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Photos: Zoe Bennell
Derwent 1sts will face 2012 runners-up Halifax 1sts in the College Cup Final after securing a comfortable victory over giant-killers James 3rds.
Joe Easter gave the favourites an early lead before a Brandreth throw bounced off Overo-Tarimo to make it 2-0.
Sam Earle rattled in a third from close range, but James hit back when Alex White slotted home to give the underdogs a glimmer of hope.
Overo-Tarimo’s stunning volley just before half time dashed any hopes, however, and late goals from Dan Atherton and David Kirk ensured comfortable passage into the premier college sport occasion of the year.
For James, it marked the end of a remarkable cup run which has seen a third team reach the semi-finals for the first time in recent years.
There was never any lack of effort amongst the team in black, a quality which reaped rewards in the quarter-final success over their own first team.
However, Derwent, seeking a second College Cup Final appearance in three years, did not dare underestimate their opponents and the gulf in quality told over the hour of play.
Both sides were tense in the early exchanges and the first chance was indeed the first goal, scored by Derwent after 10 minutes.
Easter embarked on direct run through the middle of the James defence and got lucky with a few ricochets off James defenders. With just the ‘keeper to beat, he coolly slotted the ball in.
Derwent did not sit on their advantage and immediately searched for a second. Tom Brandreth saw a looping volley fumbled by Woodcock and Tom Schofield cleared a Harrison header off the line as James defended desperately.
The second goal came from a familiar source on the JLD. A long throw, delivered by Brandreth, evaded everybody except Overo-Tarimo who reacted quickly to deflect the ball past Woodcock.
Within minutes, Derwent added a third to seemingly end the game as a contest when Earle tapped into an empty net, after Gwinnett’s initial shot rebounded off the post.
But James demonstrated their great courage which has brought them so far in the tournament with a goal which reduced the deficit to 3-1.
Kris Siva worked hard in midfield before feeding Will Goodwin. The midfielder then played a precise pass to White who stroked the ball into the bottom corner, sending the James fans into wild celebrations.
They were brought back down to Earth soon after, however, when Overo-Tarimo hit one of the goals of the tournament, producing exquisite technique to drive a volley at knee-height beyond a rooted Woodcock into the top corner.
After a breathtaking first half, the second period was relatively low-key. James tried to find a way back, bringing on Richard Williams, Andreas Boedt and Sam Wright to inject some pace into their play.
Nevertheless, Derwent continued to dominate as Earle couldn’t connect with an easy header from six yards and Trant’s goal was disallowed by referee Joe Lawton for offside.
James 3rds, having worked so hard for 50 minutes, were evidently tiring by the latter stages and Derwent added a couple more to their tally, first when Atherton collected a Belsham pass to prod home before Kirk completed the rout with a simple finish to make it 6-1.
After the match, Derwent captain Harrison told Vision: “I’m very happy – we did exactly what was needed. We would have been very disappointed if we lost, and we’re looking good for the final.”
On the match against Halifax, he added: “We know each other’s game, their strengths and their weaknesses. It should be a great clash and we’re going into the game with confidence.”
Meanwhile, James captain Ameer Alhasan said: “A few of the goals fell in the right place for them. I think 6-1 is an unfair reflection of how close the game was. I’m really proud of the boys for their effort in the tournament.”