By Will Stallibrass, UBMLC Club Captain and third year Economics and Managment student
UBMLC served up a treat on Halloween night, producing a terrifyingly dominant performance under the Coombe Dingle lights.
As night fell and the lights of Coombe were set ablaze, the scene was set for the mighty Bristol Men’s 1s team to put their rivals Exeter to the sword. As the crowd accumulated and the boys jogged out onto the pitch, with words from coach Pete Wilson still ringing in their ears, the players knew tonight was going to be electric.
Bristol had enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2018/19 season. Away victories over Bath, Oxford and Surrey – with the latter a staggering 24-0 win – and a triumph at home against local rivals Cardiff, had seen Bristol race to the top of the Premier South league table. This same fixture in November of last year saw Bristol prevail 10-6. The match this time around was a far less even affair; testament to the home side’s continuing improvement.
After a minute's silence in remembrance of Ottie Ulden, Charles Stewart-Syme set himself for the first face off of the match. The whistle blew and Charles pounced, winning the face off, a reccurring event of the night with Exeter failing to win a single face. Bristol took an early lead through goals from Cameron Stewart-Syme, Freddie Atkins and Sebastian Wooff.
Exeter gallantly fought back to bring the score to a tense 5-3 to Bristol at the end of the second quarter. As the players huddled around to listen to their coach the crowd began to truly get behind the team.
In the third quarter Bristol came into their own, and the score began to run away from Exeter. The sound of the ball hitting the net and resultant cheers from the crowd became common place. Will Stallibrass and Matthew Giudici both added their names to the score sheet with a cannon of an outside shot from Stallibrass and a pitch length run from Giudici that started with a sublime one handed catch off a feed from Keeper Tom Stephens, leaving the crowd in uproar.
Exeter’s defence began to crumble in on itself as the dominating Bristol side kept up their relentless barrage of goals. Tempers flared and Exeter tried to hold on yet Bristol showed no mercy. Atkins, Stallibrass and Stewart Syme all added to the tally, with Stephens defiantly keeping out any further attempts by the away side. The final whistle brought great relief for Exeter.
Freddie Atkins must be noted for his outstanding 6 goals. The players thanked the opposition as well as the officials for the game before celebrating wildly with the crowd who had shown incredible support for the cause. At the halfway point in the season the Men’s 1s remain undefeated, continuing their current two and a half-year streak of being undefeated in league fixtures. Final score: Bristol 14 - 5 Exeter.
Bristol will go on to play Bath on Wednesday 7th November under the lights at Coombe Dingle at 17:00, before a trip over the bridge to play Cardiff on the 14th. This is an exciting time for not just this team, but also the club as a whole. As evident on Halloween, support means a tremendous amount as the lacrosse team continue to impress in their division.
Featured image by Ed Hanton
Did you get down to Coombe Dingle to witness this hug win for UBMLC? Let us know what you thought of the performance!
