Cambridge University Hockey Club (CUHC) were on the receiving end of a 2-0 defeat in a relegation battle against the Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ Hockey Club, representing King’s College London. Goals in either half from Raph Levy and Hashim Dadah condemned Cambridge to their third defeat of an indifferent BUCS League campaign, narrowing the gap between these two teams to just four points with two matches to play.

There are only so many ways you can write that a match never really got going, but this one really didn’t. King’s set about from the open to rather frustrate the hosts, with some impressive containment play from the away side helping to reduce Cambridge to long passes in wide areas, which were always just that touch too long for the Light Blue forwards to take in their stride.

Despite a seven-point advantage over King’s at the start of the day, Cambridge never really allowed their apparent superiority to tell. Their best opportunities came from penalty corners, a series of which provided Cambridge’s highest point in the first half. In came the first, but captain Thomas Jackson’s shot was blocked. In came the second, nothing forthcoming. Then the third, and nearly the opener for Jackson but for a great save by Dan Curley. At full stretch the King’s goalkeeper just managed to deflect it behind with the very tip of his hockey stick.

A near sight of goal had given Cambridge a bit more impetus going forward, and they had King’s on the back foot for much of the first half.  But the Light Blues proved to be their own worst enemy. Had they not continued to squander possession time and again inside the 23 metre line they might have found themselves on the right end of a much-needed league victory which would have ensured their survival in the BUCS South B league.

For a while, neither game plan was really working. Cambridge couldn’t consistently bring the ball in from the flanks, and many of King’s passes on the counter were overhit just at the moment they looked like they’d break in.  Both teams seemed to rely on cutting around the back of the wide defenders, but both backlines stood firm, for the most part.

More penalty corners followed for Cambridge, but once again their failure to capitalise cost them. As the Cambridge no. 8 put in a driven low cross, Thomas Jackson had a sight of goal but the ball rather skimmed off his stick. Two minutes later he had an even better opportunity to put the Light Blues one to the good, but again it wasn’t taken. In came the corner, Jackson received, and drew a top save out of the King’s goalkeeper with a thumping shot towards the top right hand corner.  

Cambridge hardly came much closer all afternoon. A couple of first-time efforts might have caught the King’s goalkeeper off-guard, had they been on target. The Cambridge No. 5 sent a diagonal ball into the circle, close enough for a decent sight of goal, far away enough to leave the goalkeeper on his line, but a glancing shot was scooped over the bar.

Thirty seconds before the interval, and the home side were having to tear up their half-time notes. With Cambridge minds apparently elsewhere, King’s Jasen Soopramanien won a penalty corner from the Cambridge number 22. Into the circle it came, for King’s Raphy Levy to collect, flummox his marker with a deft drop of the shoulder and hammer into the top left corner of the net. Cambridge goalkeeper Fergus Flanagan could do nothing to stop his team going into the break one down. A sucker punch maybe, but neither team had had enough of the match for anyone to say that the goal was against the run of play.

Cambridge did raise their game. Thomas Jackson always looked the likeliest to make something happen for the Light Blues, and shortly into the second half he almost did. A brilliant lobbed ball out of defence was controlled by Jackson hanging off the shoulder of the defender.  A turn of pace left his opponent standing, and one-on-one with the King’s goalkeeper the ball should have been rebounding off the backboard for 1-1. Jackson’s shot lacked conviction, though, and Dan Curley didn’t have to exert himself much to turn behind Cambridge’s best opportunity of the whole afternoon.

The Light Blues lived to regret that miss. A scrappy penalty corner incident down the other end saw King’s double their lead. An unconvincing save from Fergus Flanagan after a penalty corner and King’s Hashim Dadah was on hand to poke home. Not exactly a sight for sore eyes, but King’s didn’t mind as they put clear daylight between themselves and their hosts.  

All King’s had to do was consolidate their lead, which they did with little difficulty. Packing the midfield, Cambridge began to struggle to link their attack with their defence. Cambridge resorted to the long pass in behind, but Thomas Jackson had too much on his plate as their main attacking outlet. Though they did manage a couple more sights on goal, a first-time shot squeaked wide of the post, and Jackson’s final attempt of the afternoon was too high to trouble the King’s stopper.

Cambridge welcome league leaders Cardiff at Wilberforce Road in just under two weeks’ time, before travelling to third-placed Bath two days later. A win in either fixture will be enough to guarantee Cambridge’s survival.