The morning of Monday February 12 saw Wilberforce Road play host to the seconds and thirds, men’s and women’s, hockey Varsity matches.

The Bedouins set the tone for an outstanding day for Cambridge’s hockey teams with an assured victory against the Oxford Ho’s. Brimming with confidence, midfielder Sara Litchfield provided the necessary attack through the Oxford defence before enabling teammate Helen Smyth to put the Bedouins ahead early on by putting the ball through keeper Iona Crawford’s legs. Good work in defence by Ali Weetch and in midfield by Hannah Mansfield kept the Oxford attack at bay, but it was Beth Cash’s outstanding performance in goal that saved the day. Making multiple Hollywood dives, with some elastic stretches, the captain managed to keep a clean sheet, secure a win, and gain the title of ‘man’ of the match.

The Squanders, Men’s third team, match closely followed the Bedouins, going 1-0 down early on when Oxford capitalised on keeper Alex Smout’s error. An attempted save from Smout resulted in him sliding over the ball to allow Oxford to poach an early lead. Sensing that Oxford were growing in confidence, Cambridge went back to basics and began to work their way back into the match. Their patience was justly rewarded when a well-worked move down the right led to a sharp finish from Nick Dale to equalize the score. Half time was 1-1, and a quick chat about the press left Oxford struggling to get the ball out of their half. Cambridge maintained excellent territorial dominance and gave away very few chances at the other end. With fifteen minutes to go, a weaving run from Owen Kemp forced a violent foul from the Oxford back line. The defender was duly yellow carded. Vice-captain Chris Cullen stepped up to take the penalty and slotted it home in the bottom right-hand corner to give Cambridge a 2-1 advantage. With time running out, Oxford threw everything they had at the Squanders, yet a solid defence ensured that Cambridge finished victorious at 2-1.

Fired up from the start, the Nomads, the ladies second team, were clearly eager to follow in the winning tradition of the day. Fuelled by an inspirational team talk from their new coach James Waters, the Nomads controlled the game from the start as Lisa Noble had an early chance on goal within the first 30 seconds. The Nomads’ pressure led to Oxford giving away a penalty flick, which was expertly taken by Hannah Rickman. Under extreme duress, Rickman swept the goal into the right-hand corner, bemusing Oxford’s keeper Jessica Hughes, ­ a performance which, combined with her play on the pitch, earned her the title ‘man’ of the match. Another onslaught of Cambridge pressure saw Oxford begin to produce more errors as another flick was given. Keen to continue with her earlier success, Rickman stood up to the challenge and slipped the ball into the left-hand corner. 2-0 up, Cambridge seemed extrodinarily strong, and the score was soon improved further by a swift goal by Jen Stevens, set up by Alex Workman with a jab around the Oxford keeper. Full of fighting spirit, Oxford stepped up their game and were rewarded with a penalty from a short corner. Their glory was short-lived, however, as Nomad Nic Gardener edged her way past her marker to bash a fourth goal in.

The second half challenged Cambridge more, but good team defence from Tanna and Close meant Cambridge stayed in the lead. After a number of short corners and a few saves by goalkeeper Stapleton, the whistle blew, resulting in the third victory of the day at 4-1. Captain Flick Hughes said “it was fantastic to see all the hard work we’ve put in all season rewarded by such a convincing victory. It is very promising for the rest of the season.” This was reiterated by Blues captain Rosie Sherman who said “both teams have worked so hard this year and fully deserve these results. On the day, both teams looked stronger both mentally and physically. The combination of a group of very skilful and committed girls left Oxford unable to do anything.”
The Wanderers, the men’s second team, completed Cambridge’s clean sheet of victories with a hotly contested 5-3 win. Jack Yelland scored three goals, Nick Shipley one, and Chris Kurwie another; sweetly striking from a short corner. Having dominated most of the match, Cambridge were kept on their toes by frequent breaks from Oxford on which they failed to capitalise. Simon Harger’s goalkeeping was on top form, allowing Cambridge to fight back, conceding only two more goals in closed play from a penalty flick and a short corner. A mixture of relief and elation came at the final whistle, after a more closely fought match than the score line suggests.

Lucy Stapleton

Results

Men’s 2nds 5
Oxford 3

Women’s 2nds 4
Oxford 1

Men’s 3rds 2
Oxford 1

Women’s 3rds 1
Oxford 0