BLUES: Cambridge 10 - 5 Oxford

KINGFISHERS: Cambridge 12 - 5 Oxford Brookes

Varsity or not, any clash between Cambridge and The Other Place is A Big Deal, and this year’s Michaelmas battle was no exception.

Cambridge – eager to regain the top spot in the BUCS South Premiership from their Dark Blue foes – hit the ground running, scoring within the first minute of play. A fast-break goal from Oxford three minutes later tied it at 1-all, but Cambridge returned fire shortly afterwards and never looked back. Living Legends Laura Plant and Ellie Walshe led the Cambridge settled attack, scoring themselves and setting up further goals from Chesca Hirst and Lara Pleydell-Bouverie. Oxford’s improved midfield-defense managed to frustrate the Light Blues in the first half, leading to a cheeky second goal for the Darks. But they were never able to capitalise on what were clearly some well thought out post-driving and feeding plays, due to astute defensive slides from Ro Sharp and stellar goalkeeping from co-captain Erin Walters. A yellow card set Cambridge down a player with minutes remaining in the first half, but Cambridge’s defense proved stoic in the face of a panicked Oxford attack who were desperate to clamber back.

After a halftime regrouping, Alana Livesey hammered in a beautifully placed power shot that left all present gasping, and although Oxford managed to sneak in a couple of garbage goals, they were not enough. The steadfast intensity of Cambridge defender Suki Ritchie denied what should have been multiple easy Oxford looks to goal. Even Oxford’s time-out attempt proved futile, when Cambridge gained immediate possession from the ensuing draw and capitalised on a beautiful team goal. Further second-half goals from Plant, Ellie Russell, and Georgie Prichard gave the Light Blues a comfortable cushion, and Cambridge played an intelligently executed possession attack in the remaining minutes, to seal a 10-5 victory. The Light Blues remain undefeated this year, and now sit atop the BUCS League Table heading into the second half of the BUCS regular season.

The Kingfishers also dominated, producing some brilliant lacrosse against Oxford Brookes despite playing one woman down for the entire match. Two early goals gave Cambridge the upper hand, and from then on it was one-way traffic, with Brookes unable to convert their clear advantage into possession or goals. Defender Livia Bridgman Baker capitalised on the spirited Cambridge momentum, converting on a free-position shot opportunity to secure the Cambridge lead going into half-time. In the second half, Brookes gained some momentum, but this was quickly stamped out by aggressive defending from Cambridge and swift transitional play. With ten minutes left on the clock, Cambridge successfully held the ball in their attacking end to frustrate Brookes and destroy any hopes of a late comeback. The final score of 12-5 is a credit to the attitude of the Cambridge team, who never looked phased by the fact they were a man down. Goalkeeper Ari Midgen was named Man of the Match for some superb saves from Brookes’ attacking opportunities.

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