Despite the onslaught of sleet and wind, Wednesday night’s double-header proved to be a phenomenal evening of rugby, with packed-out grounds and plenty of support for all teams.
Town vs Gown
In two furious games of 30-minute halves, the Blues were put to a final test before squad selection is finalised. The Men kicked off first in a rematch of the early season Town vs Gown match that took place at Ellgia Fields. After a blizzard of Light Blue tries, the Men’s Squad were victorious 56-26. We heard from Secretary Nathan Bottomley:
On Wednesday at Grange Road, the Blues secured a convincing 56-26 victory in the Town v Gown fixture against Cambridge Rugby Club 1923s in a high-octane encounter tailored into two shortened 30-minute halves.
The match began with the Blues asserting total dominance, utilising the wind to pin the visitors back and build a formidable first-half lead. The attacking flow was clinical, with the side finding constant gaps in the 1923s’ line to put the game effectively out of reach before the break. Scrum-half Lewis Cooper was in scintillating form, crossing the whitewash for a hat-trick, while Jody Bardell picked up an impressive brace himself.
The second half saw a slight dip in intensity as we let things slip momentarily with half an eye already on the Varsity Match, allowing the visitors to find some rhythm. However, the foundation laid in the first period proved insurmountable. Despite the lapse, the squad showed great depth with the whole team contributing to the eight-try haul, ensuring a comfortable margin of victory by the final whistle.
With the Varsity Match at StoneX Stadium now just eight days away, the focus shifts entirely to next Saturday. Thank you to the 1923s for a tough contest and to everyone who came out to support the light blues at Grange Road.
GDBO
The 88s Match
The Women’s Squad then faced an impressive 88s XV, whose players included top former Blues such as Ali Mae Brown, Emilia and Saffron Bushrod-Hicks, and Bethan Jones.
Jess McConnell, CURUFC no. 2, gave us the following report
On Wednesday past our women’s Blues played their annual game against the 88’s. With the whistle came the rain and both teams were on the hunt. The 88’s managed to get 3 tries on the board ahead of our Blues 2 tries.
It was a fierce competition and the fight made it’s way into both 5m enough to have us on the edge of our seats but the 88’s sealed their victory with a last minute try.Final score:
26 – 10Try Scorers:
Esther Makourin x 2POTM:
Izzi Millar
Izzi Millar, Women’s Squad Secretary, also gave us this in-depth insight:
Under the lights and the rain, the women’s blues squad ran out for the last time before Varsity in the annual 88s match. The match came after the mens storming victory over town, leaving a large crowd cheering on the women on a somewhat grizzly night. While the scoreline may not have gone our way, our play has been consistently improving, and against a team consisting of many previous blues, the performance was certainly one to be proud of.
The shortened 30-minute halves produced some fast-paced rugby, with the 88s taking an early lead. The 88s were one of the strongest teams we’ve faced but all the girls put their bodies on the line and showcased a very impressive defensive effort. Every part of our game was tested, try line defence, kicking, and plenty of new attacking play we’ve been sharpening up in training. The first half may have left the blues on the back foot but never deterred the Blues found their feet and started the second half quickly, claiming first points from a textbook try in the corner by winger Esther Makourin. This was just the start of the comeback, with a sensational intercept and run from no other than loosehead Sara Crozier, moving the blues 50m up the field to just 5m short of the try line. After a fight to get the ball back, number 8 Sophie Martin carried the ball off the base of the scrum to assist Esther Makourin in scoring her second try for the team. The game ended with a score of 10-19 and a photo of both teams together under the posts, smiling and hugging after an intense contest.
From a triumphant win against UEA at home the week before and a strong performance against the 88s this week, the blues are raring to go for the Varsity Match in just over one week. The 88s match is always a highlight of the women’s blues year — competing against familiar faces on the pitch and catching up over a (non-alcoholic) drink in the bar after. We are always grateful to the old girls and surrounding clubs who make the night so special.
GDBO,
Izzi Millar
Thanks to our match sponsors, Kier, for making this possible and to our traders Meat Up and Hot Numbers. We’re looking forward to seeing as many people back at Grange Road on Saturday for the Men’s 2s and 3s Varsity Matches, and of course to the Big Dance at StoneX in just EIGHT days!
