CRUFC Colts 19 - 7 Dunstablians Colts

Cambridge Rugby Football Club : Colts: East Midlands League.
At home on Saturday, 11 September 2010.
Cambridge Colts:19   Dunstablians:7

“A convincing win at home against determined  opposition gets Colts League  aspirations off to a good start”.

Cambridge kicked off on a sunny Saturday afternoon with a stiff breeze behind them, rapidly drying a pitch earlier soaked by a torrential rainstorm. Sadly, Old Dunstablians were only able to field 14 men, but they nevertheless provided Cambridge with a good test of early season resolve.

Our Colts took the initiative quickly and for the first 10 minutes probed Dunstable’s defence with skilful handling that we did not often see in the early stages last season. The reward came after 10 minutes, with Steve Archibald running in a good try on the left wing. Mike Green converted to make the score 7-0.

No time was allowed for congratulations, however, as almost immediately Dunstable broke back, launching a counter-attack that found Cambridge momentarily in disarray and a try followed, which was converted. Scores were even at 7-7.

Play see-sawed for a while, with Cambridge gradually gaining the advantage, despite good defensive work by Dunstable. The scrum provided a good platform and the backs began to work the ball effectively, using the whole line and feeding their wings. Pressure mounted and before long  Ollie Touhey was able to move the ball in-field from the line and score not far from the posts. Another good conversion by Mike followed: 14–7.

Cambridge came back quickly from the restart, put the backs into play and, following a movement which involved  all the three quarters and several forwards, George Humberstone forced his way over near the right-hand touchline. This time the conversion just missed the posts.

Half-time and 19-7; a good position, but with the wind rising and now strongly favouring the opposition, would it be sufficient?

From the restart it became apparent that defence  was to be paramount, with Cambridge needing, but not always managing, to close down the game. Despite time spent in the Dunstable half and some good running, with full-back Steve Archibald frequently joining the line to probe the opposition, gradually Dunstable clambered back into the game and then began to challenge strongly down the right wing. Suddenly it began to seem a long second half, with Cambridge forced back towards their try line but tackling hard and well to withstand the siege and prevent a Dunstable score. Finally, the whistle blew, with no further points added by either side.

Final score: 19-7.

Cambridge Colts a little rusty, but showing plenty of promise for the season ahead.

Richard Newbery

Keri Carpenter's Match Photos are here.