Berkshire U20's 11 - Dorset & Wiltshire U20's 38
Apr
Thick snow lay on the pitch as the teams prepared for the last round of the area games and before the kick off the Dorset & Wilts players looked more at home playing with snowballs than playing rugby. Unfortunately this relaxed attitude continued on for the first 30 minutes of the game which was in complete contrast to the opening of the previous match where Dorset & Wilts scored 14 points in the first 5 minutes.
Facing an Arctic wind Dorset & Wilts found little rhythm in the early exchanges and Berkshire asserted themselves in broken play and soon went ahead from a penalty for handling on the ground.
Shortly after, Berkshire benefited from a wheeled scrum and their very useful scrum half got over in the corner making the score 8 – 0 after 20 minutes.
At last Dorset & Wilts won a good line out and shipped the ball smartly to Dorset & Wilts man of the match, Swindon RFC’s Ben Loosemore, who burst through a gap in a re-run of the opening try against Buckinghamshire the previous week, he fed Wimborne RFC’s Karim Lynch who scored far out on the right, converted by Dauntsey’s player Ollie Linton taking the score to 8 - 7 in favour of Berkshire.
The referee was strict at the breakdown and Dorset & Wilts scrum half Nick Hill was the first into the sin bin for an infringement and Berkshire kicked the penalty to go further ahead 11 - 7.
With two minutes to go before half time Dorset & Wilts found a good touch 5m from the Berkshire line who gifted a try from the lineout to Salisbury RFC’s Sean Barwick who had only to drop over the line to score. Again with a magnificent kick Linton converted putting Dorset & Wilts into the lead 11 -14 at the halfway point.
Throughout the first half the Berkshire muscular forwards had been a real handful in the contact area and their rolling maul had been particularly effective, but in the set pieces and when the ball was moved wide, Dorset & Wilts always looked in control.
Playing with the wind in the second half Dorset & Wilts began to exert more pressure on Berkshire. From a long kick downfield by Swindon RFC’s fly half Cameron Brown and good chasing by the centres, Loosemore and Rob Collis (Devizes RFC), Dorset & Wilts were awarded a 5m scrum. There followed a series of scrums each of which collapsed as Dorset & Wilts drove forward. A penalty try seemed on the cards but finally No 8 Jared Sharman from Wimborne RFC drove over for the try converted by Linton putting Dorset & Wilts 11 – 21 into the lead.
From another long kick deep into the Berkshire 22 by Brown, and the ensuing lineout Swindon RFC’s Sam Pailor drove into midfield and fed onto Brown who strolled under the posts for another converted try stretching the lead to 11 -28.
Using the wind sensibly to put Berkshire back in their own half, Ollie Linton followed a speculative kick ahead by fly half Brown and was rewarded when the Berkshire full back fumbled the ball straight into Linton’s hands for the softest of unconverted tries.
The final try was from close range when lock Nick Morris from the Salisbury club burrowed his way over from a ruck.
The final 10 minutes saw Berkshire attacking at every possible opportunity in an effort to get on the second half score sheet. The Dorset & Wilts defence held defiantly with a number of crunching tackles as they defended their line, in particular one by Ben Loosemore who pole axed a Berkshire player 3m into touch just short of the try line.
Final score - Berkshire 11 - Dorset & Wilts 38
Assistant Coach Andy Smith said after the game:
“Having started so poorly Dorset & Wilts gradually exerted pressure from some powerful scrummaging, enterprising back play, very solid defence and effective tactical kicking. The game was played in difficult conditions and both sides deserve much credit for trying to play rugby. We now look forward to the challenge of Gloucestershire in the Quarter Finals to be played at Lydney RFC on the 13th April”.
Team: Nick Farrant (Devizes RFC), Ted Stagg (Bath Academy), Ashton Price (Wimborne RFC), Nick Morris (Salisbury RFC), Sam Pailor (Swindon RFC), Jared Sharman (Wimborne RFC), James Fox (North Dorset RFC), Sean Barwick (Salisbury RFC), Nick Hill (Bridport RFC), Cameron Brown (Swindon RFC), Ben Loosemore (Swindon RFC), Karim Lynch (Wimborne RFC), Olly Linton (Dauntsey’s), Steve Rich (Wootten Bassett RFC), Luke Rapson (Devizes RFC). Replacements: Sean Murphy (Wimborne RFC), Matt Pearce (Blandford RFC), Mike Errington (Bournemouth RFC), Rob Collis (Devizes RFC). Dan Lock (Devizes RFC), Tom Wilson (Cardiff University), Angus Hogg (Salisbury RFC)
