Exeter University 7 - 18 Cardiff Harlequins
Zenith West Division 1
11th October 2008
A fine autumnal sunshine greeted Harlequins as they made the journey to the south coast for the second week running, to face newly promoted Exeter University. However, the boys from the capital could not match the weather and produced a grey and uninspiring performance to bring home the points but little glory.
The match could not have started better, as attackman Will Barrett put Cardiff in the lead after just 20 seconds. However, things quickly deteriorated for the promotion hopefuls as Exeter’s large squad allowed them to play the game at breakneck speed, often leaving Cardiff’s defence vulnerable as the midfield struggled to track back. When Harlequins had possession, they did themselves no favours by rushing the attack and found themselves lacking composure in front of goal. Error followed error, and Quins could only add a second before the quarter time break to lead 2-0.
Cardiff’s saving grace was Lee’s dominance at the face off, which provided the away side with a sound platform from which to build upon, and it was with a renewed vigour that they took to the field at the start of the second quarter. Quick and accurate ball movement carved open the Exeter defence time and time again, as Harlequins racked up 7 goals in the first 10 minutes of the period to open up a daunting lead. The home side regrouped, and began to stem the tide before putting together some well crafted periods of play, and were rewarded with two goals to give a halftime score of 9-2 to Cardiff.
Quins continued to pull away from the students after the halftime interval, but without the fizz that had defined their 2nd quarter display. Wales midfielder Rory Peters added his name to the scoresheet, as did brother Mike, but they were the highlights of an error-strewn quarter from the visitors. Exeter by contrast were playing their best lacrosse of the match, and continued to frustrate Quins. The final period continued in much the same vein, as Cardiff’s superiority at face-off denied Exeter any chance of closing the gap and the game finished 18-7. This was hardly ideal preparation for Cardiff, just a week before a crunch match against league rivals Cheltenham. There is much work to do if they are to achieve their aim of promotion to the South of England Premiership.
Swansea Hawks 2nds 1 - 15 Cardiff Harlequins A
Zenith West Division 2
11th October 2008
Harlequins A toasted their first ever game with a magnificent display to overcome local rivals Swansea and kickstart their campaign. Wales u19 star and A team skipper James Gibson lead the way with 5 goals as Quins dominated from start to finish. Swansea fielded several brand new players and although their inexperience was reflected in the scoreline, the home side matched Quins’ intensity and tenacity and won praise from the gathered crowd.
