A convincing win in the end, but not without scares. CSHC M4s asserted their authority, putting eleven past the battling M5s.

The M4s were lively from the start, following their rigorous warm-up. The delay whilst waiting for GK George Toynton didnt faze us. It was only a gentle "Where the h?## are you?" call that raised him from his slumbers to make an appearance mid-way though the first half. His excuse was something to do with time zone differences between Cambridge and Saffron Walden. Not enough to save him from the Lemon.

Three early goals set the tone; from John Greaves, turning and shooting in an unmarked position in the D, Simon Jelley slotting in at the post from a neat short corner move, and then Dave Monck returning to his core role as masterblaster straight from another short corner. At this point the M5s were supposed to crumple, but they hadnt read the script. They scored the next two to create a few jitters. A mixture of M4 complacency - too many players loitering upfield - and dynamic play from Seb Dias and new super-forward "find" Oliver Weston gave the M5s hope of an upset. Technically it was our man Ben Williamson who got the M5s' second goal, off his knee, but oddly he didn't try too hard to get the credit.

Almost immediately the world returned to its proper axis when Jimmy "Lightning" Wood thwacked in an effort from shoulder height. Beautifully controlled too.

Some pack-shuffling at half time bore immediate fruit, with a (briefly) gazelle-like Paul South floating down the right wing, sending a pinpoint cross to Mr Greaves, who made no mistake for his second of the day. Paul S himself got the next, from a Rob Barton PASS in the D. Jimmy W then got his second as the M4s were making the most of the space available against a tiring M5s. This goal came from another Greaves cross, to Jimmy at the far post. Mr Barton was becoming ever keener to get on to the scoresheet, but his shot into a goalmouth melee was gratefully pounced on by that man Greaves for his hat-trick, neatly denying the departing James Mathews - off to sunny Gloucestershire for guaranteed career glory - a final goal for Cambridge South.

Thanks for all your efforts for the club, James. You will be missed.

Rob B finally got his goal, bundling in from close range in customary style. Now it was time for man of the match, Paul South, to display his rare talents with the best goal of the game. One moment he was standing at the top of the D, with the ball taking a rest by his feet. The next moment the ball had flown into the top corner of the net from a precise flick, and Paul was resting, taking in the adulation of teammates.

The last meaningful action of the game saw Jimmy Wood get his deserved hat-trick. It was all a bit of a blur, but could have been a Dave Monck pass off a short corner. Possibly.

Honourable mention must be made of Messrs Druett, Radford, James, Lui, and Marshman. The glory-grabbing forwards can only succeed if the defence stay sound, and midfield snuff out opposition attacks, make the moves, and slot the passes to get the ball where we want it. Thanks, chaps.

Throughout the game the M5s maintained their team formation and approach, never letting the higher team relax, and themselves showing skills and commitment. Teas afterwards at Cantabs were good as ever, with M5s finding lots of reasons to clap and cheer, M4s spending most of the time trying to recall the goals, and listening to George Toynton producing ever more preposterous reasons to avoid the Lemon.