Cam make it 8 on the Bounce with gutsy win

It was one of those dank December days, the sort when cars need lights on all day, the constant misty rain manages to penetrate all forms of waterproof clothes and in reality most sensible people not now able to actively participate in a game of rugby should be enjoying a glass or three in front of a roaring fire.
And so those loyal Cam supporters who were foolhardy enough to ignore the conditions together with the lunchtime start and make the trip to Kent did so not knowing what was awaiting the black and ambers when they arrived at high flying Beccehamians for this cup fixture.
In fact they witnessed a fairly scrappy game punctuated by many errors, most of which were due to the rain coupled with the wet conditions underfoot, and ably assisted by the all too regular sound of the official's whistle, which obviously did not come from your standard Xmas cracker.
From the start it was clear that the home side's game was based on a heavy durable pack with little outside whereas Cam, as they have shown throughout the season, were always looking to play the ball out wide.
Playing with the slope in the first half Cam managed to eventually get the better of a very scrappy first quarter with a couple of good nudges by full back Will O'Meara keeping the home side deep inside their half and on 22 mins they scored the first try when, opting for a lineout on the home sides 5 m line, the ball was won and scrum half Ben Bowen scampered over to score an unconverted try.
Cam's drills were very scrappy at the restart and this resulted in a penalty which was converted on 27 mins.
However Cam were straight back on the offensive and from the restart their pressure forced the home side to knock on and a good scrum saw #8 Hoff pick up from the base and make valuable metres before Jono crossed for a try which was converted by Tom Dunn on 30 mins.
The game then descended again into a very scrappy affair and with Cam beginning to forget the basics, like securing the ball and also their first up tackling, the home side showed that they were still around when they scored a converted try on 39 mins.
The game became even more fragmented in the second half with just too many mistakes on both sides and Cam were also hit by a string of penalties (presumably the new whistle was now run in??). Too often good field position was thrown away by sloppy hands or the almost inevitable penalty but by now the home pack were definitely slowing down and their strength at scrum time had gone with the Cam pack managing to get their hosts going backwards on several occasions as the game entered the final quarter.
In reality Cam should have, by the final quarter, put daylight between the sides based on the possession and territory they had enjoyed for 60 mins but here we were with 20 mins to go and a tired Beccs side beginning to believe that a win was possible particularly in the last 5 mins when another silly mistake saw them awarded an unnecessary 5m scrum. But the superior fitness of the black and ambers told and a great defensive effort saw their line cleared only for them to concede a penalty slap in front of their posts on the 22. Luck and fairness worked together for once however and the attempt did not rise more than 6 feet and as Cam started to move the game up field the loyal supporters were able to breathe a little more easily and when, at the last scrum, the black and ambers pushed their bulky opponents back yards to end a messy but ultimately successful game they knew that they would be in the draw for the next round and so retired satisfied to the warmth of the clubhouse.
So yes there was obviously some ring rustiness from the black and ambers and without an outstanding performance by Hoff and also his back row mates Jono and Piers the result could have been different.
The front five also put in a magnificent shift against a much bigger pack and it was great credit to them that at the end of the game they clearly had the upper hand. This was just not a day for the backs although for most of the game the threequarters managed to ignore Oddjobs instructions and still try to play as though it was a nice sunny day in September.
Next week the 1s are travelling to Cranleigh in the quarter finals of the Surrey Shield - a game which Risey will be targeting to maintain this winning mentality before the return to the important League fixtures which restart on Jan 17th.
So on a personal note a sweet day was made even sweeter with the result from Sandy Park where the Cherry and Whites also began 2015 with a W.
The meteorological comments are included largely for our loyal Australian reader!!!!!