On another perfect Autumn day for running rugby, Shelford entertained Saracens in the 3rd round of the Colts National Cup.

The opening quarter was a cagey affair and although Shelford had the majority of possession and territory, the game remained scoreless between the sides as they failed to breach the Sarries defence. A kick deep into touch into the Sarries half by Cracknell led to the first of a number of shaky lineouts by Sarries, and a badly tapped back ball by them was quickly snaffled by Sam Till to crash over for the opening score, 5-0 to Shelford.

Shelford's back row started to dominate proceedings at the breakdown, as both Rawlings and Porter were either slowing Sarries possession down, or indeed turning it over. The mighty boot of the Sarries fly half came to their rescue on a number of occasions to clear for good territory. Shelford's defending which has been a bit sloppy in recent times was absolutely solid with some thumping 'first up' tackles taking the steam out of the Sarries attacks.

A fine midfield break by Cracknell split open the Sarries defence, and with the full back to beat off-loaded to a 'full tilt' Lewis Green to score under the posts for a fantastic try, converted by Cracknell, 12-0. Despite pressure being exerted at times by both sides, half time came with no further scores, but with a nagging doubt that Shelford really failed to ram home their advantage.

Shelford now had the advantage of a slight breeze and with their opponents facing a low sun, scored early on in the second period after going through a number of phases. Sam Till barrelled his way over from the base of a ruck converted by Cracknell, 19-0.

Sarries responded well as Shelford failed to deal with kick deep into their half, and the sharp witted Sarries winger took advantage of the defensive error to crash over at 19-5 to give them hope of a revival in the game. Shelford's response was with taking advantage of a defensive howler as the Sarries full back spilt a high ball, and Dan Burling pounced eagerly on the loose ball to score under the posts, converted by Cracknell, 26-5.

This try gave Shelford the breathing space to play with more flair, as they started to cut loose from all areas of the pitch. Quick recycling and great support play kept the play going at a breathtaking pace as they then quickly took the game away from their opponents. A fine break by Josh Till set up good field position with an attacking scrum, and a break by brother Sam from the base of the scrum saw him off-load to scrum-half Teeboon to run in for a 31-5 lead.

Another turnover deep in the Shelford half saw captain Sam Porter break free, and after a number of off-loads between the supporting players saw the final one go to the marauding Bob Thomas-Mathieson to score a fantastic team try, 36-5.

Sarries responded by running the ball at any time they could, but a stifling Shelford defence kept them pinned deep in their own half.

A catch & drive by Shelford after a penatly was kicked to the corner saw Sam Till crash over to complete a fine hat-trick at 41-5.

With the final play of the game, Sarries took the attack to Shelford as they worked an overlap to score in the corner, expertly converted for a final score of 41-12.

This game was a fantastic advert for junior rugby, played in a great spirit by both sides and expertly refereed by Tony Kennedy. Shelford march on to the 4th round which is due to be played in early February. Well played to the whole squad, every single one of you were outstanding today.

Squad: Sam Porter (Captain), Nathan Taylor, Angus Hughes, Calum Miller, Lachlan Finlayson, Connor Denton, Dan Smith, Bob Thomas-Mathieson, Ben Foster, Louis Rawlings, James Clare, Sam Till, George Teeboon, Alex Long, Lewis Cracknell, James Murdoch, Calum Shaw, Ben Doughty, Toby Poirier, Dan Burling, Lewis Green, Josh Till.