On Sunday, the Cambridge Pythons played their last home game of the season against the Canterbury Chargers, taking a 44-6 victory to solidify their hold on a playoff berth. Pythons now stand second in the conference with a 6-1 record.
Cambridge’s uncompromising defense, led by defensive captain Tom Carr, started the game in fine form, forcing Canterbury to go three-and-out on their first drive. With Canterbury resuming possession quickly after a Cambridge fumble, an interception from Pythons defenseman Guy Peters returned the ball 21 yards and introduced Cambridge’s offense to the field. Matching the defense’s explosive start, Pythons’ first offensive drive featured a dozen runs, led chiefly by Alex SJ who burst through for the game’s first score. Quarterback Joe Yarwood connected with Carr for the two point conversion. Cambridge closed the first quarter 8-0 ahead.

Cambridge’s power running has been the heart of their offensive strength this season, and in the first play of the second frame, running-back Joe Moore showed why he has been an MVP five times this season as he darted into the endzone for a 13-yard score. The two point attempt was no good, leaving Cambridge ahead 14-0.

 quick return of possession to Pythons saw another running drive, which Yarwood himself closed out with a touchdown from just 1 yard. Moore’s catch on the conversion racked up two more points for the Pythons: 22-0. A defensive interlude followed for the Light Blues. After going four-and-out and suffering a sack by Cambridge’s rugby convert Sam Alderson, the Chargers switched to a jumbo package, adding more size to their backfield for what would be their last drive of the first half. Cambridge continued to show defensive meanness, however, with Tom Reynolds shutting down three consecutive Canterbury attacks and cornerback Hao Yusei batting the fourth play’s pass out of the air. There was time left at the end of the second quarter for Yarwood to switch to his passing game with spectacular effect. The quarterback threw passes to Carr for 17 yards and Moore for a 29 yard touchdown. James Stratford caught the two-point conversion, giving Pythons a 30-0 lead as the half came to a close.

Early in the third quarter, Pythons Tom Reynolds and Brendan Loftus teamed up to cause a safety in the Canterbury endzone for 32-0. Otherwise, the early part of the third was an inconclusive phase of play, during which Pythons managed a fumble on the Canterbury 1-yard line. Chargers were then able to claw back six points with their best attack of the afternoon. A run-pass combination followed by a 26-yard completion for a touchdown finally put the men of Kent on the scoreboard. Their conversion failed, leaving the ledger at 32-6 Cambridge. Thereafter the Cambridge offense continued to misfire with a combination of penalties and incomplete passes, and a punt away ended a somewhat disappointing third quarter for the Pythons.

Nine back-to-back runs early in the fourth quarter pushed Canterbury further onto their heels, before Yarwood sailed a pass over the Chargers’ defense into the hands of Canadian wide receiver Jaason Geerts for a touchdown. The conversion was no good – a relative Cambridge weakness this season – leaving the score at 38-6. By this point in the game, Carr had established himself as the nemesis of the Chargers’ quarterback, picking him off again and returning the ball 28 yards.

ambridge quarterback Aki Mulay took the reins and saw immediate results thanks to a lightning fast run by Joe Moore to the 1 yard line, and a massive push by SJ to muscle the ball over for a touchdown. The Pythons were once more out of luck on the two point try and found themselves leading 44-6. There was time for cornerback Jack Stafford to add an interception of his own, shutting down any last-winded Charger comeback hopes. As Canterbury surprisingly elected to take to the air again, Peters snatched another ball out of the sky for a noteworthy return as time expired without further score.

Alex SJ was named Offensive MVP with 23 carries, more than 100 yards run, and two touchdowns. Special Teams MVP was Guy Peters and Defensive MVP was Pete Campbell. Joe Moore with 15 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown, Tom Carr with 69 yards on the ground and two interceptions, and Joe Yarwood with a touchdown and three passing touchdowns also had outstanding games. Pythons now close out the regular seasons against Buckinghamshire New University on 2nd March, before taking on the playoffs.