Reports 5th December 2009
Men's 1sts lose to Spalding 1sts
Men's 2nds lose to a very strong Horncastle side
Men's 3rds are unlucky to lose to Boston
Men's 4ths lose to City of Peterborough 7
Ladies' 2nds secure a Cup final place with a draw against City of P'Boro
Cambridge South Men's I 1 - 2 Spalding I
H/T: 0 - 1
Scorers: Al Sinclair
MoM: Matt Readman, Keith Hewitt
In a tenacious display that was not without its moments of controversy, South did well to restrict the normally free-scoring Spalding side to three fewer goals than their seasonal game average but unfortunately could not put away quite enough of their chances to gain a share of the spoils.
South managed the best opportunities in the first 10 minutes as both Keith Hewitt and Chris Baker, looking sharp, had shots saved, while Matt Readman, relishing the challenge at the back, tackled succinctly and Graham McCulloch showed a fine turn of speed to head off trouble in his own D. Debutant Manu Bhardwaj impressed with his calm clearances but Spalding drew first blood after 12 minutes when an obviously well-rehearsed penalty corner routine drew the South defence en masse to the left as the ball was returned swiftly to the centre and slotted home without fuss.
South's first short, a straight drive from Hewitt, drew a looping rebound that had the other forwards piling in but weight of numbers from the defence kept it out and the action reverted to South's end as some indecision over marking left Steve Parker having to clear as Spalding bore down on him. A horrible slow-running long ball that struck a post nearly caught everyone out but, thankfully, Parker had guarded his near side and was able to spoil a golden opportunity for the visitors. A desperate clearance from the committed Hewitt, flailing his stick at the ball like a polo player on a runaway pony, rescued a nasty moment inside South's 25 before Rob Garrett made one of his many incisive central forays which ended up with Mark Pears hitting into the side board after drawing a surprised keeper further than he wanted to go and just rounding him.
Spalding then got a man clean away up the right but Parker timed the challenge perfectly on the edge of the circle, the ball deflecting way off to his left to buy precious breathing space. A second Spalding short broke down and Eliot Read pounced on the free ball to make welcome ground upfield as South forced the visiting keeper to clear. A shot from Baker, put into position by Hewitt, and a flick from Pears which was batted down, could both have secured the equaliser but, despite further good work from Garrett and excellent interpassing from Read and the always tricky Al Sinclair, Spalding retained their narrow lead at half-time.
Matters continued evenly after the break, to the unsurprising accompaniment of yet more rain, as Hewitt had a surge, Spalding banged a right-wing cross through the D and Readman, Read and Chris Graveling combined to move the ball slickly forward at speed. A back pass that ran out of legs then put Graveling in a difficult situation and, in the rush for the loose ball, he and a Spalding player fell after becoming entangled, each believing himself to be the victim. Heated protests threatened to become unsavoury and it required all of umpire Matt Bailey's considerable powers of diplomacy to prevent a degeneration. The two protagonists were both given five minutes to cool off but the game took on a rather more physical aspect after this that never quite abated.
South's dander was up, at any rate, and after a shot from the only short corner of the half was saved by the away keeper, Hewitt finally opened up the defence big time, slipping a neat pass through to Sinclair, who rattled it into the far corner with aplomb after 45 minutes . This only served to make Spalding redouble their efforts, however, and, though James Cobbe retained lengthy possession in left midfield with some pleasingly dainty touches, the visitors attacked from several angles and Parker was required to kick adroitly out from various parts of the D. Stretching wide, he then made an excellent save just inside his left post but Spalding had a man in close who forced it home while the defence was out of range.
Increasing use was being made of the airborne route by Spalding and they nearly got through again, Parker denying them on the byline before the play was blown up, but South resumed a measure of control through Cobbe and Garrett, while Read continued to tackle hard. There was a distinct edge to the game at this point, with umpire Bailey having to remind both captains of their responsibilities and firmly encourage one of the more vociferous Spalding players to take a vow of silence, and play proceeded in robust fashion as each side struggled to gain an advantage. Readman, never one to shirk with the mud flying, played a blinder at the rear, tackling and clearing with grim determination, while Hewitt put himself about appropriately in most areas of the field. Bhardwaj made an important challenge as last man to deny a Spalding attacker on the prowl before Pears again shot into the side of the goal from a narrow angle and Garrett, always a source of hope with his threading runs, swallowed up the ground in midfield but waited just a mite too long to get the ball into the D. South tried desperately to get the ball into the danger area as the clock ticked down but Spalding successfully held them at bay to reinforce their position at the top of the table.
There was never much of a gap between the two sides on the day and either could easily have won. South can feel pleased to have largely negated the visitors' scoring threat, in particular by holding them to just three short corners, and will possibly feel they deserved at least a point as they did manufacture several scoring opportunities of their own. It was not South's strongest side - with the influential Lukas Snetler, Russell Johnson and Jim Thorpe being among the absentees and Al Sinclair bravely rising from his sickbed - but the team on the day fought with considerable passion, commitment and no little skill. Particular praise is also due to umpires Steve Riches and Matt Bailey, who handled a difficult game with tact and skill and retained exemplary calm and objectivity after the match when Spalding rather laboured the point over a perceived earlier grievance.
At the halfway point of the schedule, South lie fourth in a tight knot of six or seven teams with very similar records. Any of these are capable of beating any other on a given day, with most of them having strong defences behind moderate firepower, so it is well nigh impossible to predict who will end up as the leading candidate to challenge for promotion behind favourites Spalding. South will look back on the first half and be particularly chuffed with victories over the Light Blues and Peterborough IV, disappointed with a draw against Nomads and still slightly bemused over defeat to an unwontedly strong St Ives second team. With commitment, availability and fitness, however, good results in the second half are not beyond them.
It would be nice, too, if someone saw fit to cart a few tons of sand off the Abbey pitch and give it a damn good haircut while they're at it. Oh, and a few thousand more lux on the floodlights wouldn't go amiss either.
Team played: Steve Parker, Manu Bhardwaj, Chris Graveling, Matt Readman, Chris Baker, Rob Garrett, Eliot Read, Al Sinclair, Graham McCulloch, James Cobbe, Keith Hewitt, Mark Pears
Horncastle I 5 - 0 Cambridge South Men's II
H/T: 4 - 0
Scorers: None
MoM: Jack Chalk (Didn't look out of place against this very strong side. Special mention also to Lino for driving all that way to umpire.)
LOM: Dave Aston (Terror of the highway - takes driving tips from Tiger Woods.)
There is a Taoist saying that “the journey is the reward” and Cambridge South 2nd XI can, I am sure, take great comfort from this after a 4 hour round trip yielded only a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of a well-drilled Horncastle side.
South were forced to field a much weakened team as holiday, requirements from the 1s and a general lack of Taoist spirit meant that they had available only 6 of their regular squad and just 11 men in total. That they could play at all was down to the selfless commitment of Shahbaz Ali, Andy Passmore, Ian Glover and Simon Jelley all of whom stepped up from their regular teams to make it happen - thanks guys. Thanks also are due to Lino who, although unfit to play and with a train to catch, drove all that way just to umpire.
Horncastle are top of the Division, having a 100% record this season with 64 goals scored in 9 matches so South knew that they would have to play their very best just to stay in the game and unfortunately in the first half this did not happen. Understandably, given the weakened team, South were under the cosh right from the start as the home team pressed forward confidently. With only about 5 minutes on the clock they won a short corner and a great routine (clearly well practised) saw a fast and accurate push out, a fast and accurate flick to the far post and a fast and accurate runner on hand to lift the ball over Shahbaz and into the goal.
To their credit, South did not let this setback upset their discipline and the defence were managing well against the best attack in the League. George Wych marked the opposition's top scorer out of the game whilst Andy Passmore and Ian Glover broke down anything coming down the wings. Jack Chalk, playing out of position in a sweeper's role, was dominant and always on hand to mop up anything else that got through. However South were on the back foot and further goals were inevitable. Three more came in quick succession - one from another very good short corner - and it looked at this point as if a cricket score might be on the cards.
The team needed to stem the flow of attacks and in the second quarter this did begin to happen. Dave Aston and Kev Rowland in central midfield positions covered some impressive yardage to help out in defence but still Horncastle remained on top and thought they had scored a fifth goal when a wicked lifting shot from an acute angle appeared to have beaten Shahbaz. However, closer inspection revealed a small hole in the side netting and South disputed the goal. The umpires consulted and, much to the disgust of the Home side, awarded a 16 yard hit. This was certainly the correct decision from the umpires as both were unsighted and not able to say for sure that it was a goal.
So 4-0 down at half time and South were into damage limitation. Skipper Dave Aston ordered a tactical re-jig in midfield, switching to a 4-4-1-1 formation to bolster the defence and following this the second period was more even. Horncastle scored a 5th from another short corner but apart from that there were few scares and South's midfield saw a lot more of the ball - in particular Simon Jelley stepped up to play some great linking passes up the left with Rob Barton and Bhav Virdi was competitive as ever. One such move led to Bhav accidentally injuring a Horncastle player when a ball that he hit flicked up off the player's own stick and into his face. Bhav then had to defend himself, not only from the player who reacted understandably, but also from the player's mother who started remonstrating from the sideline with the immortal words “Leave him alone, he's not a violent boy, he's my little boy” (her “little boy” was a grown man and, if there is any justice in the world, will take some stick for this for the rest of his playing career).
South continued to press forward manfully in search of a goal and there were several occasions where Rob Barton and John Hawkes forced half chances but in truth it is a measure of the balance of the game that South did not have a single shot on goal all match.
All in all perhaps a day to forget. If only that were possible. Those of us privileged enough to travel to the game with Dave Aston are still having flashbacks to the moment when Dave, perhaps having in mind the quotation from Virginibus Puerisque that “to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive”, pulled out to overtake a beet lorry right into the face of an oncoming juggernaught. Kev, uttering a cry like a man passing a kidney stone saw his whole life (and that's a long time) flash before his eyes; George and John closed their eyes and hoped for the best. Time seemed to stand still as the Rover, engine screaming in an unfeasibly low gear, used all of its 1,200ccs to reach safety by a hair's breadth. NEVER doubt the Rover!
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| How Dave saw the manoeuvre | How it really looked |
The last word must, however, go to Rob Barton, that enlightened philosopher of our time who, following his thoughts on the workings of old treacle at the Rutland match, brings us this: “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.” (And if you are stuck for Christmas present ideas then don't forget that “The Collected Thoughts of Rob Barton” is out now in all good bookshops for just £8.99).
Team played: Shahbaz Ali, Andy Passmore, Ian Glover, George Wych, Simon Jelley, Bhavdeep Virdi, Kev Rowland, Jack Chalk, Dave Aston, John Hawkes, Rob Barton
Cambridge South Men's III 1 - 2 Boston I
H/T: 0 - 1
Scorers: Paul South
MoM: Paul South (Midfield rock. Another good goal. Invaluable )
A rough game against very physical opposition. CSouth allowed themselves to lose discipline at key moments as a result of numerous perceived injustices, which obscured a battling performance with more good attacking moves but sadly insufficient goals to prevent league leaders Boston from grabbing an away win.
The home defence of BenedikzSneadCreedLee were again largely solid but were unable to prevent Boston grabbing an early lead when their centre forward snuck between 3 defenders to bundle the ball into goal. This was against the run of play as CSouth had had chances and much of the possession, using the ball well and combining in attack mainly up the wings through Lewis, and Espley in particular. The central midfield of Nelson and South kept plugging away, but to no avail. A penalty shout went unheard (foot on the line) and the Boston keeper was called into action a number of times.
After half time Boston were gifted too much of the ball as the old frailties of incomplete tackling and blind passing reappeared. The second Boston goal was a text book short corner move to an unmarked player by the far post. CSouth didnt give up, and had chances, but only managed a late consolation from demon marksman Paul South straight from a short corner.
It was a shame to lose in such a way, with too much rough play - largely , but not exclusively from Boston - which dragged Csouth down to a level below the rest of this season's performances
Team played: Ben Buckley, John Benedikz, Dom Nelson, Neil Sneade, James Lee, Andy Lewis, Wilco Dijkstra, Stu Creed, Paul South, John Greaves, Rupert Espley
Cambridge South Men's IV 2 - 4 City of Peterborough VII
H/T: 1 - 2
Scorers: Will Jones, James Raikes
MoM: John Benedikz (Couldn't have done without him )
LOM: John Clark (Turned up at the Abbey rather than the Leys!)
The pattern, so it seems, for each half was, we scored first and then let 2 in, but each half had its own story to tell.
Peterborough looked a young and skilful side from the outset, but South was able to match them with a confident start to the match which soon saw Will Jones scoring a debut goal for South from a good shot after some good passing. South was to have another couple of chances having had the better of the first 20 minutes.
The pace of the game took its toll on the South players and Peterborough began to come through the midfield more and they equalised with a good shot in the air that went across the goal. South could not contain them and Peterborough got another to make it 1:2. The break couldn't come quick enough.
The half team talk was all about slowing it down, disciplined with the marking. This did work and Peterborough was held at bay and South got a good equaliser when JJ Clark played a cross field pass to Shahzad in space who passed it first time into the D and James Raikes finished with a reverse stick flick, 2:2. Again South had 2 more chances, both from James Raikes, but they were saved or just missed the goal.
A slip up in the tight marking was enough to let Peterborough in to make it 2:3. Peterborough made it 2:4 on the break as South pushed for an equaliser.
It was a good game and played at a level that the 4th team should be playing at every week. This should provide the incentive for all the players to get fitter. The 2nd half showed that the team can play well when disciplined and there was the welcome addition of Will Jones in midfield.
Team played: Phil Le Gouais, John Clark, John Benedikz, Ky Ho, Ian Evans, John Sharp, David Doupe, Sam Lansdell, Shahzad Ali, Will Jones, James Raikes
City of P'Boro IV 1 - 1 Cambridge South Ladies' II
H/T: 0 - 1
Scorers: Kelly Mawby
Awaiting Report
Team played: Louise Tonkin, Pip Noon, Louise Gutteridge, Tracey Hunter, Kelly Mawby, Vicky Bittle, Simone Vis, Sam Cooper, Leonie Dickman, Carla Fitzachary, Lyn Phillips, Charlie Orrock