The turbulent run up to this years Varsity match saw the Blues hampered by injury setbacks. After training hard under Captain Zillah Anderson and South African coach Sandra Du Pleiss, the squad overcame recent problems to put in a hard fought performance against Cambridge. Following draws in the league this season, both sides knew that it would ultimately go down to the wire, and the match was both passionate and physical.
The match started positively, with Oxford defence putting the towering Cambridge attack under pressure. Excellent positional play around the circle allowed the Dark Blue shooters to pull Oxford ahead mid way through the quarter. Meanwhile things were heating up at the opposite end of the court; aggression from the Oxford GD and Cambridge GA bubbled over and both players were giving a stern warning by the referee.
The game continued to be played at high intensity, with the Cambridge players demonstrating their desire to overcome last years Oxford double. At the end of the first quarter the Blues trailed by two and were running into problems in the Centre court area. They took the opportunity of the break to bring on the outstanding shooter Lerryn Martin, adding to the experience and pace of the Oxford side.
An exceptional intercept after the restart by Oxford WA George Weetch, on the circle edge, gave Martin an opportunity to push for goal advantage. Cambridge fought back convincingly however, and capitalised on loose Oxford play. Their shooters performed well to gain a slight goal cushion and their physical demeanour was epitomised by the blocking work on Oxford’s centre, Fuller, which made it difficult for the Blues to bring the ball down court.
With Oxford trailing at the half, the game threatened to descend into farce in the second half, as throughout the court players furiously tussled- leading to the game being broken up by referees desperate to impose discipline.
The third quarter saw Cambridge continue edging ahead and, although the dark Blues pulled back in the fourth quarter, it was sadly too little too late. Cambridge pushed hard, with their WD putting in an exceptional performance. and they continued to convert chances- despite the excellent Oxford defensive teamwork put in by Oxford GK Alice Kelly and GD Zillah Anderson. The Blues finished the quarter pulling back the score to 34-31 and so, narrowly, Varsity was lost.
The Oxford Second Team, the Roos, had an equally challenging match. Led by Captain Cat Clark, the team showed fight and determination early on in the game, with excellent shooting from Oxford GA, Laura Bell and GS Charlotte Constable.
The team was ahead mid-way in the first quarter and defensive duo Jenny Webb and Philippa Coates kept the Light blues working hard, tipping rebounds and turning over the ball for the Roos. The Cambridge second team became frustrated with the pace and pressure as they struggled to find their rhythym. Set plays practiced time and time again in training proved their worth with a classic ‘Net one slip one’ move, the coach’s favourite, executed by the talented Oxford WA Jess Murphy.
Towards the end of the second quarter the Roos began to make sloppy mistakes, giving Cambridge the opportunity to fight back, and the teams went into the second half separated by just one goal. The open nature of play that followed left both sides frantically working to find an advantage, with consistent shooting from Bell matched by the Cambridge GA; every goal counted in what was undoubtedly a nail-biting half. The fourth quarter started positively for Oxford with a fantastic intercept from Oxford GK Webb and the Roos looked to push for a lead.
With the home support urging the Cambridge side on, deep into the final quarter they took the lead for the first time in the match. Feeling that victory was almost slipping away the Roos fought in a manner never seen before. Pulling back to 33-33 they pushed in the remaining minutes to secure an astonishing Varsity Win by two points. With so many senior players leaving next year, this gutsy performance from the seconds should provide hope for the future.
