7

Tries 1
Conversions 1
Penalties Awarded 0

24

Tries 3
Conversions 3
Penalties Awarded 1 

Having not played Tewkesbury for many years our ‘intel’ was limited to the town having a famous 12th Century Abbey and a rumor that apparently Tewkesbury is prone to flooding which, on seeing the physicality of their squad, we hoped was not a harbinger for what was to come that morning.

Fortunately with a squad of 22, we had our own very strong bench with several ‘bomb squads’ ready to come on at half time.

We won the toss and kicked off to them. After dominating the early part of the game we ended up camping in the opposition 22 but could not convert the pressure into points.

Against the run of play, Tewkesbury managed to turn the ball over, then impressively worked their way up the field through skilled phase play into our 22.

It looked like they might score, but with great anticipation our Captain Alex Moore intercepted the ball and managed to get a Sonny Bill-like offload to gas man Isaac Evans. He had a lot of work still to do and looked like he might be caught but turned on the afterburners to run most of the length of the field and score a great TRY. This was converted by Charlie Langmaid who was returning from injury.
7-0

There followed a spell where neither side dominated and which included injuries to both our goal kickers – always impressive Sam Stevens and ever physical Charlie Langmaid both of whom went off with leg damage.

Many individual efforts were noted including elusive and strong running from Aidan Bartlett who made life tricky for the opposition.

It was also great to see Lion-hearted and unyielding Charlie Davis successfully return from a 9 week injury lay off – welcome back Charlie.

Grafter Jack le Roux got across the gain line with a pick a go from a ruck and also won an important turn over penalty.

This spell ended when deceptively good Ryan McBane put in a clever chip behind the defense creating panic in the opposition ranks leaving instinctive Isaac Evans to pounce and score another well deserved TRY. That was his 8th try of the season and I had hoped to be writing about his ‘hat trick – hat trick’ today but it was not to be after he went off injured soon afterwards. The try was converted by stand-in goal kicker Alex Moore.
14-0

Just before the half time whistle, the muscular Tewkesbury team put together several phases of intelligent play and whilst we defended with passion, they skillfully created an overlap which left our depleted defense with too much to do and they scored a well deserved try which they converted.
14-7

There were many positives to build on at the half time team talk and we also substituted a number of our players bringing on our impressive bomb squad including tenacious Jack Harrison and an impactful cameo appearance from talented Fabe Karadia who we hadn’t seen for a while.

We received the kick off and found ourselves pinned in our own 22. Playing for the jersey we absorbed a lot of pressure but did not buckle against this physical opposition where many teams might have.

When we did turn over the ball we might have implemented our much rehearsed exit strategy (booting the ball as high and far as possible hopefully finding touch). However this team was determined to run the ball from anywhere and everywhere which can seem high risk from the sideline, often inducing anxiety provoked chest pain for the parents, but which often does pay off. After a number of hairy moments we did succeed in battering our way out of trouble.

Our final try, whilst lacking the panache of earlier efforts, was the result of a nonetheless impressive spell of forward power again demonstrating the versatility of this special team. After several pick and goes from a number of our hard men and which were bravely defended by Tewkesbury, the irresistible force that is Max Stanley-Jones crashed over for a well deserved TRY which was converted by Charlie Langmaid who had returned from injury.
21-7

After more pressure, we were awarded a penalty from some way out and to the left. Expecting another tap and go, the team surprised the touchline by deciding to kick for goal which Charlie Langmaid expertly curled in with the skill of Owen Farrell. Despite a late comeback from Tewkesbury, they were not able to score and we ended up winning another impressive game.
24-7

Whilst the Old Pat’s ‘team’ trumps everything, I have mentioned only some of the many great individual performances today which include all of you both in attack and defense.

It is worth noting that we also have a number of impressive combinations which successfully fired for us today including the important 9 – 10 axis where Harry Burridge was reliable and assertive. Also, our back row was courageous whilst the locks and front row were like an unyielding powerhouse in both the tight and loose.

Boys, you resisted the potential Tewkesbury flood and with one game abandoned, this is 6 impressive wins from 6 and you keep improving – well done!!!

Our squad has several casualties who we know are approaching match fitness including Sam Woodward, Barney Heath-Smith, Ed Critchley, Johnnie Hogg and Jo Hamilton, We look forward to seeing you soon.

A special thank you to super mum Sarah Chandler who organised a fantastic curry night for us all on Friday night. It was amusing to see the slightly panicked look in the eyes of the other diners when they realised they would be sharing their special evening with the nearly forty strong Old Pat’s contingent but a great night was had by all.

Finally a big thank you to the Old Pats Club for supplying us with our smart navy blue polo shirts. We always strive to play as a team and now we look like one – thank you.

Hein le Roux