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Cambridge Green Lions tough it out against Lincoln |
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24 October 2008 |
The Cambridge team were at full strength this week for the first game of the season at Trinity Old Fields and needed to have all hands on deck for what was going to be a game contested for the full 80 minutes.
The Cambridge team were at full strength this week for the first game of the season at Trinity Old Fields and needed to have all hands on deck for what was going to be a game contested for the full 80 minutes. Lincoln University have moved up a division after laying waste to their opposition last year and the word was that they would be no pushovers in any game they played in. They are perhaps the biggest side to have played at Trinity for many years and this would be a massive test of heart and attitude for the Cambridge side.
The game kicked off in perfect conditions but an early penalty conceded by Cambridge invited the big pack of Lincoln to hammer into them and they were rewarded with a converted try after three minutes. Cambridge had to dig deep to take the ball up and cop some early big hits and the accompanying sledging from their opponents but that is part of the sport of Rugby League. The best way to stop the chat from your opponents is to keep carting the ball up and then be strong in defence and there were periods towards the end of the first half, where due to errors by the Green Lions gifting their opponents sets of six near their line, that they had to muscle up and repel hit up after hit up from the Lincoln forwards. This was a massive turning point in the game because Cambridge started to dominate the collisions in both defence and attack where Lincoln had no answer to the speed of the play, the ball and scooting of the outside backs. Hooker George Sykes took advantage of slack marking near the line to touch down for a try underneath the sticks which he then converted.
The half time score of 6 all was a fair reflection of a hard 40 minutes of rugby league, but the tough work had been done by Cambridge and they knew that if they kept the tempo going for the next 40 minutes then they would be in a great position to win the game.
The second half for the first twenty minutes was still an arm wrestle between the teams with both teams scoring converted tries, the Cambridge try being one of the best solo efforts seen on Trinity for some years scored by Will Brewster, and that seemed to lift the Cambridge boys whilst deflating a now visibly tiring Lincoln team. The focus before the game kicked off was on patience and making sure the Lions were still in the game with twenty minutes to go and in the last period, Ali Glass with 2 tries and Big Luke Tyson with the other - all converted by George Sykes, made the score line wider than the game suggests. The best moment of the day came from the boot of James Shearman, who being given the ball 25 metres out and on the last tackle, nonchalantly drop kicked the ball over for a rare light blue one pointer. A late converted try from Lincoln made the score line a fair reflection of what had been tough opponents for Cambridge.
The final score of CUARLFC 31 - Lincoln University 20, gives Cambridge a share of the lead in the BUCS Midlands division alongside next week's opponents Loughborough University B - 2pm at Trinity Old Fields.
The KCJ Man of the Match was Will Brewster for his game breaking try midway through the second half which lifted the team's performance up a notch for the all important last twenty minutes of the game.
The club is inviting anybody who wants to give league a try to their Saturday morning training sessions, 10.00am at Trinity Old Fields.
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