It was with some trepidation that the Cambridge men’s water polo team travelled to Southampton on Sunday evening to play the final game in their BUCS group. A win would guarantee a second place finish and a good seeding for the first knockout round of the competition, but with five of the team’s starting seven missing, there was a somewhat inexperienced look to the line-up.

These qualms, however, turned out to be misplaced. The Light Blues executed their pressing game and launched counter-attack after counter-attack against a Southampton defense that tired quickly. The game could have been safe for Cambridge within the first half, but a number of chances failed to fall to hand. Together with a couple of moments of Camridge bad luck, this saw the teams go into the final quarter at four apiece.

A tense few minutes ensued, but Cambridge showed composure to control the quarter and take the lead, before executing a couple of counter-attacks in the last two minutes to secure an emphatic victory. The quality of this performance illustrates the strength in depth of the current squad and bodes well for the rest of the season. A trip to the BUCS finals and a Varsity victory both seem distinct possibilities.    

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