Winner of the match was guaranteed one of five places in Championship 2 in the second half of the BWPL season. But once Cambridge had wiped out Hucknall's early 4-2 lead, they controlled the match.
Crichton proved unstoppable in the pit forward position, winning three penalties in addition to his personal tally of goals. Nick Ludford, who scored five, gave strong support while, remarkably, 19-year-old Chris Ray matched Crichton's eight-goal haul for Hucknall.
Watford, 18-7 winners against Manchester Hawks, and Southampton, who beat Birmingham 17-8, also made it to Championship 2 along with Birmingham. Ealing emerged as fifth qualifiers with a hard-fought 20-16 win over Castleford in the final match of the Division 3 campaign.
Photo (Trevor Hyde): On the charge . . . Hamish Crichton (blue cap) leads the Cambridge attack, challenged by Hucknall's Adrian Taylor.