Champs go head-to-head

Some of these teams would be forgiven for thinking that history is repeating itself.

In the 2012 College Cup, James 1sts, Vanbrugh 2nds and Goodricke 3rds were all drawn in Group 2. One year later, they find themselves in similar circumstances. Derwent 2nds and Alcuin 3rds will also wage war again after the two teams faced each other in Group 3 last time around.

James 1sts were many people’s favourites in 2012 as they demolished everyone before losing 2-1 to Halifax 1sts in the semi-finals. This year they once again have realistic ambitions to win the tournament.

However, their form this season has been patchy. Champions of the autumn term league, thanks to a 5-1 demolition of Derwent 1sts on the final day, they were thrashed 6-1 by Wentworth 1sts en route to finishing fourth in the spring term league.

With the attacking talent at their disposal, though, they can never be underestimated. James Davies and Freddie Ferrao have matured into strong university players and in Tom Clarke, James have a player who can score goals from anywhere; his overhead kick and subsequent hat-trick against Halifax 4ths last year was memorable indeed.

Wentworth will be favourites to claim the runners-up position, having won the spring term league title. With a wealth of experience, epitomised by Dom Green who has probably lost count of the number of College Cups he has played in, Wentworth know how to navigate the challenges of the JLD. Their opening match will be against James 1sts, which will be an early indicator of their progress.

Vanbrugh 2nds qualified for the Plate last year, and although they will be targeting a top two finish, don’t be surprised if they just miss out again. They did manage a 0-0 draw against James 1sts and also beat Goodricke 3rds 2-0, so have a decent record against their group opponents. Tom Parish, with the witty shirt name “Church”, is their key player who also has experience playing for Vanbrugh 1sts.

Derwent 2nds will be keen to avoid a repeat of last season’s unmitigated disaster, after they suffered an early points deduction for not supplying a referee and crashed out of the competition altogether. Their only highlight that time was a 5-0 win against Alcuin 3rds, a result they will be hoping to emulate.

As for Alcuin and Goodricke, they won’t be under any pressure and can go out and enjoy themselves. What’s more, the two teams will be keen to better each other, having struck up a fierce rivalry in their league and the final, potentially crucial, fixture of this group is between these two.

Goodricke are known to be a good passing team for a thirds outfit, but are also strong in the tackle and difficult to play against. Alcuin have developed a similar style over the last year, despite being traditionally associated with the long ball game. Securing a position in the Plate is not out of the question for either side, and stranger things have happened in the cup.