The 60 group games have been contested, 60 battles fought, each with their own twists and turns. There have been shocks and surprises along the way, as the crowds at the JLD have been entertained by the skill on display.
Each game has its own story, the moments of glory and joy, as well as the times of disappointment and despair. Every emotion has been touched, from pure jubilation to heartbreak and dismay.
The excitement has engulfed the sporting atmosphere at the University; exams have been put aside as players and fans alike turn out to represent their college.
Now only eight teams remain, eight goliaths, each with their eyes firmly set on lifting the trophy, each dreaming of holding the precious cup. Only three more matches stand between them and glory, their chance to write their name in history, the opportunity to bring pride and honour to their beloved college.
For these eight, the first part of their journey has been navigated, but the story of the tournament as a whole has only just begun.
Group 1
We saw a major contender and a surprise package advance through to the quarter finals, as Derwent 1sts were joined by Halifax 3rds in the main draw. Both teams held off stiff competition from Goodricke 2nds who progressed through to the Plate competition alongside Wentworth 1sts.
Derwent’s campaign started off with two narrow but effective 1-0 wins. On paper, Wentworth 1sts seemed their biggest rivals, but were defeated by Halifax 3rds and Langwith 2nds. Halifax, meanwhile, enjoyed a perfect start, recording two wins to top the group, by distinction of goals scored.
In the next set of games, Derwent 1sts produced an emphatic display, putting five past James 3rds whilst Halifax maintained their 100% record with a battling 2-1 victory over Langwith.
But then the form book was dramatically chucked out of the window. Firstly Halifax’s unbeaten run was ended by Goodricke 2nds, before Wentworth defeated a star-studded Derwent 1sts side 3-1. James 3rds also recorded their first victory with an enterprising performance to defeat Langwith 2nds.
Monday Week 7 saw Wentworth play out a 1-1 draw with James 3rds, securing their plate qualification. Goodricke 2nds were then held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Langwith 2nds, knowing that a win would have guaranteed second place.
The previous result meant that both Derwent 1sts and Halifax 3rds were guaranteed qualification. Nevertheless there was still much to play for, as the winner would avoid a quarter-final clash with James 1sts. One of Derwent’s most consistent performers, Alex D’Albertanson, put in a top notch performance to help his side to a 2-0 victory.
Group 2
James 1sts and Alcuin 1sts eventually progressed to the quarter-finals, but there were hitches along the way.
Meanwhile, Vanbrugh 2nds and Wentworth 2nds grabbed positions in the Plate at the expense of Goodricke 3rds and Halifax 4ths.
In the first round of matches, James came out on top in the heavyweight clash, running out 3-1 winners over Alcuin. James went on to notch three more victories, the highlights being an 8-0 annihilation of Wentworth 2nds and a survived scare against Halifax 4ths in a game which saw Tom Clarke bail his side out with a sublime hat-trick.
Alcuin improved, with wins over Halifax and Goodricke, whilst Vanbrugh 2nds remained in contention with consecutive wins.
In Week 6 they succumbed 1-0 in a key encounter to Alcuin, which all but sealed the fate of the group. In another twist, James were then deducted two points for failing to supply an referee.
The final round of matches pitted Alcuin against Wentworth, knowing that a point would secure their progress, and a win would give them a chance of surpassing James. As it was, Wentworth performed admirably to hold Alcuin to a goalless draw, the first of the tournament, before James also drew an unexpected blank against Vanbrugh 2nds.
The final group game had nothing riding on it, but ended on a high for Halifax 4ths as they thumped Goodricke 3rds 3-0. James eventually topped the group, thanks largely to the goal-scoring exploits of Clarke and James Davies, and will play Halifax 3rds in the quarter-finals.
Group 3
The so-called ‘Group of Death’ saw Halifax 1sts come top of the pile on goal difference, closely followed by Goodricke 1sts. Both teams recorded four wins, Halifax recovering from an opening day defeat to James 2nds by winning four consecutive games. Goodricke’s only defeat was to Halifax, the reward being a quarter-final date against Vanbrugh 1sts.
Vanbrugh 3rds, James 2nds and Derwent 3rds all provided formidable opposition to the top two teams in the group. Derwent were hindered by a points deduction early on for not supplying a referee, while James never really replicated their form against Halifax, leaving Vanbrugh, who had been very solid defensively, to pose the greatest challenge to the top two.
The group remained wide open going into the final set of matches, with four teams in contention. Halifax’s contest against Vanbrugh 3rds proved crucial, and victory for the former sealed the fate of the group, whilst Goodricke required a second half comeback against James 2nds to secure their progress.
Vanbrugh advanced through to the plate competition, along with James 2nds, at the expense of Derwent and the winless Alcuin 3rds, who both exit the competition.
Group 4
The final group saw Vanbrugh 1sts impressively qualify, despite a final day defeat against Halifax 2nds. The Halifax teams have been incredibly successful, with Halifax 2nds making it three ‘Fax sides in the quarter-finals, setting up a clash with their own 1st team.
Again, this group was hotly contested, with Langwith 1sts displaying the ever-improving prowess of York’s smallest college by pushing the top two hard, before eventually having to settle for Plate qualification alongside Derwent 3rds.
Vanbrugh’s success was built largely on their solid defensive structure, as they began with four clean sheets, all of which led to wins. Halifax displayed great form during the group stages, with their highlight being a 7-0 demolition of Derwent 3rds.
However, their progress was thwarted by Langwith 1sts, who stunned a strong Halifax side, to leave the group wide open going into the final set of matches.
At the other end of the group, Alcuin 2nds and Wentworth 3rds were struggling, as neither had won any games before their meeting in the last round of matches. As it was, Wentworth prevailed to add to Alcuin’s woes, and leave them with the wooden spoon of the group.
Langwith 1sts still harboured hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Cup, but that depended on Vanbrugh defeating Halifax. As it was Vanbrugh didn’t hold up their side of the bargain, as Halifax 2nds sealed a thrilling 3-2 victory.
Both teams progressed into the quarters at the expense of Langwith, who ended their campaign on a high with a 2-0 win over Derwent 3rds and will now be one of the favourites for the Plate.