The pats’ penultimate game of the season in Counties 2 Tribute North certainly lived up to its billing. The large crowd at Newlands Park was treated to a thrilling 13-try demonstration of open, attractive rugby, with neither side giving any quarter throughout.

Enjoying early possession and territory with their mobile forwards combined with young three-quarters, the Pats built relentless pressure on the North’s line during the opening 10 minutes.

A line-out drive saw Pats skipper Sam Rymes collect and break towards the posts before firing out an audacious long pass to John Fenley, who needed no second invitation to show his power and pace as he dabbed down in the corner from 30 meters out.

The conversion against the wind was missed, but the visitors were in the mood for more.

Pats back row trio of Cassius Earle-Davis, Jack Hamilton and 17-year-old Colt Benji Grice on his debut were in fine form hunting the ball down and ferociously chop tackling huge opponents, nullifying attacking moves deep in the North’s 22.
It was Hamilton who kept the scoreboard ticking over after 15 minutes with a trademark powerful charge to the line for a try close to the uprights for Rhymes to convert.

Now in full flow, the Pats made it three from a typical bulldozering charge from in-form loosehead prop Joe Hart. Rhymes chipped over the conversion before Fenley scooped up his brace with a superb individual break from deep, evading tacklers and showing remarkable power and pace for Pats’ fourth and the bonus point.

The game seemed out of sight, but Cheltenham North were having none of it, fielding an impressive array of talented South Sea islanders. Their Fijian style of play of running from deep and keeping the ball alive eventually paid off. When the home side’s huge but athletic number eight Simanu Tusiga broke free from a scrum to sprint 40 meters for a try in the corner, Pats knew that a fightback was on.

From the restart, Atama Susu fielded a deep kick. Eluding first-up tacklers, he charged upfield. Linking with his forwards, he recollected a typical one-handed offload that the Fijian sevens Olympic champions would have been proud of for a converted try.

The North’s local lads have bought into the Pacific Islanders’ all-out attacking style of play. Within seconds of the restart, a superb move from deep in their 22 involving almost every player saw Aminiasi Utamali finish off a fine length of the field converted try, and almost within the blink of an eye, the deficit was cut to three points.

Pats answered with a converted try following a mesmerizing jinking run from their top try scorer, Joe Mcdean, and Rhymes slotted a penalty goal, opening up a 13-point advantage.

The game was now being played at a frenetic pace, with both sides sensing that victory was within their sights. When the North’s giant second-row Manasa Bole crashed over for a converted try, a momentum swing was evident, but Mcdean soon quashed this with another brilliant solo effort, scoring from halfway between the posts for Rhymes to convert.

Ringing the changes, Cheltenham North’s Napoloioni Kore came on and was rapidly on the scoreboard after another sevens-type interchange as he crossed the whitewash for their fifth try converted by Tom Nolan, and when Nolan found a gap to make it six, the men red and black took the lead with only five minutes to play

Tension mounted as Rhymes thumped a penalty goal from 40 meters, leaving the visitors with a one-point deficit. But in the dying minutes, the outstanding John Fenley produced a moment of sheer brilliance, completing his hat trick as he skipped past his opposite number in his 22, jinking and swerving would-be tacklers the length of the pitch for a sensational try under the bar for Rhymes to covert.

There was still time for the restart, which Sam Thomas superbly fielded. Sensible thinking saw him thump a huge punt downfield, forcing a goal-line dropout.

Fijian guile and flair saw Atama Susu chip the ball to the left wing trying to find Aminiasi Utamali, but he was adjudged to be offside in front of the kicker, and from the ensuing scrum, Rhymes found Thomas, who hoofed the ball off the field, securing a famous victory

The league will be settled when Old Patesians entertain league leaders Gordon League on the 6th of April at Everest Road, they face the only other team in the league to have lost only one game all season in what promises to be an epic battle

Norman Bell