Cam do just enough to claim another max against Bracknell

So, after haing to postpone last week's fixture against Sutton and Epsom it was decided to move our derby game against Bracknell to the all weather pitch at Gordons School - a great decision by the club.
In the event we saw an extremely competitive local derby with local rivals Bracknell and although lacking somewhat in quality it was full of commitment from both sides with Cam's quality and their powerful pack eventually proving too much for the visitors.

Cam appeared in a special pink kit which, in the evening at the Xmas party , was auctioned making serious money for The Wooden Spoon and MIND charities where, in a very noisy half hour, all the shirts were sold making anything between £50 and £200 – many thanks to everyone's generosity (and the skill of Roger Wood the auctioneer).

With Cam starting proceedings they quickly recovered possession and were soon on the attack and on 5 minutes had taken the lead following a good scrummage and snappy backs move saw fullback Vic race over for the score and with Liam adding the extras the scoreboard was on the move.
We then had a period with both sides testing each other out and on 15 mins the visitors moved level following a 5m lineout drive

Again Cam looked sharp from the restart with Brizzle called back for a knock on when clean through and by now the Bracknell pack were under serious pressure and only their quality #8 kept them in it as he used all of his skills to rescue their ball on numerous occasions with his pack retreating at pace.

Cam maintained the pressure and were again unlucky when Bazza was through only to be called back for a tight forward pass called by the official.

The stalemate was again broken in the second quarter when Hughsey won a Bracknell lineout in the Cam 22 and great drives, first by Birdy and then by Big Dom took play up to halfway and a pen then saw the black and ambers back in the red zone. The pressure they put onto the Bracknell line was immense and, having sucked in the defence, young Max put the ball out wide and Jos had a relatively easy run in under the posts.

For a moment Bracknell began to look a tad ragged and when their restart kick didn't make 10m, Cam should have grasped the initiative at the resultant scrum but, to their credit, the visitors got themselves together and in the closing minutes of the half their efforts were rewarded with an unconverted try following some good pressure in the Cam 22.

The second half saw Cam sharpen up a little and we saw The Fireman clean through only to be called back for an infringement – something which seemed to be a recurring theme today. However the pressure finally told on the plucky visitors and another smart handling move saw Jos cross for another converted try on 55 mins and a score of 21-12.
From the restart Bracknell pushed hard on the Cam line only to knock on at the critical time. However, from the resultant 5m scrum we saw Brizzle, taking the ball behind his own posts, use his brilliant footwork to break through the visitors defence and take play back to halfway and slowly the black and ambers began to pressure the Bracknell line and this time they were able to take advantage of the pressure when we again saw Brizzle and his magic feet go in from 15m to extend the lead to 28-12 with 10 mins left.

To their credit the visitors did not fold and with a numerical advantage after veteran hooker Clarkey was awarded 10 mins on the naughty step, they managed a good score following a lineout drive but this proved to be too little too late and with Liam kicking a penalty as the last action of the game the final score 31-19 was probably a fair reflection of the game.

So with The Wombles claiming the bonus point in the last action of their game at ODP, there is no change at the top and Risey and his coaching team will now be planning for the next series of tough challenges coming up in the New Year – no change there then!!.

As with most of the games this season we saw another outstanding display by the pack both in attack and defence with Bazza again the standout as they regularly destroyed the opposition set piece.
Young Max at #9 had another good game as he settles into the squad but he had little opportunity to showcase his skills with the ball in hand
The backs, on the occasions they were allowed to, looked sharp and for the first time for ages actually claimed all of the tries scored by Cam – and yes Ozzie Greg was playing!!.

Now for a 2 week break before we make the trip to Banbury on the 7th which will be another first for the squad and the start of yet another tough block of games.

And Finally – well the C&Ws shipped a load of points in Dublin on Friday night but hardly surprising with 13 changes from the side which beat Bordeaux the previous week and perhaps understandable with a big Prem game at Welford Road on Xmas Eve.

And Really Finally – to the very few that manage to get to the end of my ramblings, thanks and let me wish you a great Xmas holiday and all the best for 2023.