Great Start to the New Season

With the grass cut and the lines re-marked, Cumnor produced a superb passing display and emerged unbeaten on match day one.

Match One
We couldn't have wished for a better start to our first season playing in the competitive League. Cumnor played with discipline, skill and pace... scoring 9 goals and conceeding none. All the boys contributed but special mention must go to Henry, Rory and Toby who remained focussed despite having little to do. Captain Ben marshalled the team beautifully from the middle with Adam relishing the open spaces of the bigger pitch. Will was full of his usual tricks and turns and Fyn a constant threat around the box. James S and James E slotted in well when they came on and demonstrated we have plenty of talent in our squad.

As for the goals, Will opened our account for the season, followed by Fyn, Will, Ben, Rory, Will (hat trick), two for James E and one for Adam right on the final whistle. Yes, the goals flowed but the team oozed class throughout stroking the ball around the pitch, looking for space and playing as a team.

Match Two
Where match one was one-way traffic, match two had us all on the edge of our seats. Considering the boys swapped pitches half way through, they did well to produce such an entertaining game. Cumnor went behind to a well-taken Yarnton goal despite Laurie making a brave save (without gloves too!). Cumnor pushed forward and there followed a bizarre piece of action where the ball pinged around the box before James S hit the post. The near miss gave Cumnor heart and good work from Henry S saw James E score the equalizer. 1-1.

Yarnton were determined to get something from the day and despite Joe's heroic tackling, soon went 2-1 ahead. But Cumnor weren't going to take this lying down, Binky burst through and sent James E in to score his second of the match and - with 4 goals - go into an early lead in the race for this year's golden boot. There was more drama just before half-time when captain Henry suffered a knee problem and had to go off for Ben.

In the second-half (on the smaller pitch) Joe went in goal and produced a brilliant display of shot-stopping. However, Yarnton pressure saw them go two clear. With defeat in sight, a little shuffling of the personnel saw Rory and Fyn make an appearance and their impact was instant. Ben hammered home Cumnor's third and then the imperious Rory scored the 4th. 4-4... a fair result.

We're delighted with the start to the season. Here's to more slick passing, stout defending and smart finishing.

Player of the Week: for taking his chances, James E