Cambridge 0Oxford 20
Oxford’s Women came into the Varsity Match with high hopes due to the fine form which had seen them win their two previous matches without conceding a single point. Their confidence was rewarded as they started the match the stronger, soon scoring through Laura Richards after a well-executed backs move. The try, however, came as an incentive to Cambridge, who found some attacking form, and the half came to a close with Oxford having to display their well-organised defensive skills to prevent Cambridge converting their possession into points.
The second half however saw Oxford dominate proceedings far more thoroughly. Oxford created a string of fast phases, stretching the Cambridge defence and allowing Sarah Taylor to outpace the Cambridge full back on the line. This was followed by a Stacey Beard try as Oxford continued to exploit the width of the pitch. Cambridge’s misery ensued as their forwards found themselves completely outdone in the scrum. This led to panic among the backs and a misplaced kick was intercepted by the captain, Rebecca Young, who scored the final try of the match. It was perhaps surprising that the score was not even higher in Oxford’s favour as Cambridge looked completely outclassed. The final whistle meant the end of 240 minutes of rugby in which the Dark Blues had not conceded a single point.
Oxford’s two previous victories against Durham and Marjohns meant they also had a place in the semi-final of the BUSA Championship in Coventry to compete for a place in the final at Twickenham. The Blues sadly went down to a strong UWIC side, the final score of 32-7 perhaps belying the competitveness of this match ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2005
Season of success ends in Varsity glory
