Lancaster Fish followed up their mixed and open victories at yesterday’s indoor frisbee matches by storming to a 15-3 victory in the outdoor event.
The result was never in any doubt. York went on the attack from the first throw, but their early momentum quickly dissipated as what looked like a routine throw into the end zone went awry. Lancaster quickly turned the play around by scoring three early points, with captain Will Doole getting one and Dave Nelson grabbing an early double.
York hit back after the third point to make it 3-1, but even at this early stage they never really looked like overturning the deficit; their passes weren’t finding their intended targets, and even when they did Lancaster’s defence rallied together to turnover possession. A York chance shortly after their point looked promising but fell short, a moment that would typify their entire afternoon; their build-up play was solid but they simply didn’t have the clinical edge to their passing in the final third.
The Fish continued to press on the offence, with another three points coming in quick succession. Lancaster’s premier Welsh frisbee flinger, Mat Francis, made an elegant catch after an excellent searching pass from Doole, and Nelson showed off some sublime movement in the end zone to score another two points.
Another small spell of York pressure followed, but again their finishing was lacklustre, and Lancaster took the advantage in a flowing counter-attack; the disc was moved quickly upfield, finding itself in the hands of Cristian Felice, who threw a beautiful curling pass into the waiting hands of Francis.
There were two more goals before half time. York clawed back a point after their best move of the match so far, with the final pass displaying the sort of accuracy that had been missing so far. However, Dave Nelson impressed again by scoring his fifth point in the final move of the half, taking the score to 8-2.
The course of play didn’t change much after the restart; if anything, Lancaster took control of the game even more. Ben Bisset scored the first point of the half, making another great catch after a monumental attacking move that saw the entire Lancaster team swarm into York’s half, before Fred Ingram squeezed the last drops of hope from York’s bloody carcass by making it 10-2.
The Lancaster lead was now seemingly unassailable, a fact that York seemed to acknowledge; Lancaster capitalised on a York mistake, and worked the disc upfield to Johnny Quest, who made an excellent jump to take the score to 11-2. Points from Doole and Fergus Cuthill brought Lancaster within touching distance of the 15-point score-cap, and the mournful, sorrowful sounds of the Fish’s horn-toting supporter sounded the demise of York’s hopes.
Play finished just before the hour mark. A Francis throw found Bisset to make it 14-2, and although York got a consolation point after their best spell of the game, Dave Nelson (who was voted MVP) closed the proceedings with his sixth point of the game.
York Captain Jamie Smith remained optimistic in spite of the result. “We played really well and spirits were high,” he said, “we knew Lancaster would be strong, but the score line was still closer than last year. They deserved the victory though!”
Fish captain Will Doole was suitably impressed by his team’s performance. “It was a great game. We played them recently at the regional tournament where the scoreline was much closer, so to win with such a big lead with the same team is great”.
The result capped an excellent weekend for the Frisbee team, with the Fish securing all 8 available points.
