The opening five weeks of College Cup action has been filled with thrills and spills. True, there tended to be more of the latter, but there has been no shortage of memorable moments, colossal clashes and debatable decisions.
The big teams came through the group stages largely unscathed. Vanbrugh 1sts, Halifax 1sts and James 1sts each won five out of five, while Derwent 1sts and Goodricke 1sts won four and lost only once – each to the side in their group who joined them in the top two. Halifax 2nds and Vanbrugh 2nds also progressed to the final eight, at the expense of Alcuin 1sts and Wentworth 1sts, respectively. The fairy-tale of the Cup, though, has been James 3rds. They toppled not only Langwith 1sts, but also Wentworth 2nds and Alcuin 2nds to reach the elite group.
Group A was both the most one-sided and, at the same time, most exciting. Halifax 1sts walked the group, barely breaking sweat in their unbeaten run, without conceding a goal. In truth, they have yet to be tested, but they showed no signs of weakness.
Behind them sat five very evenly matched sides. Langwith 1sts were narrow favourites to claim second spot but a series of disasters – a last second penalty miss by Matt Morton in a 2-1 defeat to Derwent 3rds and a 9-0 demolition by Halifax – saw them drop to fifth and into the Vase.
Derwent 3rds and Wentworth 2nds each recorded two wins in their five matches, but they both had to settle for the plate as James 3rds rose to the summit of this mini-league within Group A. Derwent would have finished second, but for a two point deduction for failing to provide a referee. Refereeing, and the points deductions for not providing one for designated matches, remained one of the most contentious issues of the Cup.
James only won once, but proved hard to beat. Only Halifax 1sts beat them, and that by their narrowest margin of the competition so far (2-0). Alcuin 2nds, who picked up a point against James and against Langwith 1sts but ended without a win, were eliminated.
Group B saw another side rise to the top. James 1sts, led by the indubitable attacking supremoes Tom Clarke and James Davies, scored more goals than any other side in the groups to finish top. Vanbrugh 2nds join them in the Cup; they recorded three wins, and achieved the necessary point in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Wentworth 1sts in their final game to confirm second place.
Wentworth, understrength for the early games which put their Cup hopes on the back foot, drop into the Plate, alongside Derwent 2nds, who showed flashes of brilliance yet also dropped crucial points along the way.
That left Alcuin 3rds and Goodricke 3rds to battle it out for the Vase spot. Alcuin had the upper hand thanks to a point against Derwent 2nds, while Goodricke suffered a record 12-0 hammering to James 1sts. Alcuin got the draw they needed and finished fifth, Goodricke ending bottom and going out.
Group C was another which was closely fought. Goodricke 1sts and Halifax 2nds remained unbeaten against the rest of the group, which was enough for them to finish first and second, respectively. Halifax would have finished top but for a points deduction. That threatened to derail their campaign, but they overcame it to beat Goodricke and ensure qualification, despite a scare in their final game against Vanbrugh 3rds.
Alcuin 1sts won three games, but tended to do so in less than convincing fashion. Defeat to Goodricke and a draw with Halifax condemned them to the Plate, to be joined by Vanbrugh 3rds, who showed themselves to be a tough proposition.
Vanbrugh overthrew Langwith 2nds, who will compete in the Vase, while Wentworth 3rds – the only side to have lost all five College Cup matches – were unsurprisingly eliminated.
Group D saw perhaps the highest quality battle for the Cup places. Vanbrugh 1sts got the upper hand very early thanks to their controversial win against Derwent 1sts, and never looked back on their way to top the group as they aim to defend the Cup they won twelve months ago.
Derwent, on the other hand, were forced to work for their place by that result. By the final week, though, they had really hit their stride and overcame the admirable James 2nds to confirm themselves in second place. James, like Derwent, had only dropped points to Vanbrugh before the final match, but Derwent proved too strong.
James 2nds thus enter the Plate, and will be one of the favourites for it. Halifax 3rds join them there; quirkily, they took only four points and scored only three goals, yet their fourth place was secure going into the final week.
Much of that was down to Goodricke 2nds inability to win a game; when they finally managed it, they did it with a bang, beating Langwith 3rds 9-0 to qualify for the Vase. 36 goals conceded and on -1 points due to a deduction, Langwith 3rds are out and make the long trip home to Heslington East.