Friday 27 March sees the culmination of two months of cup action, as six sides are in action across all three competitions at The Woodford Wells Club in West Essex.
In the Sanderson Cup Final, our Premier Division competition, David Lloyd will face Maldon in what promises to be an intriguing battle. After topping their group, David Lloyd faced Hamptons 2 in the quarter-final. Buoyed by the recent addition of Ted Jeal and Amber Marshall to their squad, they made light work of their Chelmsford-based opposition to reach the semi-finals. The semi-final was a much tighter affair, with David Lloyd winning 17–11 thanks to victories from Ahmed Mossad, Paul Cousins and Amber Marshall.
In the other half of the draw, Maldon came through their quarter-final against Old Brentwoods, winning by an overall scoreline of 21–9. It was great to see a return to action for Harry Burr, who has been battling a long-term injury, for Old Brentwoods. In the semi-final, Maldon travelled to group winners Lexden and knew they would have their work cut out to reach the final. Lexden were a little light on the night, and wins for Mark McEwen, Adam Safwat, Paul Wallace and Paul Hodge were enough to get Maldon over the line.
In the Webster Trophy Final, for our East Division teams, final hosts Woodford Wells 2 will face David Lloyd 3. Woodford Wells 2 were unbeaten in the group matches, topping the group by an impressive 18 points, and were far too strong for Hamptons 3 in the quarter-finals. The semi-final saw them host the second-placed team in Group B, Lexden 2, who had only missed out on top spot after losing their group match with David Lloyd 3. The semi-final went much the same way as their quarter-final, with victories across the board for the home team.
David Lloyd 3, who topped their group finishing level on points with Lexden 2 but taking top spot on head-to-head, were very strong as they made light work of league newcomers Witham. Their semi-final was a much closer affair, beating a resilient Maldon 2 by just three games, 17–14.
Our West Division clubs competed in the Woodhouse Trophy, with a mouthwatering final between Connaught Cobalt and Walthamstow Blue to look forward to on Friday night. Connaught Cobalt finished third in their group, but were unfortunately given a walkover in their quarter-final against Redbridge. They then travelled to Woodford Wells 3 for their semi-final, with victories for Mark Barlow, Kevin Neville and Guy Welsh enough to see them reach the final. Walthamstow Blue had a more straightforward route, comfortably beating local rivals Walthamstow Red 25–5 to set up a semi-final with David Lloyd 3. Travelling to David Lloyd, they showed the same relentless form which has seen them top the West Division, overcoming the home side 19–9 to reach the final.
The finals follow a slightly different format to the previous knockout and group stages, with the previously utilised 20-minute format returning. In the final, each string will be first to 30 points (hand-in, hand-out scoring) or twenty minutes, whichever comes sooner. With every point counting, the team with the highest number of points will win the match and be crowned this year’s winner.
Final Predictions:
Sanderson Cup Final – David Lloyd
Webster Trophy – Woodford Wells 2
Woodhouse Trophy – Walthamstow Blue
The final night is free entry, and it would be great to see a packed balcony at Woodford Wells as six teams go to the battle for three coveted trophies.
