Birmingham Uni Sharks defeat Cambridge, but outclassed by Oxford in first-ever 18-a-side
- Sunday, December 12 2010 @ 03:30 pm ACDT
- Contributed by: Aaron Richard
- Views: 3,108
The University of Birmingham Sharks played two fixtures in late November against Britain's oldest Australian rules teams - the prestigious universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
On November 13th, the Sharks took on Cambridge in a 9-a-side match, with Birmingham's 15 British locals defeating Cambridge's all-Australian squad by 13 points.
The following weekend saw Birmingham Uni take on Oxford, in the Sharks' first-ever 18-a-side match. On the wide open spaces of Oxford Uni's full-sized ground, the Sharks were outclassed but not disgraced, going down by 58 points, 14.8 (92) to 5.4 (34).
The extreme cold and huge snowfalls of the northern winter unfortunately saw the cancellation of the Uni of Birmingham's third Aussie rules match of the season, which was planned against the Leeds Metropolitan Uni Chiefs. However, the season is scheduled to recommence in late January with a clash against the Chiefs and another against the University of Chichester Cougars.
The following report is courtesy of Dave Wheaton and first appeared in the University of Birmingham's student newspaper, The Redbrick.
Saturday 20th November was yet another noteworthy day in the history of the freshly constituted University of Birmingham Aussie Rules Football team; a day worthy of a feature in The Lion. The addition of a surprisingly large number of talented first years, enabled the squad to travel to Oxford University for their first authentic 18-a-side contest confident they could present a tough challenge.
9.30am: Meeting in Selly Oak
Winter was definitely starting to take over Selly Oak as the team gathered, shivering around the minibus on a somber West Midlands morning. As I joined the circle of players in the car park, the atmosphere warmed up as a chat about the game began in anticipation of the hard hitting and silky play that was surely to follow. A pleasant surprise was the presence of three former players, graduates now playing for Great Britain and England, Sean Walton, Joe Watkins and Rob Woodward. It was as though the captain had reunited the whole Birmingham Aussie Rules family in preparation for the battle that was to ensue that afternoon, the ball-up being planned for 1pm.
9.45am:
After successfully cramming everyone into the minibus, the team was given a quick lowdown on their opponents. Oxford University has had an Aussie Rules Football team for almost 80 years and is composed almost entirely of Australian and Irish players. In 2009, in their annual varsity game against Cambridge, a similarly competent side, they defended the Varsity Cup with a 43 point victory. This was a sign of encouragement to the Birmingham players. Joyful banter emanated from the bus for the next two hours through the luscious towns of Solihull, Banbury and finally Oxford.
12.30pm:
Tension went up a notch as the guests jogged onto the monumental 18-a-side pitch in front of a surprisingly large travelling crowd. A few students obviously understood how meaningful this confrontation was going to be. At 1pm the ball went up, signaling the start of an apprehensive first quarter, with neither team knowing what to expect from each another. It soon became apparent though that the hosts entertained a slight technical edge over Birmingham and greater experience of the way an 18-a-side game is organised. This was to be a recurring theme throughout the game. Oxford’s accuracy in front of goal meant the first quarter ended 32–14, the home team having scored 5 goals for 2 behinds and the visitors 2 goals for 2 behinds.
Throughout the next quarter, Birmingham rapidly came to grips with the enormity of the pitch. Impressive work by ruck-rovers Chris Britton and Tom Simmonds ensured a stronger contest in midfield, with Walton, playing as ruck-man, winning every contest. And an exemplary performance by Dan Di-Lieto up front made sure Birmingham held on, trailing by just fifteen points at half time.
It was in the third and fourth quarters that the Shark’s inexperience of 18-a-side really took its toll. It wasn’t long before Oxford demonstrated the lethal accuracy in front of goal that makes them the best university team in the country. Using tactical nous, they adapted their kicking and passing to compensate for fatigue. And unsurprisingly, the hosts added eight more goals in the two final quarters, making the final score 92–34.
Post-match analysis, Tim Smith, Birmingham Uni Sharks President:
I think we were a bit dazed by the daunting size of the pitch. It was hard to adapt to a drastically new organization compared to 9-a-side which we are used to. I maintain, however, that this was by no means a weak performance by our team as we offered a very strong contest right until the final quarter.
I’d like to mention that Cambridge University got 7 points past this same team last year, which demonstrates the quality of the Oxford side. I am proud of my players for achieving a decently high scoring ratio. We gained an incredible amount of experience from this game. It’s only by playing the best that you become the best and that is what I’d like the players to retain from today.
Sam Stranks, Oxford University Aussie Rules Football Club President:
I could not believe it when Birmingham’s winger told me none of these guys are Aussies. They have achieved a high standard of play after only two years of existence.
I think it was because of our superior know-how of the game and a couple of very technically talented key players that we got such a big margin in the second half of the game.
Oxford University vs University of Birmingham Sharks, 20th November 2010
Oxford Uni | 5.2 | 8.3 | 12.6 | 14.8 (92) |
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UoB Sharks | 2.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 5.4 (34) |
University of Birmingham Sharks vs Cambridge University, 13th November 2010
Cambridge University | 4.8 | 7.13 | 10.20 | 10.22 (82) |
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UoB Sharks | 5.5 | 7.12 | 12.16 | 13.17 (95) |