Cambridgeshire Cats 35-6 Chiltern Cheetahs
For the first time this season the Cats won a second game on the spin, as their defense proved to be exemplary once again, whilst a potent offense racked up points against a drilled and determined Cheetahs outfit. Cats quarterback Martin Brown, returning to his former team, posted impressive figures passing for 127 yards, completing 10 of his 19 attempts. Brown also completed all of his first 5 passing attempts, 3 of which went for scores, hit 8 different receivers on the day and averaged 7 yards on each of his 4 carries.
A scorching day in Watford saw the Cats receive the ball first as they attacked the endzone up a hill bigger than any here in East Anglia. The offense started in full throttle, with rushes from Fox advancing the ball into Cheetahs territory. Brown threw into the endzone from twenty four yards out, where wide receiver Louis Cooke showed his determination pulling down a jump ball for the score. The point after snap was muffed and the Cats lead 6-0 as their defense took the field for the first time. Despite the elusive running of Frank Mayo of the Cheetahs, the Cats claimed possession back swiftly. Brown again looked to the air, this time finding tight end Martin Baker for a three yard score. Matt Casey converted the extra point. The Cats defense was relentless, smothering the run and keeping The Chiltern receivers locked down, once again providing Brown’s offense time and field position. More ground yardage from Fox and Matt Kelly opened the door for the longer passing game, with Cats leading receiver Kinder Mann the grateful recipient of Brown’s third scoring pass in the fist quarter, the forty yard pass getting Mann into the endzone for the first time the season. Casey’s conversion kick was blocked.
The second quarter started with the Cheetahs backed up in their own territory. Relentless run pursuit kept the nimble Mayo at bay, on one occasion the Chiltern veteran rushed laterally from sideline to sideline in search for escape, only to be smothered by the two hundred and fifty pound frame of Cats linebacker David Delozier. Brown’s golden touch was finally tarnished slightly when he next got the football, as he was limited to holding for Casey’s twenty eight yard field goal. The Cats boasted a healthy 22-0 lead, which their defense kept safely intact until the half.
The third quarter and again the Cats offense took charge. Fox’s efforts were rewarded as he broke through the middle before bouncing outside, then back inside and across the field to go in untouched from one yard. Casey converted the kick to put 29 unanswered points on the scoreboard.
The next touchdown came courtesy of Fox, his fourth of the year, and his 137 yards from 24 carries puts him over
the 500 yard mark for the season. Chiltern finally found success against the Cats defense as the third quarter drew to a close. Mayo, now lining up in the slot, found space outside on a crossing route and was hit perfectly by quarterback Symonds, advancing the ball deep into Cats territory before being held up by Nate Ashby.
The fourth quarter started with Chiltern camped inside the Cats red zone, having moved the chains to first and goal. One strong stop wasn’t enough to stop Mayo who swept to the Cats left on the next play for a hard-earned touchdown. The two point attempt was stopped in the backfield by the Cats defense before the play developed. The next series saw an immediate reply from the Cats, Mann returning the kick off to the Cheetahs forty. Fox powered through the shortened field before Brown hit receiver Mike Revell for his first endzone trip with the club. The point after attempt failed. This proved to be the final score of the day as Chiltern defense showed heart and determination by holding up Fox on the one yard line as time expired on the subsequent Cats drive.
Exorcising demons of the past, the win is more important to the Cats present, and future, according to Head Coach Rick Bice: “We set very high goals for this season and this game was pivotal to that. This got us back over .500 and was a victory over a BAFL 2 South East opponent! As for the game itself, the score doesn’t truly reflect the play of the day as both teams played with everything they had! Chiltern are a great club with very classy players and coaches! It was our honour to share the field with them!” Coach Bice continued by saying, “I am very proud of this team today as we were firing on all cylinders today, especially the offense! Martin Brown has rejuvenated our offense and Dom Fox has excelled as a second year running back. Our offense has found the balance we have been working towards for the last two seasons! As for our defense, I cannot praise them enough as they have been the side holding the team up until the offense gelled! A lot of credit to our success goes to them!”
Defensive Coordinator Sean Gray added, “I am very pleased with our rookies stepping up on defense today! They showed all the long months off hard work, drills and practice has paid off! It is also a good testament to the team’s sprit that we can use any of our players on either side of the ball when our starters are injured or unavailable. Both our Line Coach Fusulo and I are confident knowing that we have a team of players that can do the job for the club on any given Sunday!”
The victory solidifies The Cats push for the playoffs, and a win next Sunday as they host The Essex Spartans will separate them from the rest of the pack as they chase Norwich for the top spot in BAFL 2 South East.
Photographs courtesy of Cambridgeshire Cats.