Old Patesians – 13
Bournemouth – 14
Referee – Rob Tahuri
Old Patesians storming unbeaten run came to an abrupt halt when they lost to Bournemouth in their National 3 South West clash. The coach trip to the Chapel Gate ground was long and tedious but they arrived in plenty of time for a prolonged pre-match warm up.
The Pats have no excuses for their dismal performance and they did not get over the Bournemouth 22 meter line until very late in the first half. Their scrummaging was weak and lacked any kind of snap or bite and they made little progress from their fair share of line-out possession.
Bournemouth, who at the kick off were ninth in the table had lost three of their first choice fifteen that morning to a flu bug, but such was their dominance in the early clashes at the breakdown and in the loose the Pats looks strangely confused and disorientated.
Bournemouth’s Director or Coaching, David Dunn had obviously researched well and the threat of Pats talisman James Pettigrew with his trade-mark pick up and drives from the base of the scrum were snuffed out at birth by pincer tackles from very aggressive Bournemouth flankers. Pats other problems arose from their indecision at the ruck and maul. The release was desperately slow and gave little time for fly-half Adam Seager to gve his three-quarters a chance to cross the gain-line.
With so much possession and the territorial domination Bournemouth should have put the match result beyond doubt in the first half but the Pats defence was their saving grace. Pettigrew was at his belligerent ball ripping best and centres Steve Bryant and Ben Davies put in crushing try saving tackles timeand time again. Somehow Pats sucked up the pressure with their outstanding defence and Bournemouth only managed to edge the lead with a penalty goal from scrum-half Scott Chislett at the break.
After the interval Seager levelled the scores with a singularly super penalty goal from just inside his own half, but the Pats were still off and not comfortable with their game plan. Pats line speed in attack was lying lethargic and the Bournemouth flay-half Domenick Davies intercepted a telegraphed miss moved from scrum half Nelly Webber and ran seventy meters for a spectacular try.
Pats recovered well from the reversal when Nelly Webber redeemed himself when he dummied the back row and went over in the right hand corner. Seager landed a touch-line conversion and Pats lead for the first time. Pats now believed they had weathered the storm and were on for a win but referee Rob Tahuri had lectured them several times for their indiscipline at the breakdown and he issued James Pettigrew with a yellow card for entering a maul at the side then going off his feet.
Chislett punished this offence with a penalty goal and Bournemouth now lead by two points with ten minutes remaining. Pats then lost their influential lock Gethin Evans for tackling a player not in possession and this decision was crucial in the outcome of the game. Down to 13 men the pats last ditch defence was heroic but in the end they cracked and Chislett broke their hearts with a match winning penalty goal on the stroke of full-time.
By Bob Ellis
Man of the match – Scott Chislett
Bournemouth vs Old Patesians
