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Hall defeat Univ under the lights

St. Edmund Hall 27 – 12 University Teddy Hall emerged victorious on Wednesday in a game played under lights at Iffley Road. The strength of their performance, and the way in which they overwhelmed a strong Univ side, showed them to be real contenders in this year’s Cuppers competition. Credit must go to the OURFC as well as the players for the atmosphere and competitive edge to this match. With a large crowd who remained in full voice throughout, this game was an example of college sport at its very best. The game began at a great pace, Hall scoring an early try with a run directly up the middle. The conversion was hit, and this began a protracted period of pressure on the Univ line. However, some fantastic defence around the fringes, combined with some fantastic covering tackling, notably by Blues winger Jonan Boto, limited Hall to only scoring a further three points from a penalty ,converted by full back Will Stevens. Univ eventually broke the shackles with a spectacular try that saw the ball spread across the field from a quick penalty and the ball touched down in the corner. The conversion was a difficult one, but after a hurried early period Univ seemed to be settling into their game, and when Boto ran in their second try after a mistake by the Hall left wing, a Univ counter attack swept the length of the field. Univ suddenly looked on fire. Half time came at the right time for Hall, giving them a chance to pull themselves together and rethink their strategy. When the sides came out after the break, it became increasingly obvious that the referee was going to get in the way of making this the truly classic encounter it deserved to be. Having blown his whistle far too regularly in the first half, he continued to intervene too much in the second. This was not enough to stop a resurgent Hall, who quickly reestablished their lead with a breakout try in the far corner, followed swiftly after by a solid driving maul that Univ couldn’t live with. Suddenly, the score was 20-12, and things were looking far more comfortable for the nominal home side. Univ never looked likely to regain any foothold on the game, with the Hall backs starting to threaten every time they got the ball in hand. Particularly impressive was Sam Humphry-Baker, whose incisive running kept those watching riveted right up to the end. With a further Hall try in the left corner, this time converted, the lead was stretched to fifteen points and the game was over as a contest. However, there was still some entertainment to be had, as the referee went on a card-happy spree in the closing minutes. He sinbinned Boto, and then Hall captain Philip Satterthwaite, for maddeningly trivial offences, and then finished the game by sending off Boto just after he had returned to the field. Only this ridiculous end marred what had otherwise been a fantastic game of rugby, and one that leaves fans excited about the Teddy Hall’s chances in the final stages of Cuppers.by Jack Marsh

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