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Photos: Vivan Jayant
An early goal by James College was enough to claim a 1-0 victory over their main rivals Halifax, in a competitive and combative match.
For most of the colleges, it’s a task to put out a full team, but this was not an issue for either of these squads, with James boasting seventeen players, only to be topped by the twenty plus of Halifax.
Prior to the game, the first for each team since Christmas, Halifax remained unbeaten. Meanwhile James had tasted defeat only once in a 2-0 match against Halifax, first match of the season, with every other weekend resulting in victory.
So the scene was set, on a sunny yet windy morning, for probably the most important match of the season. James started brightly and with only two minutes gone, smart play set Chris Buttersworth through on a surging run which he ended superbly by sliding the ball home making the perfect start for James, handing them an early lead.
The remainder of the early stages continued to be a cagey affair, with James generally dominating possession and territory but unable to create any clear scoring opportunities.
Midway through the first half a dangerous breakaway provided Halifax with their best chance of the half, before the danger was illegally snuffed out resulting in a short corner. A potentially dangerous moment, but the subsequent short corner was well defended andHalifax’s attack broke down.
For the rest of the half, James continued to dominate possession, yet chances were few and far between, with the battle occurring mainly in midfield. A skilful run down the left wing by Charlie Tyler created an opening forJamesCollege, but good defending prevented James from extending their lead. At half time, James led 1-0 and were without doubt the happier of the two teams.
The second half however saw a shift of dominance, with Halifax starting positively and some marauding runs down the right wing by Alex Alonso caused a constant threat for the James defence.
Some excellent link up play, and classy pass and move hockey helped Halifax to dominate possession, but fabricating clear chances still remained a testing matter. From domination in the first half, James had to resort to occasional breakaway attacks, as they were forced to defend deeper and deeper.
Yet strong defending by the likes of James Hope and Buttersworth helped James to preserve their lead, and they still posed a threat on the counter.
With only minutes left on the clock, James began to sense that victory was near and turned to trying to run down the clock, a tactic which proved effective. As the final whistle went, the James players were clearly overjoyed, and relieved to have held on to a crucial victory, despite much Halifax pressure.
The victory leaves both James and Halifax at the top of the table, separated only by goal difference, and the remainder of the season looks set to be an interesting affair. Without doubt for the other colleges both of these teams will be hard to beat, and the skill and talent in the match did not go unnoticed.
The clash of the two titans resulted in a narrow James win, avenging their earlier defeat to Halifax. What will the rest of the season hold?