Cambridge 24

Finchley 0

Already without ace kicker Simon Bullough, sidelined with an ankle injury, Finchley were further handicapped by losing centre Tim Galligan, stuck in a long traffic jam.

Utiliy back Giles Hill was drafted in at short notice but the new-look back division understandably took a long time to gel and never really complemented the sterling work of the forwards.

The Finchley pack were conceding over a stone a man to the biggest pack in the London League Division Two (North), but still acquitted themselves well.

Finchley kicked off with the wind on their backs and for the opening quarter held the Fen outfit, lying third.

Slightly against the run of play, Cambridge took the lead in the 22nd minute when, from just inside the Finchley half, the home side's full-back initiated an intricate series of moves that saw the ball swept through and under the posts for the first of three converted tries.

With Finchley's forwards having one of their best games of the season -- their scrum rock solid and Simon Hawtrey-Woore and Brendan O'Brien creaming the line-outs -- the score remained 7-0 for the rest of the first half.

Immediately following the restart, Finchley suffered a body blow. Conceding a penalty, they were caught napping by a quickly-taken tap and, in disarray, conceded a second converted try, 14-0.

Incensed, the Finchley backs responded with a series of assaults on their opponents' line. Centre Matt Farmer, combining well with his fellow threequarters, was twice brought down a couple of strides short of the line. The same fate befell James Webb as he strove for the corner.

Cambridge went further ahead with a penalty, adding a third try on the stroke of full-time.

Finchley's coach Alan Richards, heartened by their efforts following the debacle against Romford, is confident his men will complete their league programme with a home win over Welwyn on Saturday, ending the season in mid-table.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.