HT 19-12 FT 75-33
Ampthill made fun in the sun as the Mob ran riot against already relegated Cambridge, scoring over 50 points after the break to finish their season in style. Head Coach Mark Lavery was pleased with his side’s showing, saying “We got a lot of points but fair play to Cambridge. They did what we expected them to do, created some chaos , scored some good tries of their own and made it difficult, especially before half time”.
Cambridge showed ambition early doors as Otu Mausia’s kick-pass found Ethan Thorne who was edged into for touch just ahead of the line.
Ampthill scored 7 minutes in as Oscar Wilson touched down under the sticks. Finn Keylock converted. And the Mob went further ahead through Sione Ve’anaeku who ran in at the left hand corner.
The Blood & Sand rallied – Chris Mills picked up from the back of a 5 metre scrum and muscled his way over. Mausia added the extras. Then Ben Currie ran in a 60 metre interception. Ruaridh Dawson’s conversion was well off target.
The Mob edged ahead just before before the break – a neat chip over the visitors defence was, eventually gathered by Ve’anaeku for his second of the afternoon.
At 19-12, it was game on for the second half, but the Mob hit a purple patch and raced into a big lead. Cambridge’s season has been blighted by a drop-off after the break and so it proved again.
Seb Smith, Ethan Jones, and a Joe Heslop hat-trick, plus one each from Luke Davidson, Louis Grimoldby in his final game, against his former club, and the coup de grace from Morgan put the lid on the scoring.
Cambridge scored four more themselves – Dan Eckersley, Currie’s second a first of the season by Mausia put a gloss on the scoreboard as they fought in vain to stem the maroon and gold tide.
Head coach Craig Newby was disappointed, again, by his side’s showing but saw hope for next season in National One: “We knew if was going to be a festival game, a brilliant crowd and a beautiful day. It was disappointing to finish that way but having being relegated three weeks ago, it’s been difficult to motivate everybody in the way we’ve wanted to. We’ve fought for each other but at the end of the day it’s not been good enough. We’ll take those learnings into pre season and hope to execute them next term.”
Teams
Ampthill
Davidson 7, Wilson 8 ( Grimoldby 45 7) Va’aenaku 8,Strachan (C) 8, Heslop 9, Keylock 8 (Barton 50 7)Jones 8 (Morgan 3 Jones 18 Morgan 50 7)Courtney 7 (Johnston 55 7)Smith 7 (Damon 53 7) Warren 7 (Norris 70) Parkinson 7 (Auvaa 44 7) 7Mataele 7 Rylands 7 Merrett 8 (Mapaplangi 60 7)
Cambridge
Currie 8, Izu 6, Pasco 6, Sorrell 7 (Rokodrava 50 7) Thorne 6 (Green 25 6) Mausia 7 Dawson 7 (Thompson 50 7) Ellwood 7 Doorey-Palmer 6 (Plunkett 75) Wulf-Masoe 6 (Maka 55 6) McCay 6 (Friend 62 6) Baxter 8 Fulford 7 (Thomas 50 7) Eckersley (C) 7 (Shamley 70) Mills 7
Scorers
Ampthill
Tries – Wilson 7, Vaeneku 13,37, Smith 49, Jones 50, Heslop 52,54,75, Davidson 68, Grimoldby 78 Morgan 80
ons – Keylock 8,38,49,50, 52, 54, 68,75
Grimoldby 78, Johnston 80
Cambridge
Tries – Mills 25, Currie 26,63, Eckersley 58, Mausia 72
Cons Mausia 26, Thompson 58,64,72