Cardiff Harlequins 16 - 4 Portsmouth University

Zenith West Division 1

10th January 2009

There was no sign of any winter blues for Harlequins as they kicked off 2009 with a comfortable win over Portsmouth University. With hopes of league promotion all but dashed, the home side focussed on addressing some of the shortcomings which have cost them so dearly in the race for the title - but kept half an eye on a rematch between these two sides in a fortnight, when Cardiff will continue their defence of the South of England Flags.

Harlequins lined up with a near full-strength midfield, and dominated the ground ball battle throughout the match. The work on loose balls gifted a makeshift attack trio of Barrett, Grey and Wills plenty of possession, and they moved the ball quickly using the space behind the goal to good effect. Cardiff's leading scorer Alan Croft added to his season's tally with the first score, racing straight from the bench onto the end of a feed from Grey and finished with aplomb. It was one way traffic the rest of the quarter, with Chris Lee and Nathan Harding performing well at the face off and the defence of Evans, Hughes, Pexton and Panayidis providing plenty of cover for goaltender Matt Grindle. Further scores from Croft again, Grey and Barrett took the hosts into the quarter time break with a healthy 4-0 lead.

In the second period, Cardiff really hit their stride, controlling the ball and pace of the game. Grey got the second of his six goals, and the floodgates opened as the attack capitalised on excellent work from the midfield. Chris Lee got his name on the scoresheet, just reward for tireless running and unselfish play which also earned him two assists. Barrett, Wills, another for Grey and a rocket from Croft took the hosts to ten goals by the halftime break, although the visitors did manage to break through the Quins backline to get themselves off the mark.

With the pressure off, Harlequins tested out a zonal defensive system for the second half allowing Portsmouth more possession. The visitors lacked a cutting edge and struggled to break down the zone, although they stepped up their intensity on ground balls and succeeded in adding to their tally by winning possession from loose balls in dangerous areas. Indeed, they could have had more but for finding Grindle in inspired form and his saves ensured that panic never hit the Quins ranks. At the other end, less possession restricted Cardiff’s chances and a certain amount of profligacy crept in; Barrett and Gibson were amongst those guilty of wasting good chances. However, the hosts continued to find a way through and scored six more times before the final whistle, finishing with a 16-4 win. These two sides meet again in two weeks, and on this form, Cardiff will be confident of progression to the semi-finals.