OLD PATS COLTS

TRIES 6

Barney HS
Seb T
Charlie H (x2)
Aidan B
Tom U

OLD PATS COLTS

CONVERSIONS 0

OLD PATS COLTS

PENALTIES 0

TEWKESBURY

TRIES 1

TEWKESBURY

CONVERSIONS 1

TEWKESBURY

PENALTIES 3

The crisp, cold, still air gave way to the latest storm passing through Leckhampton and it was a tricky day to play. The pitch was slippy and the wind howling off the hill. Oh well, best get on with it!

We started uphill and against the gale but had picked an excitingly dynamic team. Several lads who’d missed out on the cup squad were keen to show what they could do and we had plenty of talent to bring off the bench. Particularly exciting was the new-look centre pairing of Moore and Unsworth. The amount of skill, pace, and intensity was only matched by the amount of floppy blond hair they both possessed!

The earlier fixture in the shadow of the Abbey showed that Tewks were no pushover, with a gnarly pack and some pacy and dexterous backs. A penalty, almost straight from kick-off, for not releasing in the tackle allowed them to take the lead via a good kick 0-3.

We came straight back though and forced ourselves into the top corner via a series of rapid thrusts. The ball was knocked on over the line but from the scrum, Barney HS charged down the clearing kick and dived on the loose ball to score. The kick, like all our conversion attempts, suffered from adverse air currents and fell short. 5-3.

We were giving away regular penalties, chiefly for infringements at the breakdown and were punished with another breeze-assisted kick. 5-6.

When we did get ball in hand, we could make ground with Alex running back a deep kick. Tom U carried on the good work making inroads up the far touch and chipped through. The defender was forced into touch and from the line out, a powerful maul drove over with SebT hanging onto the rear for the score. 10-6.

A nasty ankle injury to their prop held up play and necessitated uncontested scrums. Luckily Dr Hunton was on hand to lend his expertise. We wish the player well with his recovery.

We continued to concede penalties, a somewhat disappointing theme in several games this year, but, when we did get to play, we were able to make good ground, even against the wind and slope. From a quick tap, Tom U again carried hard and from the ruck, Charlie H picked up and drove over for his first of the afternoon. 15-6.

Yet another penalty kept them in it. 15-9 at the break. Downhill next…..

Care with the force of the wind was necessary to avoid kicking the ball dead but Chaz W, on at 10 placed a tantalising punt deep into their half. The follow-up pressure was well applied and Aidan was on hand to pick up a loose ball and cross for the try. 20-9

With the wind and slope in our favour, hopes were high for a dominant half, but a little delay or indecision in the backs resulted in an interception try against the run of play, keeping Tewkesbury in the game when they could have been overwhelmed with better discipline. Some words on this subject were delivered by Ollie, the captain and matters improved. Another deep kick was touched down behind the line resulting in a goal-line drop out. Matt B charged down the kick, picked up and bumped off a couple of defenders and charged for the line getting hauled down just short. Charlie H, at the back of the ruck, signalled that he would feed the queuing backs. A likely story! As the defence drifted away, he picked up and drove through the gap his subterfuge had created. 25-16.

A combination of better discipline and sensible use of the wind kept us in Tewkesbury’s half for the remainder of the match, and it was their turn to concede regular penalties. Angus was having a wild time tackling everything that moved, and our big props, Finn and Conor, were carrying hard. The defence was creaking and making errors. Opting for a scrum from the latest penalty to tie in defenders, gave Charlie ball in space and a sweet delay on the pass put the rampaging Tom through the hole and under the posts.

Despite three of our regular kickers being on the pitch, we opted for a new option who, sadly, managed to miss the conversion from right in front – a learning opportunity right there!

No matter, time was up, and the game was ours. Back to winning ways, and we go again next week vs Bredon.

Allez les Pats!

Tom Perris