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A quick trip down memory lane to June 2005 and the Cats were a struggling organisation clinging onto slim play off hopes, after losing the majority of its 2004 squad and having their head coach retire. Coach Bice had stepped in and led the team to a slender home victory over the Cheetahs. At 1-6, the Cats were still in the hunt for the Division 1A playoffs, and a road victory against the Buckinghamshire outfit would cement their position. Bolstered by key players returning from injury, Cambridgeshire went down to Amersham Rugby Club confident of success. Chiltern, themselves’ with just 1 win and bottom of Division 1A South, had different ideas and made the Cats pay for their confidence, with a 30-0 win that triggered a huge swing in fortunes for the sides. By September Cambridgeshire were relegated to Division 2 whilst Chiltern were at enjoying the “Saturday Night Lights” at Don Valley, only to be beaten by the Aztecs, who currently now stand as third best team by the Britball rankings.
Two years later and the Cats and Cheetahs paths cross once more. Hardly a revenge mission, but the opportunity to erase the mistakes of the past is just one of several subplots that make this BAFL 2 South East game so compelling. A Cats (2-2) victory would see them reclaim the second playoff spot over Essex, whilst Chiltern (1-3) would leapfrog Cambridgeshire with a win, as the realigned conference proves again to be as keenly contested as any in Britain. The all-time record between the teams stands at 5-1 in favour of the Cats, who have outscored their Chiltern rivals 84-58. The series is tied at 1-1 in Chiltern, but the Cats are 7-2 when travelling in the first week of June.
Deserving more than a footnote to the saga will be the return of former Chiltern players Nick Moffat, in his second season as a Cat, and most notably Martin Brown. After two enjoyable years with Chiltern, Brown has returned to the place he calls his “spiritual home”, having played football in Cambridge since ‘91. Brown’s experience was quickly rewarded during pre-season training with the Cats, going from newcomer to defensive captain in a matter of months. Then following the loss of two highly valued American quarterbacks in Mike Peters and Ben Mokuahi just three games into the season, Brown’s expertise as an offensive general was called upon. Brown posted impressive numbers (10-13-1TD, efficiency rating 159) as he steered the Cats to victory away to the Spartans, and knows he’ll need all his poise and metal against his former team:
“I go into this game with mixed feelings, I left the Cheetahs on good terms having enjoyed my two years there. There are a lot of good guys at Chiltern, but I know that they will play hard and I don't expect any favours and I go into this game 100% committed to beating them as I think it would be disrespectful to do any less” Brown commented.
Rick Bice also feels the significance of the tie, having gained his first win as a BAFL head coach against Chiltern only to have the same team effectively relegate his Cats in the return fixture. Bice will not look to sentiment but to the future, as he understands the importance of this game for 07 as the first of a double header for the Cats who host Essex the week after:
“Our next two games are key to the goals we set ourselves during pre-season and I expect both games to be hard fought affairs! With that said, we go into these games full of confidence after rebounding from two close losses with a solid win in our last game. However, no team in this division can be taken lightly and we are sure that Chiltern will defend their home ground with everything in them!”