Milton Keynes 26 - Witney 23
Feb
After last weeks timid second half as Wallingford ran riot, coach John Campbell demanded more of his players this time round and they gave far more but in the end it was not enough. In a game which first went one way and then another a last second penalty was enough to give the home side the spoils when a draw would probably have been the fairest result. Both sides could look at refereeing decisions going against them over the course of the afternoon but they probably balanced out over the duration but the general feeling from the home side was one of relief especially after their last try€ but more of that later.
The match kicked off on a sunny afternoon and the home side started the better with a solid spell of phases seeing them in the Witney 22. From a maul they drove forward and scored for a dream start, although the extras were missed. Witney could easily have gone into a shell but came back well with James Elwoods consistently good restarts really giving the lads something to chase. Carl Campbell tapped back and after good work from Owen Fowler and Will Worrall, the home side gave away a penalty and James Elwood slotted the three points. Jez Hicks encouraged his lads to express themselves and they looked a bit sharper than last week with Elwood asking questions of the home defence. His astute chip brought the next points as he was impeded as he went through and a penalty was awarded which he slotted. Milton Keynes were dealt a blow as their stand off was adjudged to have tripped Elwood and was asked to leave the field for the next 10 minutes which really gave Witney the initiative. Fair play to the home side though, they rallied well and looked as if they would hold out for the ten minutes without conceding a score and even missed a penalty chance of their own. Both Louie Collins and Gareth Campbell had good darts but the home defence was generally sound and Witney could not capitalise.
However Witney picked up on a mistake in the Milton Keynes midfield and with James Elwood and Joe Collins charging upfield after a kick ahead, the referee adjudged that Elwood had been held back and awarded a penalty try, Elwood converting. Witney were in great shape at this point and with the scrums being solid and the lineouts being edged, things looked good. As has often happened this season, things started to slowly go against them with prop Rikki Dore having to leave the field with a pulled hamstring (not a misprint) and then the referee starting to make some odd decisions against Witney. This was frustrating but to their credit they kept their discipline far better than the previous week and even when the home side had slotted a couple of penalties to reduce the scoreline to 11-13, the generally kept focussed on the job in hand.
The tension was building as the second half began but it was Witney who enjoyed the first score of the half after good work from flankers Tim Muller and Will Worrall had set up good field position. Henry Lamb was the scorer as he entered the line cleverly from full back and despite the missed conversion, Witney were back in the driving seat at 11-18. Milton Keynes were not going to lie down though and their winger received the ball in lots of space after a few phases and he finished off well, 16-18. Witney knew the next score was vital and managed to score it with the best try of the match. It came from Henry Lamb who made amend for not making the most of an earlier overlap as he received the ball 22 metres out. He shrugged off two tacklers and managed to outsprint the last for what looked to be the clinching score, Elwoods kick narrowly missing to give the home side a lifeline.
Their lifeline was assisted as Witney lost Owen Fowler to the sin bin and Milton Keynes kicked to the corner from the resultant penalty. Witney thwarted the first attack but soon had to defend another lineout close to their line.
Despite the throw not being straight, the referee allowed play to continue and then the Milton Keynes player spilled the ball about a metre out but the referee was unsighted and awarded a try much to Witney total dismay. To make things worse, the kick was drilled through from the touchline and the scores were tied. Owen Fowler returned and a Milton Keynes player was carded to perhaps give Witney the late initiative but when Joe Collins was caught on the wrong side after a tackle, he was penalised and the Milton Keynes supporters were overjoyed as the last kick of the game soared through the uprights for a narrow win.
1st XV: Lamb(H), Rollinson, Strutt, Collins(J), Collins(L), Elwood, Campbell(G) : Dore,
Copperwheat(A), Serle, Fowler, Hicks(J), Worrall, Muller, Campbell(C)
Repl : Richens(Dore-15), Collis(Muller-50), Phillips
VIEW FROM THE TOUCHLINE
I felt for the lads after the match as they did not deserve to lose the match, although it could be argued if they really deserved to win or not. They gave it their all despite the squad being rearranged due to late injuries and it was a good match always in the balance but once again the narrow loss went against Witney but that's life!
To lose is disappointing but to lose to a score that was not a score really makes it difficult to swallow. I donā€™t like blaming a referee for anything as without one there is no game but I would have liked to have seen some more advantage as I think both sides were trying to play some good rugby and the match rarely flowed. That said there were a number of knock ons from both sides in good positions and the referee at that point has no choice. Great second try for Henry who really backed himself and if all the boys did just that they would soon start to put a decent run together again,€“ lets hope it happens soon as the season is fast running out. All the team gave their all for the shirt/the badge/the coach/each other but this time round, it wasn'€™t good enough, perhaps next time round in such a close match, it will be.
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