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Cambridge wrapped up a perfect season last Thursday, defeating Birmingham University 11 - 7 at Mount St Mary's College, Sheffield.
Former England U19 Kate Morland led the winners with a hatrick. Her first goal capped an early 4 goal Cambridge run started by midfield playmaker Ros Lloyd before the 3 minute mark. Jackie Vullinghs and Ellie Walsh followed up with scores seperated by less than sixty seconds.
Birmingham took 12 minutes to get on the board, handicapped somewhat by the fact that England midfielder Rebecca Roberts-Gawen was playing with a broken nose after she took a ball in the face during warm ups. Roisin Baker did her best to pick up the midlands team up scoring their first goal and then Jamie-Lee Lawrence started a late Birmingham comeback at the end of the first half. Lawrence doubled Birmingham's total, and then wrapped up the first period with her second goal, with strikes from Baker and captain Alice Briggs sandwiched in between. More importantly Birmingham goalie Catherine Gaunt and her defence had plugged the leaks that looked like they could have turned into a flood, the only goal Birmingham conceded after six minutes was a deflected off a defender's stick. Suddenly, Birmingham had pulled it back to 5 - 5.
Characteristically stern words from Cambridge captain and goalie Alex Carnegie-Brown at halftime re-energised her team, and they came out of the blocks quickly to grab another healthy lead. Vullinghs picked up her second goal of the game finishing a fast break after just 18 seconds, Morland finished a long mazy run from the midfield 3 minutes later and Walsh chipped in with a second of the day just before the six minute mark of the second half. Baker responded for Birmingham, scoring her third to make it an 8 - 6 game, but Coach Dave Abini's team struggled to match Cambridge through the midfield as the game wore on. Morland wrapped her hatrick finishing over an onrushing Gaunt, before Emily Knight made it 10 - 6. It was perhaps fitting that Ros Lloyd would finish the Cambridge scoring after being so impressive in both the final and the semi-final that preceded it. Not to be completely overhadowed Jamie-Lee Lawrence completed her own hatrick with seven minutes left, but for the rest of the game Gaunt and more importantly Carnegie-Brown held firm, delivering Cambridge their 11 - 7 winning margin.

In the Plate Championship Durham 2nds defeated Bristol 2nds 13 - 7. Clarissa Knox and Tor Lever paced the North Easterners, both registering hatricks. Durham established a 5 - 1 lead after 17 minutes and were rarely troubled thereafter even when Bristol finally clicked and scored the game's last three goals.
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