Old Yardleians RFC: Club News
An Eggcited Development team captain !
Thu, 21 Oct 2010 11:43
Yours truly was dragged away to The Smoke for the weekend, not to watch the Gunners thrash the Blues but to celebrate somebody's birthday. Accompanied by the famous 2nd row of the burial business, the best hooker never to have played for Wales and an ex-player and coach from Old Griffs, we were having a quiet meal nowhere near Soho when a text message arrives at about 4.30 pm. What could Egg want to tell me so early on a saturday? Still sober I read the text twice and sure enough we had just beaten the Edwardians 2nds by a lot of points.
Try scorers were Mean machine, Dave Langley 2, Tom Thacker 2,Jonty Parry 2, Dave Rimmer, Luke Harris, Brian Nicolay and Jamie Allen with Luke Griffiths 4 conversions and Tom 1 conversion completing the scoring. It is good to see Eds firsts topping their league and I'm sure that their lower teams will not struggle for ever.
First xv
Eds might not have strength in depth but Sutton do and a 25-39 points defeat against their seconds shows what a gulf has appeared since not too long ago we were playing them at first team level. Although it was only a friendly and a week off for some, let us hope that we still learn from such games.
Juniors
What a difference a week makes. After a
superb win last week our under15s were well beaten by a polished Old
Sils outfit. Chicken says training for all of the squad on sunday.
However,
Gringo and Bill had their first win of the season at under 14 level
when they defeated Kings Norton. This sunday sees them on a trip to
Burton.
Social news
Friday 12 th November at the
club 8.00 start sees the 3rd Dave Adams general knowledge quiz. The
questions are easy (the answers might not be!). £2 per player, teams
of up to 6 and no technological assistance allowed. Great prizes, bar
open, new tables and chairs. Come and give it a go, you might even
enjoy yourself.
Vandals
This weekend saw us at Fort Tilehouse in a slightly rearranged fixture (or so they thought) with Warley 2nds, having originally been slated up against their thirds. So when they hadn't appeared by 2.30 it was up to Tom's sterling (and obviously persuasive) efforts as they were already changed (and we wisely weren't) to get them to make the journey across. And with there being more rescued Chilean miners around on a Saturday afternoon than third team referees it was up to Dai Baldwin to step into the breach, and given our guests late arrival it was agreed that the game would be played over 60 minutes.
With our "experience" bank being tapped again Barstool having gone up into the Ones & Marcus into the Development side, and Captain Slow having been broken the previous week the side was ably led once again by John Lonie who won the toss and opted for ends.
The starting Eight for this week then, the so far ever present Shannon Killarney, Steve Sidwell at hooker and Bill Burrows at tighthead a front row with a combined age of 160 incidentally! In the engine room John Lonie & Phil Gouldbourn, with a back row of Nick Levey at blindside, Roger Lazenby at open and Phil's kid brother Alistair at No.8. Out in the backs scrum half Barry-John Cole, a return at fly half for Gary Williams, centres Simon Singleton & Lee Coates and a back three of Phil Watson, young debutant Dan Griffiths and Ian Neville at fullback. On the bench, more like a three legged stool really Andy Killarney & Tony Fitzgerald returning to action for the first time since being injured in our opening game.
Warley kick off straight Shannon takes & fakes a clearance kick and feeds Alistair but ball goes to ground, and his opposite number picks up and spins it out to their inside centre who is jumped on by big Phil, but they retain possession and take it on a few metres but we tackle well around the fringes before the ball is adjudged forward from a Vandals hand. First scrum of the game to Warley who's pack is immediately under pressure from our Eight but they manage to get it away as far as the inside centre who drops it and Snapper's in like a shot and fly hacks it on and gives chase. Scooping it off the floor on the hoof it's a fingertip forward as he feeds Coatsey in support who was clear to the line, but we are brought back for a Warley scrum just on the their twenty two. They keep possession and kick to touch for a lineout to Yards. John Lonie takes, we set and drive it on a bit before Baz spins it out to Smokes to Snapper who makes the break and puts his centre partner through the gap. But Coatesy is hauled down by a good tackle but flicks the pass away to Smoking to Barry-John to Horse who's driven into touch about seven or eight six metres out for a lineout to Warley. The throw comes in and is tapped down by Warley and it goes loose and big Phil topples onto it like a giant Redwood for our opening score 5- 0 They don't come much easier than that and it's two in two weeks for the big man. Baz squirts the conversion just wide.
Big Phil takes the restart and takes it on a few yards, good set, and spin Baz to Gaz to Symes who cuts inside gives it back to Smoking, but it's too hot to hold and Warley fly hack on but no advantage is gained, scrum to Warley. Again Bill, Sid & Shannon exert the pressure but Warley get it away some good interpassing sees them make steady progress upfield before putting it up Coatesy tries to take the mark inside our twenty two, but knocks on but makes sure the ball goes in to touch. Warley scrum about five metres out, we turn them slightly and they pick up and go blind with a neat back row move, but big Rog escorts the runner into touch. Lineout to Yards, we take and drive a yard (literally) before the ball is passed to Smoking in the dead ball area and all he can do is dot it down for a scrum to Warley get another scrum which under pressure goes awry and Barry-John steals it and pops it to Ali G who makes good yards, before we set and Baz makes a good kick to touch .
We steal at the lineout and spin but misfire again and the ball goes forward for a scrummage to Warley on the halfway line, they secure their own ball and spin, it's a miss pass then punt and the ball sails over young Dan's head. Lineout to Yards, it's a low trajectory ball (that was Sid's Doosra) but the Lonester takes it, secures it and we take it on a bit. Baz decides it's time spins it and we try a scissors but ball is knocked on for another scrum to Warley.
They spin but our first up tackling is sound, and we turn it over and Smokes kicks long with young Dan in hot pursuit, their winger takes it cleanly but is tackled early doors, but manages to offload to his support but he too is tackled. Warley recycle and take take it on a yard or two, eventually spinning it, then cutting back inside testing our defences but Roger is up to the task and we turn it over, Baz to Simon (anybody else think they look like brothers?) but we are driven wide and eventually the ball goes out.
Big Phil pinches it at four and it's a bit of a hozza pass to Smoking who takes ball and two or three red & white shirts but stays big until help arrives in the shape of Nick & Alistair, but it becomes a bit of a mess, and hard working Warley hard turn it over and their No.8 drives it on close to the breakdown, he feeds the fly half who makes ground before cutting back inside only to be clobbered by Coatesy, pile on, Dai signals penalty advantage, free ball to Warley, but the penalty is not required as their fly half hits a sweet drop goal from about fifteen metres out 5-3.
Smoking's restart doesn't go ten but only just and a pity as Lonie takes a great catch on the hoof. Scrum back. Once again the Warley scrum creaks and ball gets knocked forward at the base but Dai plays good advantage and Nick's first to the loose ball it he pops to Alistair who returns the favour, Baz tries to distribute as Warley appear to come offside, but we regain some control and Baz finally gets the pass away to Simon who skips through the gap, and gets the pass away to Coatesy at speed who taking the ball around his ears shows of his ball juggling skills round the back of his head before regaining control and going in under the posts. 10-3 nice easy one for Barry-John for a 12-3 lead.
Over comes the restart it's taken by Alistair who makes inroads before we set and Baz whips it away to Smoking to Simon who puts a long raking kick in, and Horse sets off in pursuit catching his opposite number and dragging him into touch for a lineout to Yards. We take it quickly great catch by Lonie it's fed to Alistair who makes the break and the ball finds Coatesy and he fires up the afterburners and does them for sheer pace for his second try 17-3. Conversion missed. (Captain actually remarks to his gadget and I quote "that was a really smart intelligent try taken quickly")
Lonie takes a great catch at the restart and Nick's quickly in, big Phil sells a dummy!!!! Smoking takes the ball above his head and sets off, finds Simon who hits Coatesy who makes a great break, but Dai sees something he doesn't like and awards the scrum to Warley. Their scrum half puts it up in the air, and Horse takes it and rumbles forward but goes down and over his ankle awkwardly under the weight of about four Warley players round about the twenty two..that had to hurt and Phil has to come off. Fitz hoping for the last twenty comes on for the remainder of the match.
We spend the remainder of the half trading kicks and defending, with good tackles coming in from Nick, Rog & Fitz, especially when the Warley scrum half makes a great break through a bl**dy great hole we'd obligingly left for him before running into defensive traffic and knocking it on. A couple of more scrums follow on before Coatesy gets the chance to bang it deep and their fullback returns it but slices into touch to bring the half to a close.
Half time 17-3 do we really need Isotonics? (left on the touchline this week) John Lonie departs and Andy Killarney comes on and Sid becomes captain as well as spiritual leader.
It's a bit nip and tuck for the opening five minutes of the second half, but Big Phil is really starting to dominate the lineouts and his job is made even easier when Warleys own big unit the aptly named "Moose" comes off. A constant stream of good ball is now being provided for our backs by our hard working Eight. Whereas what little ball the Warley threequarters receive they struggle to hang onto as pass after pass is dropped or knocked on.
And it's from a lineout, the ball coming straight off the top from big Phil to Barry-John to Smoking, dummy to Simon, Coatesy takes it at full tilt to score midway out 22-3 Conversion missed. That's enough action for Coatsey who's been struggling with a leg injury and he comes off shortly after and John Lonie comes back on looking every bit the winger.
Andy Killarney takes the restart, it's becoming a bit of a family business catching the restarts, but soon after Andy takes a knock to the ribs and swaps places with Jonah Lonie for the remainder of the game. Big Phil is also struggling with a similar injury but our subs cupboard is bare.
Not long after Warley have a lineout on their twenty two, and we infringe penalty to Warley and someone remarks about the weather and Dai marches us back a further ten metres. From there they kick for the corner, and win the subsequent lineout they brng their fullback in with good effect but he is held up, but they recycle and go over right in the corner 22-8 and their kicker hits a great conversion from the touchline to bring it within two scores at 22-10.
The restart goes deep and they drop it Ali G is right on it, we set Baz spins it out, but Warley are drawn offside, for our first real attacking penalty or so it seems (sorry Dai) about five or six metres from their line. As frequent flyers know the Vandals don't kick at goal so we opt to run a short penalty and I believe the Lonester was nominated to take this one but Shannon obviously looked a more appealing prospect to Baz as he ultimately took the pop and the quiet man crashed over for a well deserved try 27-10 Baz gets this one 29-10.
Our pack continue to work hard with Sid being "old school industrious" with his feet on one occasion, but it did secure the ball in fairness, our scrums never in danger, Bill wearing his customary smile throughout as we work our way steadily back into Warley territory as we begin to strangle the life out of them with our tackling, and tactical kicking pinning them back time after time. And following a Warley maul it's Bill who wrenches the ball free from contact to feed Baz who passes to Simon who sees the gap open out in front of him and who turns the fullback inside in the process out to go over for a great individual try 34-10. Conversion goes wide.
Shortly after Rog is unlucky not to be awarded a try picking up from a scrum and driving it in at short range, now I thought from my angle he hit the line first time but just to be sure there is a little second movement which is the one Dai spots and with lots of red & white advice gives a penalty against and Rog is not a happy bunny, in fact giving the bird I hope to a Warley player as he gets up. Penalty to Warley from which they clear their lines.
Our final score, following good work by our forwards was scored by Alistair from a short range scrum about five or six metres out, Baz picks up back inside to Alistair who gives a great slice of palm to go over to cap a fine performance 39-10 conversion missed. Dai blows soon after.
Final score 39-10 Final age 673!!!!! even with a seventeen year old on the park.
Man of the match Alistair who worked hard throughout, scored a try and had the dirtiest shirt, and yes Nev was playing but obviously didn't have much to do!!
In all honesty probably one of our least convincing victories, where at times we lacked our usual cohesion, but that said another seven tries scored in the hour, though the game marred by the loss of Lee & Phil.
This Saturday Tamworth vets at home if I can find enough players!