Ultimate victory for Oxford team
Ultimate Frisbee Varsity
Cambridge.....................7
Oxford.........................14
Ninth week of Trinity term saw a 13-man squad travel to Cambridge to battle for the Ultimate Frisbee Varsity match. Oxford arrived looking to extend their impressive winning streak to a record four games. Confidence was certainly high after a good victory earlier in the season at University Nationals, but with many players having changed on both sides, the result was far from guaranteed. The match started with Oxford losing the toss and consequently having to play upwind.
Early jitters meant Oxford gave up possession close to their own endzone and Cambridge took advantage for the early break. Undeterred, the away side put up a typically calm response to score the next two points. The first half then settled down with the two sides trading downwind points. Oxford’s zone defence was creating pressure but Cambridge kept making low percentage plays to stay in touch at 6-4.
A marathon point just before the break saw multiple turnovers from both sides, but Oxford’s better fitness proved crucial as they broke the game open with the second upwind point of the game: a quick block and score on the next point meant Oxford took an 8-4 lead into half time. In the second half it was clear that everyone involved was tiring in the hot conditions and Cambridge could not continue to make the big plays they had relied on in the first half.
Nonetheless some poor defence allowed Cambridge to score a solitary point upwind late on, but the first half deficit was too much to overcome and Oxford held their heads for a convincing 14-7 win. This victory evened the longstanding series at five a piece.
5th Oct 2005