No resurrection for Corpus Christi
CCC/Som..........18 LMH/Trinity........5
LMH and Corpus Christi came head to head on Wednesday in a game largely overshadowed by the St Peter’s title decider against St Hugh’s. With little to be gained for either side, one could be forgiven for expecting a lacklustre encounter with a primary goal of preventing injuries before the pending first round of cuppers. Corpus lay marooned at the bottom, doomed to relegation regardless of any winning margin, whilst the top two spots were already out of reach for the mid-table LMH side.
Fortunately, either neither side was aware of the mathematical insignificance of this match, or else they didn’t care. What followed was a thrilling encounter of blistering pace and skill from both sides. Corpus fi- nally showed their first division pedigree, putting two tries past the visitors on their way to a resounding 18-5 victory. The early stages were hard fought, with both sides struggling to gain the upper hand.
Characterized by big tackles and good defensive work, the first twenty five minutes saw the score-line remain barren. Neither side really had any clear opportunities, and one felt this was due in no small part to an unwillingness to take risks early on. On the wrong end of some heavy defeats this season, both LMH and Corpus can be forgiven for their reluctance to concede prematurely. As it turned out, the game began to open up in the 30th minute.
Guy Baker, the Corpus prop, made a forceful dash to the try line only to be brought down just short with a fantastic saving tackle. Minutes later, apparently buoyed by some inspirational creative moves, Luke Bennett took a pass on the overlap and scythed his way through the LMH back line. Brushing off at least three big tackles, the pacy forward made his way under the posts for the first try. A simple conversion from fly-half Lawrence Harris propelled the Corpus/Somerville side into a 7-0 lead.
Despite gritty determination from an LMH team desperate to make it to half time without conceding again, a penalty in the dying minutes saw the home side extend the deficit to ten points. The second half saw a revived away side take the game to Corpus. LMH displayed a creative fluency which had so far evaded them in open play. A sustained period of pressure culminated in a brilliant run down the right, and a deserved try for the visitors.
Unfortunately, at 10-5, this was as good as it got for LMH/ Trinity. Corpus resumed their dominance, and were eventually rewarded on seventy minutes when Tom Charlick dived over in the corner. Despite narrowly missing the conversion, Harris was again to feature in the final moments of the match. A ferocious hand-off allowed Alexander Topouzoglou to break down the wing. The ensuing break-down lead to an offside in the centres, and the penalty was duly dispatched by the golden boot of Harris.
With the final whistle signaling the first Corpus points of their campaign, fans and players alike were understandably jubilant. Rather than reflecting on a bottom place finish, the victory put the home side in optimistic humour. Corpus captain Ben Moreton said: “we battled hard and finally showed what we are capable of. A cuppers run is definitely in the offing.” On the strength of today’s performance it surely won’t be long before they are back in line for promotion.
2nd Feb 2006