An early start combined with a bit of Storm Ashley aided the Tigers team in a rather scrappy start to this fierce local derby. The Tigers team were quicker into their game and Pats had to show good defence early on to keep the line intact.

A series of powerful drives from Tigers, along with Pats playing into the headwind, meant that our boys struggled to get out of their 22 for prolonged periods. The pressure finally told with the marauding Tigers No. 8 speeding through to score.

Pats took advantage of a brief lull in the weather, managing to get into the Tigers 22 after a good clearance kick. Then a penalty allowed a kick for the corner. After some good phase play, Pats attacked wide and saw George step inside his man to carry over for the try. 5-5.

Buoyed by this score, more possession for Pats followed. A series of line outs and good pressure on the Tigers fly half from Ollie, kept the home team pegged back. To clear their lines, the Tigers backs produced some aggressive running from deep and strong tackling from Tristan was needed to repel the threat until the interval.

After the restart, the Tigers No. 8 continued to carry hard, requiring a trademark tackle from Noah to show his man unceremoniously into touch. Despite playing into the wind now, Tigers were able to kick to the corner after a Pats infringement. Resolute defence was needed to keep Tigers at bay and Barney managed to get a steal at the breakdown to relieve the pressure. A quick tap and run, saw the Pats backs make ground out of their half.

A couple of dynamic breaks from Tigers big ball carriers saw two quick tries to their team. With the score at 15-5, Pats showed courage and a steely determination to turn the contest back in their favour. Some incisive runs, including notable attacks from Sid, kept the Pats supporters more than interested.

The game briefly slowed with injuries to Fred and Harley, but the mobility and dynamism of their replacements, showed the Tigers pack that there would be no let up from the Pats up front. Big powerful carries from Jack made good ground. Will D showed his quality to give Pats hope, with a trademark arcing run to score in the corner. 15-10.

Attacking phases on both sides of the pitch stretched the Tigers defence and Benny was put into space to glide in under the posts. Barney slotted the sole conversion of the day to make it 17-15, to roars from the Pats supporters, including this overexcited correspondent!

Concerted defence from Pats followed, to keep the Tigers repeated phases from breaching the line. An admirable contest at the breakdown, as ever led by Louis, saw Pats hold out for the win. A true all round performance with contributions from the whole team in challenging conditions. With two wins from two, a great start to this year’s league fixtures.