Corpus/Linacre complete MCR double
9th May 2009 14:54 | by Tom BrownCorpus Christi College/Linacre College MCR 5-4 St Antony's College
Corpus/Linacre beat St Antony's 5-4 in a thrilling end of season encounter to win the MCR First Division, and complete their second league-and-cup double in three seasons.
St Antony's went into the game knowing that only a win would allow them to pip Corpus/Linacre to the the league title, and started brightly, with a ferocious shot from their midfielder, which Corpus/Linacre keeper Ross Bickerton was grateful to tip over the bar. Minutes later, the St Antony's striker was felled in the box by Stuart Hunter and the referee had no option but to award St Antony's a penalty, with Hunter lucky to escape without a caution. However, the otherwise excellent St Antony's number 9 blasted the ball straight down the middle of the goal, allowing Bickerton to make another good save with his legs.
Corpus/Linacre heeded the warning and began to pass the ball in midfield, and breach the St Antony's defence seemingly at will. A superb ball from Daniel Tyler found Tom Brown one-on-one with the keeper, and Brown coolly passed the ball into the net.
Corpus/Linacre started to dominate the game, with the St Antony's defence looking shaky whenever the ball was played foward. However, St Antony's also looked dangerous going forward, and managed to find an equaliser when a speculative ball back into the box after a Corpus/Linacre clearance looped over Bickerton and into the net.
The goal gave St Antony's confidence that they could still win the league, but Corpus/Linacre knew they had a chance whenever they got the ball forward, and began a devastating spell that took the game away from St Antony's. The tireless Hunter picked up the ball just inside the St Antony's half, ran towards the by-line and put in a wicked cross which nestled in the far corner of the goal. Minutes later, Tyler picked up the ball and passed to Brown, who skipped past the last defender easily and, sensing that the keeper was out of position, played the ball across the face of the box for Francis Carr, who had made an excellent late run, to convert for his 12th goal of the season. Then, a long ball was flicked on by Emmanuel Botwe and found its way to Brown, who, with the St Antony's goalkeeper slightly hesitant to leave his goal, volleyed the ball into the net to give Corpus/Linacre a 4-1 advantage. With the St Antony's defence struggling, Corpus/Linacre might have scored more goals before half-time. The Corpus/Linacre spirit was embodied by Botwe who, after several thundering challenges in the first half, had to leave the field at half-time to go to hospital with concussion.
St Antony's regrouped at half-time and, with nothing to lose, started the second half the better team. Corpus/Linacre looked tired and struggled to clear the countless balls played into their box, with some desparate defending from Thabit Al-Murani and Jeremy Lloyd. Eventually, St Antony's managed to score, and their massed ranks of supporters sensed that a comeback might be on.
The goal stirred Corpus/Linacre, and Brown won a free kick in a good position just outside the St Antony's box. Dan Tyler curled the ball towards the corner of the goal, and Brown waved his foot at the ball to divert it past the hapless St Antony's keeper, to complete his hat-trick and register his 20th MCR goal in nine matches this season.
To their credit, St Antony's never gave up and, spurred on by the crowd, got another goal back to make it 5-3. With time running out but Corpus/Linacre looking tired, St Antony's claimed another to make it 5-4. However, St Antony's needed to win the game to win the league and, despite their late comeback, they were in truth a long way from preventing Corpus/Linacre from winning the league.
After finishing trophyless in 2007/8, Corpus/Linacre felt that the league-and-cup double was a fair reflection on the quality of a team that had played excellent passing football all season, and was playng its last game together.
