Reports 20th March 2004

Men's 1st XI win 3-1 in their derby match with Cambridge Nomads III

Men's 2nd XI lose 3-2 to Wisbech Town III

Men's 3rd XI beat March Town IV, 2-1

Ladies' 1st XI draw 0-0 with Wisbech Town II

 

Cambridge South Men's I 3 - 1 Cambridge Nomads Men's III

H/T: 0 - 1

Scorers: Rob Sprawson, Sanjay Agarwala, Chris Graveling

Talk about wind! On a day that would have obliged Mr Beaufort to start thinking up some bigger numbers, South overcame both the gale-force conditions and their opponents to register a significant victory which for much of the game looked as though it might elude them. Teamwork and persistence were the key and this was reflected in the afternoon's most crucial intervention, when a mass effort succeeded in shifting the heavy wooden seating on the touchline to behind the northern goal, providing essential reinforcement and thus preventing a recurrence of the blowdown that had led to the abandonment of an earlier match.

Forced to play into the wind, South set their teeth grimly and, though largely unable to communicate going forward, they managed to dominate the early phases of play. John Taylor was direct and uncompromising from the off and Matt Murray soon put in a good feed to Sanjay Agarwala, who tricked his way round the goal-line only to find the keeper's pads at the near post. There were further presentable chances on offer for Taylor, Rob Sprawson and Agarwala again but no-one was able to take advantage as shots scurried wide or the defence cleared without fouling. A neat passing move instigated by Steve Fleck and moving up through Rob Hay and Chris Graveling - relishing the Russell Crowe part in the absence of Rick Erlebach - looked promising, but once more the final ball was off target. Indeed, before fifteen minutes were up, South could easily have been three or four goals to the good as a hatful of opportunities went begging; Taylor rounded the keeper with ease but just failed to convert, Sanjay Agarwala fell trying to strike in a Fleck pass and the keeper than smartly deflected a goalbound effort from the ubiquitous Taylor.

Meanwhile, Jim Thorpe - his ample shorts flapping around like a distressed marquee - had defied the elements to bulldoze forward more than once, whereas partner-in-crime Matt Readman preferred the knife-through-butter approach as he angled niftily upfield. Although Nomads had not looked especially dangerous, it was they who won the first short after fifteen minutes when a switched flick drew a fine diving save from skipper Steve Parker, who got a full stick on a shot destined for the net. A second short three minutes later was switched to the other side, leaving a gaping hole which Parker valiantly tried to fill, but this time he could only parry the flick as it found its way through various bodies and into the goal.

South continued to play positively, though, ragging it forward when more classical options were unavailable, yet despite all the pressure, they could not broach the magnetic field that seemed to have encircled the visitors' net. Fleck twice shot wide from decent positions, Rob Barton was unlucky to miss with a reverse and the same player, like Taylor earlier, sidestepped the keeper but found the final touch maddeningly elusive. Good approach play from Murray and Veejay Agarwala always threatened to set something up and Rob Hay and the rest of the defence were steady when it mattered but South, having weathered thirty-five minutes of energy-sapping resistance work, had become slightly disjointed when Nomads nearly went two up with a backhand scoop from the left of the circle which Parker teased past the post with pad and glove.

With the wind in their favour as the second half started, South quickly won their first short after Taylor's punishing shot had been saved and incisive moves by Fleck and Sprawson had set Nomads back on their heels. A clean strike from the edge of the D was half-smothered by the keeper and cleared off the line as Nomads survived again and, within ten minutes, further shots by Fleck and Sanjay Agarwala had also been snuffed out. Graveling, Agarwala and Barton all tried hard to break down the visitors' composed defence but there were always plenty of men behind the ball and there seemed no clear way through the thickets.

When Nomads made way into the headwind, Parker stopped an awkward shot aimed straight at his feet with a "penguin special" before booting to safety, and then intercepted a cross with a booming kick which almost decapitated Hay, who graciously forebore to concede a short by quickly pretending nothing had happened. A similar cross from Taylor at the other end was unmet and, with the game entering its final quarter, even the normally upbeat Murray - hoarse with emotion or it may have been laryngitis - had let his bedside manner slip by wondering whether a cancellation might not have been the better option.

But South held their nerve and, after a storming run by Taylor, won their third short of the afternoon, from which Sprawson scored the equaliser by driving in weightily off a defender's stick (it was always going in, of course - I know, because Rob told me so himself - Ed.). Readman then dispossessed Nomads' front-runner with a daringly kleptomaniac tackle and, spurred on by Thorpe's improving maxims from the rear, South burst forward in numbers. Murray's big shot from the right of the D was somehow blocked in front but Sanjay Agarwala dived into the resulting scrum and, by sheer force of personality, finally persuaded the ball to negotiate the last few inches over the line. Still reeling, Nomads then succumbed again when Murray one-handed his way round the right wing for Fleck and Sanjay Agarwala to wrong-foot the defence and release Barton on the left of the D. The latter reversed a cross from an acute angle to the far post, where Graveling stabbed in a want-it goal on the second attempt after the keeper had all but closed the gap.

Three strikes in five minutes had given South the breathing space they wanted and they then really started to develop more fluency. Despite a sixty-fifth minute short from Nomads, again a dangerous switch routine which saw Parker having to move quickly to cover a flick that whizzed into the side-netting, South had the upper hand in the final ten minutes, with assured passing from Rear-Admiral Graveling a feature, complemented by an excellent steal and scintillating now-you-see-it-now-you-don't run from Veejay Agarwala. Readman, too, had a characteristic diagonal thrust while Thorpe tended the sheep back home and, though Sprawson failed to double his tally at a sixty-seventh minute short, he rounded things off by putting in an exquisitely-timed reverse tackle as the whistle (manfully blown by Jim Sutcliffe in the face of almost overwhelming meteorological competition) blew to set the seal on a well-earned victory that had not been without its alarms.

 

Wisbech Town III 3 - 2 Cambridge South Men's II

H/T: 3 - 1

Scorers: Andy Lewis, John Greaves
MoM: Tim Poole

The delayed arrival of some of the CSHC team seemed to have an effect as Wisbech grabbed two quick goals in the first five minutes. The first one was somewhat unlucky as the ball deflected wickedly off Andy Bleach's stick to elude keeper Poole.

Although the away side got gradually back into the game, with the reshaped defence marshalled by the always effective Tim Poole keeping Wisbech attacks at bay, the attack did not have enough penetration. Wisbech got a third goal from a short corner, from which they had to have four shots before finally breaching the defence.

South's main hope seemed to be from corners and so it proved, with the Greaves-Lewis short corner routine giving Andy Lewis his chance to bury a rasping shot beyond the keeper, to reduce the deficit to 3-1.

After half time the game continued to be open end to end stuff, but there were few real chances. Ali Blake and Andy Lewis tried manfully to launch attacks but the final decisive ball never materialised. Wisbech's efforts were mainly kept out by Poole's acrobatics, but South eventually managed a second goal from another short corner. This time Lewis, instead of shooting, evaded the advancing defenders to slip the ball back to Greaves, who controlled it calmly before whacking it into the net from longish range (i.e. longer than his usual two yards).

Sadly South were unable to get the equaliser, against one of the league's stongest teams, in spite of continued pressure. Everyone played their part in a good game played in sporting spirit but it was not quite enough after the early setbacks.

 

Cambridge South Men's III 2 - 1 March Town Men's IV

H/T: 0 - 1

Scorers: Nick Wong, John Benedikz
MoM: John Benedikz – having been so solid in defence and attack during the game it seemed somehow fitting that it was his goal which secured our Div 6NW future. Honourable Mention: It is difficult to single out individuals but Finn Johnson turned in his best performance to date and Will Marston sacrificed watching an Ipswich home game for the first time in over five years

Cambridge South finished their league season on a high with a majestic team performance to beat a March side that had scored league goals at a rate of over four per game prior to this match.

Due to confused communication the game started nearly an hour late but this did not seem to bother South in the least. Calls from a nervous captain for a walkover to be awarded were rejected by the team who wanted to save themselves with style – and they did.

In a classic game of strike and counter-strike, short corners, heroic saves and fast flowing hockey, South emerged victorious and thus staved off what could have been a very unfair relegation.

South were fired up from the start of the gam. However despite having several good chances, it was March who scored first. In a goalmouth scramble, March tried to push the ball home but it was a South clearance that rebounded off the prone form of keeper Will Benedikz into the net for an agonising opener.

This goal knocked South a little and gave March confidence to push forward looking for a second. It was the heroic defending of Andrew Pounce, Ky Ho, Will Marston and sweeper John Benedikz, along with the dogged tackling back of the midfield that prevent March from having another real opportunity to score in the first half. As always South looked dangerous on the counter attack with midfielders David and James Bridge, Stuart Creed and Finn Johnson making fast breaks down the wings to Nick Wong and Wilco Dijkstra. South had a number of chances including three short-corners which were just pulled wide of the left-hand post.

Following an inspired half time team talk from captain Will Benedikz, South were roused into playing their best half of hockey all season. It was fast flowing, committed and determined without a pause in concentration or confidence.

South pushed forward from the off and, notwithstanding the risk of a rapid March counter attack always hanging over them, pinned down the visitors inside to their own twenty-five yard line and bombarded their goal with shots. Despite this pressure ironically the equalising goal came from a Cambridge counter attack. From defence the ball was spread wide to the right where Finn Johnson moved the ball on with a pinpoint pass down the line for Nick Wong to drive into the circle. In the melee of players that filled the circle it was Nick who reacted first to fire home from close range for the important point-securing goal.

The next twenty minutes were a battle for midfield supremacy. Having gained control of the middle of the pitch James Bridge and Stuart Creed continued to move the ball wide down the wings away from March's talented danger men. South had a clear flick turned down when the March umpire saw the ball played with the back of a stick instead of the kicked clearance – March's captain did apologise for this decision at the time.

With the score, and the game, balanced on a knife edge it was clear that another goal for the either side could secure the game. March, fired up by the thought of defeat, came back into the game and used their wingers to good effect. With several attacks down the South left, March crossed balls towards the penalty spot, only for keeper Will Benedikz to produce some excellent diving saves to clear the ball from the danger area. On the one occasion, when Will had missed the ball, Finn Johnson popped up amongst three forwards to spoil the shot and save a certain goal.

With sixty minutes on the clock and the pace of the game steadily increasing, South won what was their eighth short corner of the game. James Bridge pushed the ball rapidly out for John Benedikz, who with the aid of a powerful shot and a slight deflection up over the keeper's foot, scored in the middle of the goal as the team and partisan crowd erupted.

The last ten minutes were played at a furious rate as all the team defended as far up the pitch as possible then broke back in support at the first sign of danger. Once again the defence and midfield ran themselves into the ground to prevent an extremely talented March side from spoiling the day. The final whistle was a relief for South knowing their fight against relegation had been won in stupendous style.

 

Cambridge South Ladies' I 0 - 0 Wisbech Town Ladies' II

Scorers:

Game played as a shortened friendly as high winds lead to the postponement of the league fixture.