Triumphant Cats advance to Division 1 semi-finals
Posted By Admin on February 25, 2010
COLDHAMS COMMON, CAMBRIDGE
Cambridgeshire Cats 13 – 7 Oxford Saints
The Cambridgeshire Cats secured a dramatic 13-7 win against the Oxford Saints in their BAFA Division 1 quarter-final clash at Coldhams Common last Sunday.
With time ticking away in the fourth quarter, a trio of thundering planes flying in formation overhead, and the home crowd roaring defiantly and watching with terrified faces, the Saints marched down the field for a final shot at victory.
But as they bore down on the redzone, Kinder Mann appeared out of nowhere to intercept a Jay Taylor pass, ensuring victory for the home side and a place in the semi-finals this weekend.
The Saints drew first blood after a series of hard-fought opening exchanges that bore no fruit for either side: both offences stalled in the face of resolute defences, before Taylor got Oxford moving with some fantastic precision passing.
However, Cambridgeshire retaliated quickly. Running back Josh Gilreath added to his league-leading rushing total with 163 yards on the ground, and scored two touchdowns – one in the first half to tie the score, and a second, dazzling sideline scamper to give the Cats a slender six-point lead late in the game.
From there, defence came up trumps on both sides of the ball. Cats quarterback Joe Slaughter connected with Alex Smith and enjoyed some success rumbling through tacklers, but the Saints defence remained unyielding.
Cats rookie linebacker Craig Asling earned MVP honours for his dominant performance, and Matt Henderson was typically ferocious, a relentlessly marauding presence in the backfield.
But the Saints kept coming, never giving up, and seemed to have wrestled momentum away from the Cats as they marched up the field on one last, determined drive, with less than a minute remaining – until Mann’s magnificent snag, his sixth interception of the season, put and end to it.
The win marks the second time in two years that the Cats have knocked out the Saints in gruelling playoff matches, and sees them advance to the semi-final on Sunday the 12th of September, where they will battle the undefeated Tamworth Phoenix for a place in the Brit Bowl.
Photos courtesy of Tony Walsh Photography
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