BLUES 2 - 3 IPSWICH
INDIAN GYMKHANA 4 - 3 BLUES

Following their 5-2 opening weekend reverse to Sevenoaks in the National League, The Blues went into this weekend's double-header against Ipswich and Indian Gymkhana eager to clinch their first points of the season only to be thwarted by two periods of insufficient defensive organisation.

First up was Ipswich at Fortress Wilberforce Road. Confident of a result with the return to the side of club stalwarts Jez Hansell and last season's top scorer Philip Balbirnie, The Blues began strongly with the defence, marshalled by Dave Saunders and Hansell, providing a solid platform for the attack. Balbirnie was perhaps unlucky to find a crackerjack effort well saved as Cambridge sought a just reward for their early domination. A familiar disaster then struck for the students as a naive showing against Ipswich's well-worked short corners led to three set-piece goals in quick succession for the visitors. Captain Penman,  emphasizing the limited nature of the opposition threat during his half time team talk obviously gave The Blues renewed confidence  as they began the second half with renewed eagerness to play their way back into the match by combining strong attacking hockey and pace on the counter-attack. Nick McLaren's surging run from midfield resulted in a deserved goal, adding a second minutes to later to set up a grandstand finish. But it was not to be and Cambridge, despite the obvious passion and determination with which they played, could not find the finishing touch. They ended a match they had dominated as losers, but are no doubt relishing the prospect of inflicting a brutal vengeance in their home cup tie with the same opposition on at Sunday 30^th at 2pm.

Buoyed by their second half display, The Blues travelled to South London the next day in what was an emotional match for the Indian Gymkhana team, who had witnessed the tragic death of 32 year old team-mate Jasbir Singh Pattowala from a rare heart disorder on the field of play only the previous week. It was always going to be tough to be the opposition in what was an intense match for the Indians, and Cambridge looked uncomfortable early on against skilful and fired up opponents. Again, The Blues' frailties from the set piece were exposed in the first quarter, with Gymkhana rattling in two from a free hit and short corner, before conceding their first goal of the weekend from open play. Confronted by the same self-made mountain as the day before the visitors reacted positively, with Hansell and Balbirnie combining at a short corner to force a goal for the Irishman on the stroke of half time. After some strong words from senior members of the team The Blues set out after the interval to cut down the amount of space for Gymkhana's players and hit them hard on the counter attack. A second short corner yielded a second goal. Hansell's deflection hitting a player on the line and Penman blasting in from short range before the umpire could award a penalty stroke. Cambridge piled on the pressure and squandered a number of chances to level but it was the home side that caught the students on the break to extend their lead. This only seemed to strengthen the student's collective resolve and they clawed one back with 7 minutes to go when man of the match Hansell played an exquisite through ball for Chris Ellis to notch his third goal of the season to make it 4-3. Sensing the opportunity for an unlikely comeback Cambridge again swarmed all over the Gymkhana goal, only to be found wanting for a final touch for the second time in two days by at the end of a frenetic final passage of play.

Speaking after the game, Penman refused to be disheartened by the early league record of played three, lost three saying "while we may have lost, on the whole I am reasonably happy with our performances, particularly in the second half. If we can avoid conceding early goals, we are well capable of scoring at will so I am optimistic about the season ahead."

Philip Balbirnie