Southampton City 6 – 8 Cardiff Harlequins
Zenith West Division 1
6th March 2010
What we knew before this weekend about Cardiff, we’ve known for a long time. Widely accepted as the best team outside the Premiership, Harlequins’ results suggest a complete dominance of West Division 1 and, in truth, they don’t flatter to deceive. However, what we now know is that when the going is not so good and the pressure is on, Cardiff also have a mental fortitude and tenacity to carry them through the most testing of matches.
Injuries and illness meant Cardiff travelled with a severely understrength squad of 9 to the south coast, where they were greeted with a large, fast all-weather pitch on which they were to play with a man less for the entire game. A broken wrist suffered in last week’s win over Penarth ended defender Phill Pexton’s season, whilst leading scorer Rhodri Stanford is ruled out until April with a bruised AC ligament in his shoulder, sustained on international duty with Wales. However, it was the late absence of goalkeeper Casey Hughes due to illness which created the greatest difficulty, as short-stick midfielder Chris Lee stepped between the pipes leaving Quins with just four short-sticks and forcing two long-stick defencemen into the attack, in order maintain even numbers.
Southampton smelt an upset, and attempted to drive home their advantage playing a fast, physical game and pushing the pace at every opportunity. After a brief and disorganised first possession for Cardiff, the hosts won the ball and drew first blood. On another day the goal could have signalled an onslaught, but the hosts were denied any chance to string a run together thanks to an utterly dominant display at face-off by James ‘Hamish’ Tiley who won well over 90% of the restarts. That platform of possession allowed Cardiff a foothold in the match, and after two close efforts from Wil Evans, it was Tiley who put Quins level. Another score for Southampton gave them back the advantage before the break, but Harlequins were not disappointed with the opening exchanges.
The second quarter saw Cardiff employ some tactical changes, and they were to prove crucial as the game developed. Wil Evans exchanged his long pole for a shorter attack stick to give the visitor’s offense greater control of possession, whilst the defence reverted to a zonal marking system to preserve energy and pose different questions of the Southampton attack. The hosts struggled to break down Cardiff’s new defensive pattern and were restricted to outside shots which Lee snaffled up comfortably. In attack, the extra short-stick allowed for far greater fluidity and it was Evans who pulled Quins level with a cleverly disguised low effort on a man-up situation. This was followed by a another score from Tiley as Cardiff edged ahead, and that lead was extended to two when Andy Morgan converted a chance to leave a 4-2 halftime scoreline.
Southampton pushed back in the third period and began to see more of the ball in attack, allowing them to find a way through the zone defence. Increased ball movement and speed compressed Cardiff’s zone too close to Lee’s goal, allowing City a yard closer in from which to shoot and they twice found the corner of Lee’s net. This coincided with some poor finishing from Cardiff, denying them the opportunity to pull away, and they managed just a single score to Southampton’s brace. As the teams left the field for the break, the visitors held a narrow 5-4 lead.
With tired, cramping legs up and down the field, Cardiff looked for inspiration and found it in the form of skipper Adam Grey who delivered a captain’s performance. The Wales midfielder, constantly encouraging and urging his troops forward, lead by example with two early strikes to take the sting out of the Southampton resurgence. With a three goal lead in the bank, Harlequins returned to a man-on-man defence forcing the hosts to adjust once again whilst executing a highly disciplined, possession-focussed gameplan. City pulled one back on a fast break, but with each Cardiff possession lasting minutes at a time, Southampton were unable to build any momentum or put the hosts under sustained pressure.
The final score of 8-6 was Cardiff’s hardest-earned win so far this season but confirms the determination and sheer bloody-mindedness which underpin this team’s strength. The importance of the victory was then underlined when Bristol conceded their rearranged fixture against Quins on Sunday, gifting Quins three more valuable points. That result means Cardiff need simply to fulfil their remaining two fixtures and gain the two points needed to confirm them as West Division 1 champions – a position they have long coveted and worked so hard to achieve.
Bath 2s 5 – 7 Cardiff Harlequins A
Zenith West Division 2
Whilst Harlequins’ first team were performing heroics down on the south coast, the As had an equally tough encounter in the west country against a Bath team who are Quins’ main challengers for the league title and promotion to West Division 1. Dave Elmes’ men showed once again however, that they are well deserving of their place at the summit of Division 2 with a brilliant victory over a strong Bath outfit.
Travelling without two of their first choice attackmen, Quins got off to a flyer thanks to a first half hat-trick from Paris Hawkes, who continues to improve with each outing. A brace from leading scorer James Gibson and goals from John Baileff and Tom Stringer kept the scoreboard ticking over, whilst Bath began to work their way into the contest. Cardiff’s defence were tested but the quintet of Joe Staton, Gareth Willis, Joey Rickman, Dave Austin and Ant Brookes provided able cover for Jack Pritchard between the pipes. The match-long battle at the face-off X was won by Stringer who provided the visitors with the control and possession they needed to restrict Bath’s opportunities and ultimately the visitors proved too strong, running out 7-5 winners.
The result puts Cardiff in pole position to clinch promotion, but they face the same opponents in just seven days time for what promises to be a fiercely contested battle, and may ultimately prove to be the playoff for a place in Division 1.
