Hartpury make it a super six try win against Cambridge
by Mo Sher
Mark Cornwell’s men perfectly captured the feel-good vibe of a new term on campus, Hartpury easing past a Cambridge outfit which struggled to match their hosts’ tempo.
A brisk night in Gloucestershire needed something to warm a healthy crowd – plenty of fresh-faced first years enjoying the surrounds of their new home – and their men duly obliged.
The irrepressible Harry Short snuck into a corner in just the second minute and before Cambridge had time to re-group after the early sucker punch, the equally lively Ethan Hunt was driven over from a clinically executed maul.
You’d expect most sides trailing by 14 points within ten minutes, away from home, to go into damage limitation mode for the next 20 minutes. But to their credit, the visitors absorbed the double blow and settled.
What they hadn’t bargained for, however, was a ‘Pury team fizzing with purpose.
Harry Bazalgette was able to steer the ship serenely in the playmaker role – ‘it’s a lovely ride when the boys up front are smashing everything in their path’ was his way of thanking his pack – and he watched on as Hartpury scored an outstanding third.
Clean lineout ball was moved quickly, Robbie Smith displaying the deftest of hands to find Hunt on the rampage on his inside. Clean break, clean over the line, clear daylight at 21-0.
Cambridge boss Richie Williams didn’t mince his words at the interval, and you could see the verbal battering infuse through his group in the middle quarter of the game.
The visitors were more hustle and bustle in their work, Matt Hema plundering yards every time he got hold of the ball.
Indeed, the midfielder ran himself to a standstill such was his appetite for work over the course of the night and his efforts alone merited a little more for Cambridge.
Hunt was denied a hat-trick due to a forward pass in the build-up, ahead of Cambridge’s opening try.
A huge shove in front of the Hartpury posts saw a scrum win, the ball moved wide quickly to allow Sam Hanks to power over.
Just as thoughts moved to a big final 15 minutes, though, Cornwell’s men awoke from their temporary slumber.
Ollie Holliday acrobatically finished in the corner, Short inching over six minutes later to finally take the wind out of the Cambridge sail.
There was time for Alex Gibson to add a sixth, borrowing over from five metres – but there was a final flourish from the ‘Black and Sand’.
A spate of quick hands opened up the red defensive wall, Ollie Betteridge gliding through untouched to give Cambridge their second of the night and delighting the healthy visiting support in the process.
Cornwell isn’t a man to get carried away, but even he will have smiled upon seeing the Championship standings at the close of the evening, his men moving into the division’s top four.
Stats:
Hartpury 43
Tries: Harry Short 2, 73, Ethan Hunt 5, 27, Ollie Holliday 65, Alex Gibson 78
Conversions: Harry Bazalgette 3, 6, 28, 74, 79
Penalties: Harry Bazalgette 40
Drop Goals:
Cambridge 10
Tries: Sam Hanks 60, Ollie Betteridge 80
Conversions:
Penalties:
Drop Goals:
Yellow cards: Sam Hanks (40)
Star players: Harry Short (Hartpury) / Matt Hema (Cambridge)
Referee: Joe James
Half time score: 24-0
Attendance: 910
|
Hartpury |
|
Cambridge |
|
6 |
Penalties conceded |
12 |
|
14 |
Line outs won |
6 |
|
3 |
Line outs lost |
2 |
|
1 |
Scrums won |
6 |
|
1 |
Scrums lost |
1 |
|
0 |
Sin bins |
1 |
Line-ups (15-9; 1-8):
Hartpury: Alex Morgan; Bradley Denty (Ioan Jones 57), Josiah Edwards-Giraud, Robert Smith (Rory Taylor 65), Ollie Holliday; Harry Bazalgette, Michael Austin (Charlie Chapman 57); Aristot Benz-Salomon (Alex Gibson 73), Ethan Hunt (Will Crane 57), Jonathan Benz-Salmon (Joe Rees 65); Lemon (Cameron Cobbett 15), Jack Davies; Sam Lewis (Ellis Hart 76), Harry Short, Evan Minto
Replacements not used: N/A
Cambridge: Joe Tarrant (Arthur Lennon 66); Josh Skelcey (Ollie Betteridge 66), Matt Hema, Sam Hanks, Matt Williams; Louis Grimoldby, Peter White (Ruaridh Dawson 50); Jake Ellwood (Seb Brownhill 60), Morgan Veness, Billy Walker (Jake Bridges 60); Kayde Sylvester, George Bretag-Norris (Gareth Baxter 50); Iestyn Rees, Jared Cardew (Jake Ellwood 67), Jack Bartlett (Ben Adams 50)
Replacements not used: Toby Knight
