After a victory in last year’s inaugural Karia-Keeling cup, the first of its kind between Clare Hall Football Club (CHFC) and Clare College Football Club (CCFC), we had a record to defend at the renovated Grange Range Stadium. The teams are usually shared between the colleges but for this day only were separated for a match to celebrate our 60th and 700th anniversaries respectively. Despite losing some key players due to degrees coming to an end and unfortunate holiday planning, a full squad of 19 filled with both new recruits and familiar faces turned out on Saturday 20th June, the day after the May Event. Kitted out in blue as a homage to the team of 2006/07, with a questionable amount of Leicester City shirts, they were ready for anything the humidity and Clare could throw at them.

Ben Ulmer, who had been out for the season with a major injury, started the game with a ceremonial kick off, and showed true commitment to the cause by making a heavy tackle in his allocated 30 seconds of pitch time. The first 20 mins saw Clare dominating possession and the Clare Hall blues giving it away too easily by playing ambitious long balls over the top. They faced two unexpected early substitutions with captain Rishul losing a contact lens in one of his many crunching midfield tackles, and vice-captain Ayesha being hit square in the face with the ball. The hydration break, following the lead of the World Cup, was a welcome relief against the momentum and the 30 degree heat. Clare Hall started again with much more fluidity. Some solid defensive work from Jose, Mujeeb and Sam kept the formidable Clare attack quiet, whilst fullbacks Adham and Tom kept the width, allowing Andreas to control the midfield. Martin, having been flown in from Zurich, showcased the ability that gave us flashbacks to his prime, whilst Monty’s footwork was second to none. Following multiple shots on goal, we couldn’t quite find the breakthrough, with the closest chance coming via the right boot of Ghan who was thwarted by Clare’s on-rushing goalkeeper. Nil-Nil at half time, the game could go either way.

The second half started and Clare Hall were on top, with Leo pulling off multiple lung-bursting runs up and down the right touchline on his 11-a-side debut, truly an excellent performance from our ‘Rookie of the Year’. Before the second hydration break, some of the football on display was absolutely electric; starting from the back with Sam passing through the lines to Raghav in the halfspaces, immediately turning defence into attack.

Multiple chances came, with Rishul’s attempt to chip the goalkeeper from the halfway line plucked out of the top corner, whilst both Martin and Deniz came close from inside the box. David made some critical tackles and Elvis demonstrated an energy in midfield that prevented any attacking impetus developing from Clare. It looked like the goal was only coming one way; especially with Manos at the back, pulling off some magnificent saves to keep Clare searching for the back of the net…

As luck would have it, disaster struck immediately after the break as one of Clare’s University players sliced through our midfield, laying it on a plate for number 9 on the day Blake to make it 1-0. The sound of Deniz from the side was enough to make any Clare Hall player on the pitch quake with fear. They had to equalise; this meant more. Intricate play between Rishul and Raghav, the latter showcasing his ability as ‘Newcomer of the Year’ with some fine body feints, ended up with the ball at the feet of centreback Sam. 30 yards out, right foot, top corner. A goal for the ages on the historic pitch, sparking jubilation from both the players and the Clare Hall faithful watching on. The upset was back on, with 10 minutes left of the 90.

The captains decided to go for it, disregarding defence and throwing on as many attackers as possible. Some tricky wing play from Monty set up Rishul on the edge of the box, who miscued what was a regulation opportunity. Deniz and Ghan were both played through 1-on-1 but couldn’t find the target. Mila, fresh from a run from the train station, got stuck in on the right hand-side of midfield and Ayesha continued to terrorise Rishul’s little brother on the left. There was one last chance to go ahead with the full time whistle disregarded after some dodgy timing on a Clare Hall corner, but nothing came of it. It was straight to penalties. Or so we thought. Some behind the scenes negotiations lead to 15 minutes of golden goal. Tired legs began to show after a grueling performance and so came a wave of Clare pressure, culminating in a free-kick on the edge of the box. A fingertip save from Manos denied Jonty a hero’s send-off and galvanised the troops to one last push. We defended with our lives and player of the match Sam kept us in the game, heading everything and anything clear. The deadlock would not be broken and brought penalties, for real this time.

Clare Hall had Manos in goal, whilst Clare had been rotating players in net, ending up choosing Ed to see them through the shootout. For the first time in the match we had the upper-hand; keep the shots on target and let Manos do the rest. Clare’s captain Ben Keeling won the toss and opted to take first. Jonty slotted his penalty calmly away. 1-0. Rishul, who had been a key part in both the game today, and throughout the entire season, stepped up for the first penalty. Rugby, cricket, golf… in many sports, it would have been an excellent shot. Unfortunately, football is not one of them. Hope was not lost, however, as Manos pulled out a world class save from Connor and veteran Martin showed Rishul how to take a penalty. 1-1, back in the game yet again. Blake and Andreas calmly put theirs away to bring us to 2-2 after 3 each. Having seen his opposite number fluff his lines, Ben stepped up and put his penalty away. 3-2 Clare. Up next was Deniz, who had been a thorn in Clare’s side all day, but his penalty was dragged wide of the target. Cambridge University Football President Josh then stepped up to seal the deal, seemingly unphased by the magnitude of the situation, and resigning Clare Hall to defeat. Sadly, one of the stalwarts of the football team Adham was slated to take the fifth penalty so didn’t get a chance to send-off his Clare Hall career with glory but as with everyone who took the field, will be remembered in our hearts.

Despite all the emotions that were poured into the game, there was great comradery between the teams at the end, highlighted by the full club photo. 2 teams on the day but one club at the end of it all. A big thank you to everyone who came out to support us, the entire team who put in a shift to be proud of and to our friends from Clare for being so gracious in victory.

We will be back next year to regain the trophy and if anyone reading this has got this far and is interested in joining football next year, we welcome anyone from fellows to students of all experience levels, please do not hesitate to reach out – the more the merrier!