Cambridge finish debut RFU Championship campaign with high-scoring home defeat to Ampthill

Cambridge signed off from a difficult debut campaign in the RFU Championship with a 37-28 defeat at home to Ampthill on Saturday.

The hosts, who finished bottom of the table with two victories to their name from 20 outings, ran their seventh-placed hosts close at Ellgia Fields before eventually losing by a nine-point margin.

The lead changed hands during a competitive first half, with tries from Kwaku Asiedu and Ben Brownlie sending Cambridge into the break with a 19-14 deficit.

Two tries – scored by Sam Asotasi and Brandon Jackson-Richards – early in the second half put Ampthill in command of the scoreboard, only for Cambridge to respond after Nahum Merigan and Morgan Veness both dotted down.

However, any hopes of a dramatic late comeback for Richie Williams’ charges were ultimately ended by a pair of penalties from Ampthill’s Gwyn Parks, who earlier in the contest had been on target with three conversions.

As well as signalling the end of the season in the second tier of English rugby, the match also marked the conclusions of a number of Cambridge playing careers with Harry Morley, Steffan James, Noah Sloot, Huw Owen, Matt Collins and Kieran Frost all due to leave the club ahead of the 2024/25 term getting started.