Though Somerville’s first eleven captured the headlines
following their 3-0 cuppers victory over pre-match favourites
Wadham, the second eleven cuppers tournament proved no less
exciting. Indeed, the final – played this term due to
scheduling conflicts in Hilary – epitomised the dogged
determination so characteristic of all 2nd XI Football. An
entertaining match saw Teddy Hall emerge victorious over an
organised Pembroke side who had narrowly missed out on winning
the First Division. Both sides showed their passion, skill and strength in a first
half that exhibited fast end to end football. For much of the
period Pembroke, who benefited from the help of a not
inconsiderable wind at their backs, pressed for an early score.
However, a Teddy Hall break led to them gaining a corner which
swirled in the wind above the Pembroke defence, and evaded the
attempted clearance of the otherwise solid Bartosiak- Jentys.
Teddy Hall capitalised in the scramble and swept the ball home to
move in to a 1-0 lead against the run of play. They held on to
the lead until the referee blew for half-time. The second half heralded a period of Pembroke domination
straight from the kick off, as they sought to regain the parity
they had unluckily lost. Despite repeated Pembroke attacks, the
two Hall centre backs, Captain Julian Baker and Christopher
Wilson, gave a commanding performance and consistently frustrated
the Pembroke forward line. The excellent Teddy Hall keeper,
Laurence Hargrave, was also called upon to produce some heroics
– including pulling off a superb reflex save at his near
post, when the ball looked to have beaten him. However, Teddy Hall were to extend their lead against the run
of play for the second time. Again a corner proved the downfall
of Pembroke – having only half cleared another wind affected
corner Pembroke looked on haplessly as a well executed volley by
Liam Kelly swept the ball sailing past goalkeeper and defenders
and his side into a 2-0 lead. With a two goal advantage and time fast running out, it
appeared that Hall would be able to run down the clock; but
Pembroke had other ideas and immediately went on the attack. An
inspired attacking substitution by the Pembroke side’s
Captain Rami Tappuni saw them dispense with the niceties of
defence and pile the pressure on Teddy Hall’s goal. Amid much pressure Pembroke finally did drag themselves back
into the game via a neat finish following a fearsome shot which
had rebounded off the Hall crossbar. At 2-1 the game, and the trophy, were up for grabs, but
Pembroke’s energy sapping attempt to restore terms was to
prove futile. Their commitment to seeking the equaliser allowed
Teddy Hall to exploit numerous gaps in their defence. Fatal among
these Hall attacking forays was a break down Pembroke’s left
flank, which led to the tireless Will Hepworth applying a
clinical finish to an excellent run. Though Pembroke may have felt that the 3-1 score line did not
reflect how hard they had pushed their opponents, Teddy Hall
lived to hear the final whistle blow and deservedly took the Cup
in what was an enthralling encounter.ARCHIVE: 1st week TT 2004
Hall finds reserves of strength to crush Pembroke
