Worcester stick it to Univ
Worcester celebrate their first goal in the Hockey Cuppers final at Iffley
Hockey Cuppers Final Worcester 3 - 1 Univ
On a sunny, Sunday afternoon, Worcester and Univ came together to battle it out in the mixed hockey cuppers final 2005. Worcester had progressed to the final exhibiting great skill and flair, with Univ reaching the final through sheer grit and determination. The contrast of the semi finals bore this out, with Worcester racking up a fine victory against Wadham/ Corpus.
In the first half the two teams were finely balanced, Worcester possibly having the edge, but a diving reverse stick effort from Martin Pickup broke Wadham/Corpus hearts. The second half was all Worcester, with goals from Mark Lumb, riding various challenges to slide his shot past the keeper, and Mark Austin, ending an excellent move, firing home his finish. It was “champagne hockey”, as one spectator observed. The final result was 3-0 to Worcester.
The second semi was a much more even affair between Univ and Brasenose. Both teams enjoyed the presence of their university hockey players, and thus the standard was high. Hard hitting and deft control dominated the game, and slick passing made the match a great spectacle. The first half was even, but the second saw Brasenose begin to dominate, pressing hard in the final quarter with a long period of sustained pressure.
Just as it seemed the goal must surely come for them, Univ midfielder Chris Maskell prompted an excellent breakaway, dribbling his way stylishly through several tackles, and his incisive ball found Gareth Toplis in the penalty area whose reverse stick shot hit the target. Despite a frantic aftermath, Brasenose were unable to penetrate, and the final result remained 1-0 to Univ. The final began at a fearsome pace as both teams steamed into each other, hoping to establish dominance.
The first warning signs for Univ came as Worcester’s John Gibbons had his goal disallowed, firing high into the net from a short corner. Minutes after, a driven ball was lifted unintentionally from one Univ player into another, resulting in Chris Burgess being taken off with a bloody nose. This heavy blow took its toll five minutes later when Ollie Middleton drove in a free hit from just outside the penalty area, nonchalantly deflected in by Martin Pickup for Worcester’s first goal.
The teams traded shots from Univ’s Rich Gayle and Worcester’s Mark Austin at either end, providing ample entertainment as the first half drew to a close. The second half brought more action as Worcester continued to press hard and deny the opposition space. Univ, however, had the first effort when a scramble in the penalty area ended with a brave clearance from left-back Bennett to deny them. Ten minutes into the second half, Worcester began to take control.
A forceful run by Martin Pickup into the penalty area set up Becky Waller to shoot from the right of the goal, which she duly finished. Less than two minutes later Ollie Middleton finished another Worcester move, storming his way into a scoring position, riding some clumsy tackles before drilling it low to the right of the keeper.
The floodgates of Univ’s defence threatened to break as Worcester were in party mood, but Univ’s immovable Maskell time and again stood firm as the dust settled after Worcester stampedes, emerging crouched with the ball at his stick. In the final few minutes Univ demonstrated their courageous spirit as Rich Gayle put through Charlotte Thomas one on one with the keeper and her shot flew between the legs of goalkeeper Bendov Tate, who otherwise had an excellent game.
The final result stayed at 3- 1. Worcester’s captain, Lee Aye, told The Oxford Student: “The scoreline didn’t reflect the game”, and was very complimentary to the Univ team. He seemed delighted at the result, “we lost on penalty flicks last year, so to win is really awesome.”
19th May 2005