Yardley & District R.F.C. 29 v O.Y.R.F.C. 19
Old Yards fielded a changed side from the regular XV that finished 2005-06 with three new players, Shaun, Sheldon and Casey making their debuts. Old Yards kicked off the 1st half and were immediately put under pressure by Yardley & District who failed to turn possession into scoring opportunities due to handling errors. Old Yards scrum was put under pressure by the heavier home side forwards and did well to win some ball off their own put in. Old Yards put up a good defensive display in the early stages but were unable to move the ball out of their own half and conceeded a converted try after 8 mins. when Yardley & District played the ball out to their backs.
Old Yards continued to defend well against a bigger Yardley & District side with good tackling, especially when the home side tried to run the ball. Old Yards kept the score to 7-0 until the 21st min. when they failed to defend a quickly taken penalty and the Yardley & District scrum-half ran the ball in from 20m. The score remained 12-0 as the home side missed the resulting conversion.
Old Yards started to get a grip on the game, pushing the home side back and deservedly got back into the match when Tom picked up a loose ball in his own half and ran in under the posts after 30 mins. Matthew J. converted the try to pull the score back to 12-7. Old Yards were starting to dominate the play with strong running and were unlucky not to level the scores when George made a great surging run towards the corner but was held up as he tried to cut back inside.
Half-time 12-7
After holding their own in the early stages of the 2nd half and looking as though they could turn the game around, Old Yards conceeded a try after 6 mins. of the half when the home side scored on the blind-side from their scrum. The score remained 17-7 as Yardley & District failed with the conversion.
After having driven the home side back into their own half, Old Yards scored again after 12 mins when Andrew intercepted a pass and ran in the try from 30m for Matthew J. to convert, taking Old Yards to within three points to 17-14.
Old Yards were now starting to gain confidence with strong running and tackling, together with winning their fair share of the scrums. The match was evenly balanced and looked as though it could go either way until a couple of missed tackles through the middle allowed Yardley & District to extend their lead with a converted try in the 21st min. to make the score 24-14.
A further unconverted try by the home side after 26 mins took the score to 29-14 and it looked as though Old Yards might conceed again but they dug in and were rewarded with a great try from Dan who evaded a couple of tackles before running from deep inside his own half to score an unconverted try after 33 mins. to pull the score back to 29-19.
Final score 29-19
There were some encouraging signs from Old Yards and, although losing, a good showing was put up against a bigger side. There were some good individual performances, particularly when Old Yards had the ball in hand, either in the back row or with the backs. The pack also performed well against a bigger and more experienced Yardley & District side. The three new lads played well and a special mention goes to Casey who showed great character to play 2nd row amongst the 'giants'. We would all like to welcome the lads to the club and hope they enjoy their time playing for Old Yards.
Team
James Lawler, Scott Wilson, Sam Wright, Matthew Willetts, Casey Davison, Michael Thompson, Shaun Morris, George Bishop, Callum Killarney, Matthew Jesse, Tom Scott, Andrew Cox, Dan Griffiths, Sheldon Du Plessis, Alex Patrick.
Scorers
Tries - Tom, Andrew and Dan Conversions - Matthew J. (2)