Report By Rob Kershaw
Cambridge v Albion, Saturday 3rd September, 3 PM K/O
After a summer of hard work and plenty of match practice, it is finally time for the National League One season to get underway.
Having finished 11th last season, the boys are looking to build on the impressive form they displayed in the latter part of the 21-22 campaign, and they will do so in Cambridge on Saturday afternoon.
This weekend’s hosts finished fifth in the league last campaign, taking 18 wins and losing only seven of their 28 games, but even that impressive form was not enough to beat Rosslyn Park, Sale or Caldy, who went up to the Championship.
10 of those wins came at Volac Park – they lost two and drew two of the other four in an impressive season.
Damian Welch’s men will go into this weekend knowing that this will be another tough encounter against the side that beat Albion home and away last season
The results were not exactly reflective of what were some competitive performances; Albion did manage four tries in the encounter away from home last season, with George Mills, Alex Ducker, Herbie Stupple and Tom Cairns all going over the line to collect a bonus point.
Battling performances like that one were what kept Albion safe in the league and, with the squad now much better affiliated with one another, there is plenty of reason for optimism ahead of the new season.
There are new additions too that have brought about plenty of excitement at Brickfields, bolstering a squad that had already started to look strong at the back end of last season.
Angus Hodges, following a successful trial from Bude, has been selected in Damian’s starting 15 on Saturday, with fellow new signings, Tom Petty and Isaak Welch, ready to make an impact off the bench.
Travel:
It is a five-hour journey to get from Plymouth to Cambridge, travelling via the M5, the M6 and then the M11.
Alternatively, there are still seats available on the supporters’ coach for anyone wanting to make the opening game of the season! Email albitravel@gmail.com
Weather:
There is a relatively high chance of showers on Saturday afternoon, but the breeze is set to be gentle, and temperatures will still reach over 20 Degrees Celsius.
Here is the squad Damian has gone with for Saturday:
