2nd XI to Hall; League trophy to Magdalen
Teddy Hall produced a convincing display to beat Pembroke and win Second xi Cuppers on a cold day at Iffley.
They had the majority of the possession and chances over the course of the game, although Pembroke continued to threaten and it remained a closely fought match right up to the final whistle.
Pembroke began brightly and after just a couple of minutes Dave Aston rattled the bar of the Hall goal. Hall reasserted themselves and after 15 minutes of the match they took the lead when the Pembroke goalkeeper bundled the ball into his own net under pressure from Will Hepworth, after Andrew Olsen hit the bar with a header.
Pembroke continued to threaten, although Teddy Hall almost scored twice more before half time when Chris Atkinson narrowly shot wide. A good run by Olsen set up strike partner Ed Blois-Brooke who shot just wide.
Pembroke started the second half with much greater strength as they sought to get back on level terms.
Teddy Hall keeper Lawrence Hargrave made a series of good saves as Pembroke continued to apply pressure, including one to deny Sykes. Hall captain Julian Baker also made a number of key tackles.
After half an hour of the second half Teddy Hall increased their lead when a corner was cleared, only for Liam Kelly to score with a nicely struck half volley from outside the penalty area. Blois-Brooke also had a couple of chances.
Pembroke persisted and were rewarded with a goal in the last ten minutes when Aston made a surging run down the wing, Rami Tappuni hit the bar with a header and Sykes scored from the rebound.
This ensured a tense last few minutes for Hall as Pembroke refused to give up and came close to equalising. However the win was sealed by a late goal from Hepworth, who was put through on the right inside the area to score, after some good link-up play between the Teddy Hall attackers.
With the football league season over, the three triumphant league sides of Magdalen, St Hugh's and Somerville all received their championship trophies last Wednesday in Oriel College's Champney's Room, along with OUAFC Treasurer Richard Tur and Graham White, a representative from the league sponsors Slaughter & May.
The trophies were presented in reverse order, which meant that Imaad Ahmed, the Somerville captain, was first up to collect the Second Division trophy. Having been invited by Richard Tur to say a few words, Imaad was keen to thank his players, who he said had made his captaincy relatively easy through their effort and hard work.
The next captain to get his hands on some silverware was Rob Forder from St. Hugh's who was presented with the First Division cup. He too thanked his squad of players as well as Richard Tur for his superb organisation of the league this season.
Last, the Magdalen captain Tom Massey was called upon to collect the Premier Division trophy. He thanked his players for humouring him during the season, and said that he was also grateful to Slaughter & May for their sponsorship.
6th May 2004