Jesus 2-Brasenose 5; Balliol 2-Worcester 3: ‘To err is human; to forgive, divine,’ said Alexander Pope, but Jesus fans will be likely to disagree after Friday’s Cuppers match. despite standing toe-to-toe with Brasenose for ninety minutes, the home side were floored by two moments of humiliating disaster, rendering their Cuppers dreams lifeless for another year.This was a match defined by Jesus’ calamities. The first came in the opening five minutes as keeper Joe dicoco allowed a deflected cross through his legs. While Jesus recovered from this mishap, the second, just after half-time, was a death-knell. The goalkeeper was again at fault, punching a harmless ball straight to the feet of a Brasenose forward. The devastation of the green shirts at the final whistle revealed the impossibility for this side to forgive two short but devastating seconds of complacency.From the start it appeared as though Jesus’ concentration was not quite complete. Brasenose’s Jack rutherford bullied through two non-tackles played a one-two with John ditchburn before firing it into the six yard box, where it deflected off the knee of Jesus’ Jans Ibur, and past the keeper. Brasenose’s tails were up, and Jesus were lucky not to leak another. It took twenty minutes for Jesus to rouse themselves from their coma. On the half-hour mark they forced a series of corners, the third of which was handled on the line by dave Harling. Graham Parrot converted the spot kick and the comeback was complete.That was until dicoco’s moment of madness; miscuing an attempted punch and providing Harling with the easiest goal of his career. It was the final demoralising blow for brave Jesus. 15 minutes later Tom Brown fired in from the edge of the box before capped a fine performance smashing home from ten yards to make it four. Jesus attempted a late flurry through a ryan West goal, but the resurgence was brief. The earlier errors had taken too much out of the home side and restored the three-goal lead minutes later to seal the win. Meanwhile, another fancied side were finding life much more difficult. Balliol, despite holding the Cup, were relegated last season and are currently pointless a month into the season. But they challenged high-flying Worcester despite a lack of class. Worcester scored 11 goals in their opening two matches and throughout this match showed their class. with counter attacks and swift passing that left Balliol dazed at best and utterly broken apart at worst.Yet it was Balliol who took the lead on 28 minutes. andrew James fighting off Worcester challenges to head in a James doree throw-in. Calmly, the visitors drew level ten minutes later when Sam rowlands crossed from the left for Vince Vitale to head in. Before long Worcester had turned the tie around. Alex Toogood dipossessed James, darted to the byline and cut back a low cross into the area for to flick into the right-hand corner. Julian rose’s Balliol just would not lie down, however, as daniel Lennon pulled back an unlikely equaliser after 66 minutes. Charlie Sheldon felled Lennon inside the area and suffered the punishment when the striker himself fired the penalty down the middle of the goal past Wrigley.As both sides tired, chances came at either end. It was Worcester who stole the glory with 15 minutes to go as Toogood, under pressure from a crowd of defenders, lost possession in the box, but the ball broke to Hoddiss on the right of the spot to sweep into the Balliol net. Balliol searched for another equaliser, but it was not to be. "I’ve got high hopes providing we can hold on to a few players," said Hobbiss, whose college finished third in the Premier division and fell in the Cuppers quarter-finals last time round. "I think we should do very well. Last season we were top at Christmas and then fell away, so [we hope to] put it together for a whole season. That’d be nice." ARCHIVE: 4th week MT 2005
