Cambridge.

Cambridge celebrate retaining the trophy for the fourth consecutive year

Following a period of comfortable victories up to 2012, in recent years the Varsity Match has become as evenly contested as ever. The last three scorelines read 1-1, 2-1 (Cambridge) and 2-2 (Cambridge on shuttles), exhibiting how well matched the sides have been. 2015 sees the final appearance for Cambridge stalwart Cairns who leaves with 4 Blues and 3 victories, whilst Oxford’s 3 time Blues James Arch, Allison, Sugg and Lobo (4 Blues) depart without ever standing atop the winners’ podium. However, given the talent on display outside of these 5 on Sunday, the Men’s Varsity Match is surely set to continue to be a great spectacle for fans.

Thanks must once again go to Southgate Hockey Club, home to the Varsity Matches for well over a decade and great hosts for the fixture.

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Video credits: Tim Swinn & Jamie Bristow

Match Highlights

Video credits: Galvanised Hockey

Cambridge Captain, Therese De Souza, on the ball

The Women’s fixture was always likely to be a close affair, with both sides sitting close to the top of their Saturday leagues, and Cambridge set to be promoted back into BUCS South Premier to re-join Oxford in 2015-16.

Cambridge started the stronger, breaking through the Oxford defence to score inside two minutes, Izzy Murphy and Charlotte Burrows the chief architects. Not to be perturbed, Oxford came back with a short corner of their own and, although unable to convert, there were signs that the fixture would be evenly matched.

Following a frantic first 5 minutes, the first half settled into the more traditional cagey affair of a Varsity Match. Totten was especially dangerous for Oxford, stretching the Cambridge defence on multiple occasions, but it was Cambridge with more of the chances in the final third.

England Under-21 fullback Lily Elliott was dominating the defensive half for Cambridge and, as the half wore on, she was able to make further forays up the pitch. A decisive pass from Elliott brought a short corner to Cambridge, which Elliott slapped near post for a lovely deflection by Sally Bradley.

Cambridge Man-of-the-Match, Lily Elliott

At half-time the score stood at 2-0 and, whilst Cambridge had had the run of play, Oxford had showed enough to suggest they could turn the fixture around. The second half began evenly, but Oxford began to assert control as Cambridge sensed victory and withdrew into their defensive half.  A Totten pass eliminated Elliott and left Sophie Halls 1 on 1 with the Cambridge keeper; Halls’ sweet strike was brilliantly saved, but for the first time in the game Oxford looked the more likely to score.

Cambridge celebrate atop the Southgate balcony

With 6 minutes to play, a Totten reverse stick strike won an Oxford short-corner. This was broken down, but in the ensuing open play, Oxford once again broke into the D; the ball fell to Greer who was able to slot home from 3 yards. 2-1 to Cambridge with 3 minutes to go. From the resulting pushback, Oxford were able return into the Cambridge D for another short corner. The injection was slipped to Totten, who must have been dreaming of a dramatic equaliser, but her shot was saved by the ever-present Elliott, and Cambridge’s victory was sealed.

Elliott and Totten were undoubtedly star performers for Cambridge and Oxford respectively, although Murphy and Burrows offered much for Cambridge up front and Koehli was solid for Oxford at the back. Cambridge Captain Therese de Souza lifted the Varsity trophy for the first time for Cambridge since 2013 and Oxford were left to dream of what might have been.

Promotional Video

Match Highlights

Video credits: Galvanised Hockey

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Video credits: Tim Swinn

Photo credits: Ed Doppler

Video credits: Sally Bradley

Photo credits: Ed Doppler