Blues Batter Hillcroft
With the Lacrosse Varsity matches looming on Saturday of 7th week, Oxford wanted to send out the right message to Cambridge last weekend. They faced the South of England number 3, Hillcroft.
The Blues have had a strong season at home and with a near full-strength squad, hopes were high. The first quarter surpassed all expectations, as from the whistle Oxford took possession on the face-offs and quickly set up settled plays. Coach Alex Lee had hammered home the importance of possession and it paid off. Hillcroft's defence were constantly under pressure and it was not long before Jimmy Veitch got Oxford off to an early lead. From this, the goals kept coming, steadily, but without reply. Rarely did the visitors get the ball from their half, and then mostly after missed shots, which the Blues were initially failing to back-up. A first quarter score of 3-0 showed what the Blues can do when faced with a well-drilled team.
The second quarter started even better than the first. Co-captain Carl Hope followed up his first quarter goal with two more in almost as many minutes. Calm as ever on the crease, he seemed to get the required space and time when all around him was frantic scrabbling from the Hillcroft defence. With so many high-class shooters on the pitch the visitors were unable to mark out any one man, and the next four Oxford goals all came from different players - not just from isolation plays, but from a variety of distances, angles, set-plays and fluke opportunities. The Blues soon mastered the Hillcroft clear as well, giving the goalie no outlet when clearing the ball. Retention of possession, improved communication in midfield defence and the superb long-stick defence which we have come to expect of Oxford ensured that at half time, they were standing 9 goals up with no reply, and indeed only one opposing shot on target.
At half time the Oxford coach reiterated his belief that games are determined in the first ten minutes of the second half, and it seemed as though the tide was about to turn in this crucial period. Hillcroft in their frustration were playing a far more physical game, as the occasional gasps from the gathered crowd attested. Whilst this resulted in an increasing number of penalties being awarded to the Blues, Oxford were not without players in the sin-bin. The defence finally let Hillcroft put the pressure on returning Oxford keeper Craig Tiedman and the visitors scored two on man-up plays. Carl Hope secured his place as the Blues' top scorer and saved them from an embarrassing third period, equalling the quarter score at 2-2.
Determined to regain their first-half momentum, Oxford launched into the fourth quarter, again firing from all sides. The wide array of attacks and speed of the generally fitter Oxford squad once again prevented any substantial defence from Hillcroft. Mike Estill, Jimmy Veitch and Alex Lee scored their second, third and second goals of the match respectively, with only one reply from the now flagging visiting side. The final score, 14-3 to Oxford, against one of the top teams in the South of England, showed just what this team is capable of, and sent a clear message to Cambridge: Varsity is ours.
<ul><li><a href="http://www.oxford-lacrosse.org.uk/">www.oxford-lacrosse.org.uk</a></li></ul>
21st Feb 2002