Jesus I, Fitzwilliam I and Robinson I all won their remaining first round Cuppers fixtures this afternoon (01/05) to progress to the second round of the competition.

Downing vs Jesus was the first fixture of the day, kicking off at 11:30, with the Jesus team beating Downing 4-3 on penalties after playing out a 1-1 draw at full time, and a 2-2 draw at the end of extra time.

Jesus started on a brighter note in the first half as right-midfielder Harry Regan slotted home a looped cross from the left after just three minutes. Both sides then played out a fairly even encounter for the rest of the half with chances at both ends, but neither team achieved a clinical finish.

The encounter remained balanced for much of the second half, with set pieces and chances for both sides, before Downing gained an advantage and looped the ball in the back of the net in the ninetieth minute, only for the goal to be disallowed in dramatic fashion and the ball to be brought back for a free kick. The home side’s subsequent set piece went out for a corner, which was almost turned in at the far post, before rallying to score an equaliser in the third minute of additional time to take proceedings to extra time.

The first half of extra time mirrored much of the first half of normal time, with chances for both sides. Then, roughly two thirds of the way into the second half of extra time, Downing went ahead to turn the game on its head and make it 2-1. However, Angus Harron, the Jesus captain, nestled a last-gasp effort into the bottom left corner of the Downing goal in the thirtieth minute of extra time to make it 2-2 and take the game to penalties.

Both sides easily converted their first penalties and missed their second chances. Harron then converted and Downing missed to make it 2-1 to Jesus after three penalties each. Each side then converted their fourth penalties, and Downing scored their fifth, but this proved to be a consolation as left-midfielder Cormac Parks converted to win the tie for Jesus 4-3 on penalties.

Elsewhere, Fitzwilliam I took on Trinity I in one of this afternoon’s 14:00 kick-offs at Fitzwilliam Playing Fields. With the home team being dubbed early favourites for this year’s competition, historically having won twelve Cuppers titles and reaching the 2019/20 final against Queens’ I, a winning start was the priority.

After only two minutes, this priority quickly began to look like a pending reality. Left-back Hector Cox opened the scoring with a clinical finish, as Lumi Kanwei picked up the assist following an effortless piece of skill on the edge of the box.

Fitz soon doubled their tally after just four minutes. Winger Ben Shires delivered a cross that proved too difficult for the Trinity defence to deal with, allowing fellow winger Sean Peedle to slot the ball into a gaping net.

In the eleventh minute, lone striker Theo Williamson embarked on his goal-scoring quest, placing an accurate shot into the bottom-right corner. Centre-back Cavan Farrow played a defence-splitting ball to feed the hungry centre-forward.

Williamson then made it 4-0 within 20 minutes, tapping in his second goal against a struggling Trinity. He then scored an absolute beauty five minutes later, with a first touch to bring the ball under control on the edge, and a second to curl one in top bins for his hat-trick.

Bored of goals, Williamson then decided to execute a pinpoint cross for Shires to finish off, making it 6-0.

Five minutes shy of half-time, central-midfielder Sonny McPherson bagged goal number seven with an accurate strike from outside the box.

The second half, however, brought a quieter ending to an already vibrant game. Trinity captain Jakob Bull organised a rigid team structure that halted Fitz’s goal-scoring stampede. Mike LeBon’s impressive double save summed up the spirited grit of Trinity’s closing performance, with Fitz winning 7-0.

In the afternoon’s other 14:00 kick-off, which reporters were not able to attend, Varsity understands that Robinson I beat Girton I 4-0 after a tight first half, with two goals from George Pugh, as well as goals from Re-em Tal and Ben Nohr.

Following today’s results, Division Two’s Jesus I will play Premier League side Corpus Christi at home in the second round of Cuppers, while Fitzwilliam I will play at Division Three’s Magdalene I, and Robinson I will play out an all-Premier League tie at St John’s I.

The other second round Cuppers fixtures are Queens’ I v Churchill I, Homerton I v Selwyn I, Christ’s I v King’s I, Sidney Sussex I v Clare I, and Pembroke I v Emma I.

Meanwhile, Downing I, Trinity I and Girton I are set to play in the Plate quarter finals next weekend (08/05), alongside Peterhouse, St Catharine’s I, Trinity Hall I, Darwin I and Gonville & Caius I.

This weekend marks the resumption of college football across the University after a six-month hiatus which commenced alongside the second national lockdown in November of last year, with today’s Cuppers fixtures postponed from last year.

The quarter finals and semi finals are scheduled for the consecutive weeks following the second round fixtures next weekend, culminating in the final at Grange Road on Thursday 28th May.

CONFIRMED STARTING XI’s:

Jesus I: Hamish MacGregor, Jamie Brannigan, Jamie Newnham, Daniel Starkey, Will Zeng (substituted for Charlie Abbot), Cormac Parks, Alex Landell Mills, Harry Crook, Angus Harron (C), Harry Regan (substituted for Matt Griffiths), Hantian Wang (substituted for Kiran Kang)

Downing I: Unconfirmed

Fitzwilliam I: Adib Badri (c), Tom Randell, Cavan Farrow, Jake Marshall, Hector Cox, Ellis Birch, Sonny McPherson, Lumi Kanwei, Sean Peedle, Ben Shires, Theo Williamson

Trinity I: Mike LeBon, Theodore Seely, Felix Schlichter, Harry Whelan, Charlie Butler, Fedor Misyura, Harry Symes, Jakob Bull (c), Matty Stone, Tom Fisher, Zoli Molnár-Sáska

Robinson I: Djihad Kramer, Lawrence Atkins, Jamie Gammell, Henry Lambert, Alex Loan, Max Orviss, Re-em Tal, Ben Nohr, Lami Mabifa, Vissarion Christodoulu, George Pugh. Subs: Percy Verity, Josiah Price, Ronan Cons

Girton I: Henry Waugh, Alex Nielsen, Oscar Parry-Wingfield, Matt King, Jeffrey Tan, Dan Miller, Chris Butters, Dan Bacon, Michael Arthur, Nadir Sharifu, Kieran Russell

The article will be updated to reflect further confirmed team sheets as and when such information is received.