ORIEL – 0
NEW – 3

New College grabbed an important away victory against a flagging Oriel side, thanks to a perfect blend of persistence and patience. Oriel fought hard throughout, but could not match some decent play with goals, while New, having struggled to create through much of the game, scored three late goals to continue their excellent start of the season.

The highly physical encounter could well have gone either way, with both teams struggling to create the final ball until late on. It was in fact Oriel who dominated the opening exchanges, getting out of the traps first and looking to test goalkeeper Alex Khosla at any opportunity.

Their first big chance came inside the first ten minutes, when a well delivered free kick just outside the area was headed onto the bar by skipper Jonty Warner. Oriel looked to have possession under control and a flowing passing game, yet lacked any kind of killer ball to supply strikers Webb and Hoare with ammunition, which eventually proved to be the story of the game for the side floundering at the wrong end of the table.

Yet New College were not prepared to lose their grip at the top without a fight, and a few big challenges soon turned the heat up. Howell, a constant thorn in the side of the Oriel defence, began popping up left right and centre, looking to latch onto any through-balls carved out by the New midfield, although they were merely frustrated by the strong Oriel offside trap as the first half was played out to a pacy finish.

In the Oriel camp, Warner’s instructions were clear: keeping the ball on the ground in good conditions would lead to solid chances, whereas the tried and tested method of long-balls to Webb would not. He soon got his wish when the midfield began working the ball around the pitch at a steady rhythm, with little reply from New. Harry Hoare pulled his markers wide and opened up gaps and chances which gave American ‘keeper Sam Evans something to think about. However, it’s a mystery where his mind disappeared to in the 70th minute, when two incredibly weak goal kicks gave Gibbon and then Hoare clear cut chances to put Oriel ahead, which were ultimately wasted.

This stroke of luck seemed to spur league leaders New into action and almost instantly they replied with the breakthrough. Scrappy play by the Oriel defence left Robin Cantwell to sweep the loose ball just ahead of Howell, who caressed the ball past the onrushing Khosla with the deftest of finishes on 75. It had been a frustrating wait for the goal, and, as if at a bus stop, two more soon followed. Captains Painton and Warner had marshalled their teams well in an aggressive game, yet ultimately one had to prevail. Painton was released down the left wing and slid in a tantalising cross that was diverted into the Oriel goal by leader Warner himself. Although Oriel had worked tirelessly all game, heads dropped and the third goal was straightforward. A late corner just wasn’t dealt with, allowing Tommy Stadlen to open his account for the college from 5 yards out.

Despite Hoare hitting the bar with a volley that could – and perhaps should – have been put in the back of the net, the crushed yet unfortunate Oriel side had a sloppy end to the game, the scoreline of which somewhat flattered New. The game proved to be a lesson in converting chances when on top, and New showed why their ability to do just that has seen them storm to the top of the table approaching the halfway point in the season.

New College grabbed an important away victory against a flagging Oriel side, thanks to a perfect blend of persistence and patience. Oriel fought hard throughout, but could not match some decent play with goals, while New, having struggled to create through much of the game, scored three late goals to continue their excellent start of the season.

The highly physical encounter could well have gone either way, with both teams struggling to create the final ball until late on. It was in fact Oriel who dominated the opening exchanges, getting out of the traps first and looking to test goalkeeper Alex Khosla at any opportunity.

Their first big chance came inside the first ten minutes, when a well delivered free kick just outside the area was headed onto the bar by skipper Jonty Warner. Oriel looked to have possession under control and a flowing passing game, yet lacked any kind of killer ball to supply strikers Webb and Hoare with ammunition, which eventually proved to be the story of the game for the side floundering at the wrong end of the table.

Yet New College were not prepared to lose their grip at the top without a fight, and a few big challenges soon turned the heat up. Howell, a constant thorn in the side of the Oriel defence, began popping up left right and centre, looking to latch onto any through-balls carved out by the New midfield, although they were merely frustrated by the strong Oriel offside trap as the first half was played out to a pacy finish.

In the Oriel camp, Warner’s instructions were clear: keeping the ball on the ground in good conditions would lead to solid chances, whereas the tried and tested method of long-balls to Webb would not. He soon got his wish when the midfield began working the ball around the pitch at a steady rhythm, with little reply from New. Harry Hoare pulled his markers wide and opened up gaps and chances which gave American ‘keeper Sam Evans something to think about. However, it’s a mystery where his mind disappeared to in the 70th minute, when two incredibly weak goal kicks gave Gibbon and then Hoare clear cut chances to put Oriel ahead, which were ultimately wasted.

This stroke of luck seemed to spur league leaders New into action and almost instantly they replied with the breakthrough. Scrappy play by the Oriel defence left Robin Cantwell to sweep the loose ball just ahead of Howell, who caressed the ball past the onrushing Khosla with the deftest of finishes on 75. It had been a frustrating wait for the goal, and, as if at a bus stop, two more soon followed. Captains Painton and Warner had marshalled their teams well in an aggressive game, yet ultimately one had to prevail. Painton was released down the left wing and slid in a tantalising cross that was diverted into the Oriel goal by leader Warner himself. Although Oriel had worked tirelessly all game, heads dropped and the third goal was straightforward. A late corner just wasn’t dealt with, allowing Tommy Stadlen to open his account for the college from 5 yards out.

Despite Hoare hitting the bar with a volley that could – and perhaps should – have been put in the back of the net, the crushed yet unfortunate Oriel side had a sloppy end to the game, the scoreline of which somewhat flattered New. The game proved to be a lesson in converting chances when on top, and New showed why their ability to do just that has seen them storm to the top of the table approaching the halfway point in the season.

With the first month out of the way, it’s clear that changes are afoot at OURLFC this season. A massive recruitment effort at the end of trinity has lead to unprecedented interest in the club. Record numbers at early season training have meant that the dream of becoming a two team club has been realised for the first time in OURLFC’s history.

Although there have been challenges that go along with running an extra team, the benefits make it clear that “The Maroons” are here to stay. On the pitch they won their first two games against Warwick University 2nds and Brunel University. The Maroons came down to earth with a bump in week 3 however, losing 60-30 at home to local rivals Oxford Brookes, who are now runaway league leaders. Despite this, a number of players have performed excellently for the Maroons with Jacob Turner’s exceptional defence being a highlight.

The Blues, having stepped up to the BUCS Premier South division, have competed well. Pre-season friendlies against Oxford Brookes and Oxford Cavaliers were keenly contested, with the Blues beating their university rivals before falling to the Cavaliers in the annual Jacques Scott Memorial Match. In BUCS, a challenging first game, against an experienced Nottingham University side, proved too much for many of the club’s new players as the Blues went down 52 points to 12. Although clearly beaten, it has to be said that the game was more competitive than the score line suggested. The team bounced back in week 2 with a strong 42-24 win against Northampton University and, although at times disjointed, it was clear that the side were starting to come together.

Week 3 saw the Blues travelling away to UWIC for the first time since the club’s last stint in the Premier division back in 2003. Despite losing in the last minute, the Blues were the better side for large sections of the game, and were unlucky with a few refereeing decisions. The club will now be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing performance against Loughborough last week when they play Exeter this Wednesday.

Throughout the month some very strong individual performances, particularly from Pete Forster and Phil Satterthwaite, and with a number of key personnel, particularly Blues captain George Smibert, set to return the club’s strength can only improve. With tough fixtures ahead it’s clear that this will continue to be a challenging term for OURLFC.

You all train hard, as with all the blues squads. How rigorous is tennis training in a typical week?

Obviously with the Oxford schedule court time is an issue that there is not much getting around. We train twice for good two-hour sessions during the week with a bucs match every Wednesday, and Saturday fixtures against many prestigious tennis clubs. In Trinity in preparation for varsity training increases to most days (as long as the English weather does not have other plans.)

How is the season shaping up so far for the blues?

It’s going well. In Michaelmas it’s all about the bucs league and we are currently 4th in the top division of the country. This is no mean feat as the other five teams in our league are full on tennis academies.

I would imagine it’s tough to get team spirit going at points, what would you say?

Team spirit is easy when you’re winning, but sure, when the losses start rolling in it gets tough. Tennis is very much in the mind, and I feel as a team we’re pretty mentally tough and so this, as well as Park end on a Wednesday, create a strong team spirit.

Have any great freshers stepped up to the team?

We have one fresher in the squad this year, John Groom. He is stepping up to the plate very nicely and has won his last three singles against some very good players so it bodes well.

Do you personally think the use of graduates at the pinnacle of Oxford sport is unfair on aspiring undergraduates looking to push into the top teams?

I personally do not know what an “easy degree,” at Oxford involves or even if it exists. If they do exist then there is an argument. However as a sportsman you want to be the best even if you have more academic hours (again I don’t know if this is true). It should just inspire you to work harder and act as motivation.

Lastly, how do you fancy your varsity chances?

Varsity is a unique competition. It is a pressure cauldron that suits some but not others, and momentum can be won or lost in a couple of points. It’s impossible to call definitively. However, as a sportsman you must back yourself, which is exactly what we will do when the time comes.