Outstanding Cam claim a max and also end Welsh 5 year home record

This Saturday was always going to be one of this seasons Special Games and following the defeat by Welsh at Watchetts earlier in the season it took on even more significance.
With a massive following from Watchetts amongst the 1113 spectators we saw a very physical encounter between two very good teams with the black and ambers eventually winning by 4 tries to 2 in a game where for the most part they seemed to be in control whilst never being able to dominate.

With Cam starting proceedings with a stiff breeze at their backs we saw Shawa quickly out of the blocks to sack the Welsh player just outside his 22 and soon saw Smarty take play into the redzone but a penalty allowed the home side to move play back to halfway.
We then had the first scrum of the afternoon and basically the black and ambers had just too much for the Welsh pack and play was moved back into the Welsh 22 and from a good lineout drive the ball was adjudged to have been held up. However the Cam pressure was now intense and after a scrum pen on the Welsh 5m line Tom Chennell opted for another one and with the Welsh scrum in disarray the skipper darted away from the base to allow #8 Birdy to cross for the first score of the game after 20 mins.
The restart then saw Cam at their very best as the ball was well claimed and we soon saw Brizzle making a strong break moving play back into the Welsh half before the ball was played into the Welsh corner and poor defence saw Cam reclaim possession and the ball was swung wide to winger Ash who had a bit to do before dotting down in the corner and a magnificent kick by Smarty from the touchline saw the score move to 0-12 with just 23 mins on the clock.

The Welsh, however are not League leaders with an amazing record of playing 5 seasons at Old Deer Park without being beaten and they were soon on the scoreboard when some clinical rugby saw them cross for a converted try on 28 mins and they kept up this pressure which resulted in another 7 pointer with 35 mins played giving them a 14-12 advantage which added to in the dying stages of the half with a penalty.

Thee second half got off to a scrappy start with a bit of kick tennis but good breaks by Jos and Brizzle again moved play into the Welsh half and on 48 mins the black and ambers got back on terms when a great 5m scrum saw the guys in red retreating leaving Birdy to dot down and with Smarty again adding the extras the score moved to 17-19.
Welsh certainly had their tails up and came close almost immediately which initiated a couple of minutes of handbags in the corner and 10mins on the naughty step for the Welsh blindside.
The pressure from Welsh continued and their driving maul was proving a good weapon so it was good news that Dom, Hughsey and Sam were stealing an increasing number of their lineouts.
Without doubt this very physical side was seriously testing the Cam D during this period but slowly, sticking to their processes the black and ambers gradually moved play away from the danger zone with breaks by Ash and H taking play into the Welsh 22 and as if buoyed by the success of their D Cam started to play rugby again and with their pack winning penalties at scrum time fairly frequently we saw the black and ambers with a long spell in the redzone before Fireman George spotted a gap and forced his way over for a converted try making the score 17-26 with less than 5 mins on the clock.
The sheer brutality of the game was taking its toll on both sides but a majestic take from the restart by Hughsey saw play quickly move back to halfway and when the Welsh kicker miscued a penalty so badly that it went dead resulting in a Cam scrum on halfway it showed that Cam had eventually won the battle and shortly after this the official called time on proceedings much to the huge joy of the hundred+ Cam supporters who had made the trip to support their team.

So this really was a special match with both sides contributing to a hugely physical and committed 80 mins of rugby, surely the toughest game the black and ambers had experienced for a while and so it is a great tribute to the squad and their coaching that they stuck to their processes, trusted their team mates and never gave up in the end producing such a positive result.

Today there were no places to hide for any of the squad and every one of them put in a massive shift with the front row outstanding, Dom and Sam so physical and commanding in the lineouts and around the park while the backrow were all absolutely magnificent.

Skipper Tom at #9 managed things really well and mixed up the tight play with an expansive game cleverly as well as handling seemingly interminable chats with the official.
Smarty was Smarty, just managing proceedings and his kicking from the tee and from hand was pretty much faultless. Jaid and Jos, who was replaced in the second half by Josh, were always a threat to the Welsh and the back three of Ash, George and H must be the best trio in this league.

So a great day and so well supported by what must be our largest travelling group for some considerable time but now after the celebrations tonight all minds will turn to our upcoming visit to Farnham who, it would seem, gave Hammersmith a bit of a pasting this afternoon.

And Finally – so the C&Ws are up in the windy North today and having had their start time put back by 4 hours this did not seem to phase them as they won 22-32 at, historically a very difficult to win also claiming their TBP

Pic shows the magnificent Camberley pack who claimed both scrum and Lineout dominance in a very physical encounter