Cambo's Christmas Cracker Crushed in Local Derby

So on yet another grey and damp Saturday we are this time in Bracknell where Cam with 10 wins on the bounce and Bracknell unbeaten at home so far this season putting their records on the line and adding just a tad more spice to the local derby, if any was needed.
In the event Cam had a sparkling first quarter and moved into a 14 point lead but injuries to key decision makers Smarty and Hughsey plus a fired up home side kept the good sized crowd on their toes for the entire 80 mins.
Bracknell, who played probably the most aggressive and controlled rugby we have encountered all season, were made to fight to the end when we saw Cam camped on the home try line for at least 20 phases in the dying minutes, but tremendous D by them and, in the end an unlucky knock on by the black and ambers saw the home side claim the spoils 33-26 in the tightest and most physical game of Cambo's season to date.

With Cam defending the clubhouse end for the first half and receiving the ko we saw the black and ambers soon into the home 22 with a couple of excellent kicks and with 6 mins played we saw Max, from a lineout drive split the home defence and dot down for Vic (Smarty was already struggling with a leg injury) to add the extras.

Good drills again at the restart saw Cam soon return to the home 22 and a series of scrum pens saw the official eventually award a penalty try doubling the lead to 14-0 with 12 mins on the clock.

With years of watching the black and ambers it must be said that these early signs of dominance do not always end well and with a police helicopter buzzing around overhead Bracknell put their shoulder to the wheel and slowly their confidence and physicality earned them some time in the Cam half and on 28 mins their efforts were rewarded with a try in the corner.
Cam were clearly not completely at the races even with that shock and struggled to get the ball back into the Bracknell half we saw lots of close quarter combat in the Cam redzone with the home side eventually getting their rewards with a converted try on 39 mins and in the time added on for stoppages the home side then took the lead with more physical battling in the Cam 22 resulting in another converted try making the score at the break 19-14.

The second period started, again with Cam on the offensive and despite several stutters they retook the lead with a converted try by Birdy after 10 mins following a huge amount of 'heavy lifting' mainly by the forwards.
The next 10 mins or so saw action at both ends of the park but eventually Cam again put some daylight between the sides when lots more pressure in the Bracknell redzone saw the ball finally swung wide by Max and Vic giving Connor a walk in and although the try was unconverted the score had moved to 19-26 as we entered the final quarter.

The final quarter saw the home side manage things much better and they, despite their massive defensive set at the end of the game, capitalised
on Cambo's general inability to move play out of their half when given the opportunity and they scored 2 converted tries to make the final score 33-26 and a well earned 5 points.

So a disappointing end to 2023 for Cambo who now have it all to do to if they still are looking for promotion – in reality they probably need to win all of their remaining games and hope that the seasiders drop a few into the bargain.

Another great performance from the entire pack who, largely due to the conditions and the 'Local Derby' element, bore the brunt of the long periods of heavy lifting in both redzones and truly deserve their 2 week break before battle re commences on Jan 6th followed by a visit to Havant on the 13th .

And Finally – well Castle Grim came alive last night with the C&Ws overcoming a fully loaded Clermont side as they at last beganto play as if they really wanted it which, in the overall scheme of things, is all a loyal supporter can ask for.

Here's wishing all of you who find yourselves at the end of yet another of my muses a well deserved Happy Xmas and a Successful 2024

Pic by Dinger shows Max on his way to score the opening try of the game