Scrimmage success helps re-establish Football at Oxford

Article by Michael Anderson, special correspondant to the Oxford Student Newspaper, 14th Feb 2012.

Two years ago, a league rule change forced the breakup of the Oxford Combined Universities Cavaliers American Football team, however, last Sunday the sport made its comeback. Passing an important milestone in its revival, the new Oxford University “Lancers” team faced their first ever test in the form of a controlled scrimmage against the Kingston University Cougars. And if the Lancers’ initial performance is anything to go by, the future looks more than promising for this club.

Like Oxford, Kingston has yet to earn a position in the British Universities American Football League (BUAFL), but in contrast they are heavily financially backed by their Athletic Union, allowing them to support a larger coaching staff and kit out more players; indeed, they outnumbered the Lancers two-to-one, and in many cases the Kingston players also boasted noticeable size advantages. The Cougars have already proven their competency in two games, including a win over the BNU Buccaneers, an established team who won 6 of their 8 games in 2010-2011 (one a 22-19 win over the Oxford Brookes Panthers) as a full member of the BUAFL.

Sunday’s initial exchanges involved “controlled scrimmaging” – no official score was kept as the two teams played some Offence vs. Defence in simulated game situations. The tone for the most part was friendly but highly competitive, and both teams landed some punishing hits, one of which left Lancers’ Running Back Joel Charley requiring stitches (but not till after he’d scored in a previous play!). Oxford made several promising plays on both sides of the ball, although Kingston’s ability was particularly evident near the goal line, as they punched in four touchdowns to Oxford’s two (who’s counting? - ed). 

The latter part of the day was played under game-like conditions, and in the fully competitive two quarters of play that followed though, the Lancers shone. The defence, led by relentless Linebacker Chase Campbell, did not allow the Cougars to get near the Oxford endzone. Driving them back on numerous occasions, the Lancers also forced and recovered a fumble, and snatched an interception courtesy of Cornerback Anthony Cooper. The punting unit consistently gave Oxford good field position, and as Cougars subbed in and out to rest up, dogged determination, solid tackling and disciplined coverage, ensured that the tiny squad of just seventeen Lancers held their own.

The offense had its highs and lows throughout the session, both with grinding out some tough yards on the ground and making some large gains through the air. The only score of the game came when a block by Cooper allowed Lancers’ Quarterback Ben Baker to roll right avoiding pressure and throw a perfect pass over the coverage to a sprinting Ryan Lynch, who ran into the endzone untouched thanks to some tenacious downfield blocking that sent pursuing Cougars sliding on their backs through the mud. Following an interception of an errant Kingston pass, Oxford could and probably should have scored again: American import Campbell was judged to have fallen just short of the endzone after making an impressive diving catch, and from one yard out the Lancers failed to capitalise – some athletic defending resulted in Kingston forcing a turnover on downs. In testing cold and muddy conditions, the ferocity of Oxford’s Defensive Line and Linebackers compensated for their size disadvantage, and the ability of the Defensive Backs to slow the Cougars’ passing game served to keep Kingston off the scoreboard for the remainder of the day.

Oxford left the field cut, bruised and exhausted, but with their heads held high. Yes, it was just a friendly scrimmage, but you can only beat the team that’s put in front of you – which is exactly what the men in Oxford’s dark blue and gold uniforms went out and did. The unofficial scoreline of 6-0 is a reflection on the brutal conditions under which the game was played; the shutout representative of the grit every Lancer showed in grinding out this victory. Kingston Head Coach Phil De Monte commented after the game: “you guys wowed me.” A former head coach of the Oxford Cavaliers, De Monte won the national championship with them in 2001, added: “get some numbers, get in the league, it needs competitors just like you…”

The Lancers’ success in their first test is the product of the enormous effort invested by its members. Much of the credit must go to Team President Guy Edwards and proud Head Coach Carl Marshall, both of whom were previously involved with the Cavaliers, for the sheer scale of their input into all aspects of running the team. Surely nobody felt the satisfaction of Sunday’s performance as much as them, though they will undoubtedly remain the team’s biggest critics. Make no mistake, not one Lancer is suffering delusions of grandeur – as hard as Oxford fought, the display was far from flawless. There is, and always will be plenty of work to do in training: Sundays, 11:45am at Botley Park for anyone who wishes to get involved. In any case, there is still a long way to go before the Lancers can compete consistently at the national level as the Cavaliers once did. The programme requires more money (it is currently operating at subsistence levels), more players (we are playing and training throughout the year!) and more recognition to grow and develop. Dominant teams like the Birmingham Lions can and do have squads of over ninety fully kitted players. Their season opener vs. the NTU Renegades on Nov 5th, drew a crowd of over three thousand fans, warranted coverage from Sky Sports and took on somewhat of a festival atmosphere. Teams and events of that magnitude may remain out of our reach for a while yet, but given what happened in South West London on Sunday, it seems the Oxford Lancers have taken the first of many steps towards becoming a contender in one of the fastest growing sports in the UK.