Well, what can you say? Barcelona no problems, Leyton Orient need a replay but we wait nervously for sunday and the Carling cup. Can the Blues achieve what Barcelona couldn't? It's all on the day, maybe a cruel deflection, a dodgy referee's decision. Enjoy the game anyway!
On to rugby. Success all round for our teams last weekend. Heavy pitches were the order of the day which suit some but not others.
First XV
Playing bottom of the league side Cov. Welsh was not as easy as it might have appeared as our opponents showed plenty of grit and determination. It was good to see that our lads kept their composure even when the inevitable errors crept into the game. Ben Honey scored our first try but then the youthful boys took over with our other tries coming from Tom Growcott, Lee Purdy and James O'Donnahue. Ben kicked two pens and Max a conversion. This weekend coming sees a break from the league programme but a testing visit from DKs Development squad.
Development XV
Some thought it was Kings Norton, some thought it was Five Ways and Pickle thought it was a home game. Luke, the skipper, says it was Five Ways but whoever it was we put a lot of points up them and kept a clean sheet as well. Try scorers included Carl (Billy's Boy) x3 and some conversions, Phil Williams x2, Egg x2, Jonty x2 and a conversion, Luke, Mark, Kevin Coles and Dave Simpson all with one apiece. Well done fellas. Evesham at home this weekend.
Vandals
Could Harborne break the sequence? No. Martyn's boys travelled across town to meet a club that is now on the verge of putting out 4 sides. However, it's quality that counts and even without Shannon who was allegedly taking some beer therapy down in Devon, we still won by a clear distance. Tries came from the Lode Heath superstar x 3, Nick P., young Simon, Sean B, and Basher Baldwin. Ralph and Nev managed some conversions. Well done again especially to big Mark.
Full match report below.
Minis and Juniors
The very young ones continue to produce exciting rugby to the extent that Andy loses track of the score. Well done anyway.
The under 9s proved just a little bit too strong for Kings Norton. We will try to persuade Lonie to write a match report in our next game.
The Billy Boys (Hendon not William of Orange) came away from Berkswell and Balsall or it could be Balsall and Berkswell but whatever the geography we won. Well done to Billy, Nigel and the lads.
On an adjoining pitch in a new fixture for us, our under 15s played The B&Bs and gained another hard-fought victory. Taking our chances and dogged defence saw us ease home. Try scorers included Alister, Callum H. and Big Adrian but well done all of you!
This coming sunday, 27th Feb, at the moment sees our under 7/8s training, the 9s at home v Bournville and the under 13/14 at home v Uttoxeter.
Friends of the club
Recently met up with that silver-haired speedster from the 80s, Brendan Fahy. Now based in Colchester he still follows our progress but also, I think he was serious, enjoys ballet, fine wines and reading classics. Just like the rest of us!
The Chairman of Cheshire / South Lancs club, Old Parkonians, Richard Beckett, is visiting our club on a fact-finding (not fat-finding) mission this weekend. Be warned, he enjoys a conversation.
Harborne 3rds vs Vandals - full report
Saturday 19th February and Game 21 saw us on the road over at Metchley Lane playing fields to play Harborne 3rds; a side whom we'd despatched reasonably comfortably in mid November but only after some considerable effort on our part, so all looked set for another interesting encounter.
In the Agricultural Department this week the multi-functional Rick "Swing" Lowe at loosehead, the venerable soon to be sixty El Presidente Steve Sidwell at hooker & back from international duty (on the pi**) Mark "Grogg" Baldwin at tight; in the second row John "Fingers" Lonie and Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn, with the tackle twins Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Marcus "Shark" Hope on the flanks and wannabe prop & closet Gooner Robbie "Barstool" Bastock at No.8.
In Black Ops Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half with Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, Nick "Barrel" Palmer partnering Gary "Smokin" Williams in midfield, with wings Simon "Sideways" Singleton, and Sean " I do 15k before breakfast" Byrne, with Dave "Ralph" Rollins directing operations at fullback.
In the bleachers this week rising Welsh starlet Chris "Crash" Rowe, Andy "Fred" Killarney, Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Mike "Nearly" Neary and Captain Slow.
After some considerable pre-match fannying about in the changing rooms, with a dozen or so teams trying to get changed in the same pavilion including Oxford University's ultimate frisbee side...what the f**k is ultimate frisbee?; losing both our referee and pitch to the Birmingham University v Hartpury College Freshers fixture we were forced to play on a pitch churned up up only thirty minutes earlier, and that resembled freshly mown Bluetack, but still a slightly silver lining in our own Tomás O'Power volunteering to officiate.
Marcus gets the flip of the coin correct and we opt to play up the considerable slope in the first half allowing gravity to bring us home in the second.
Our first try is scored about eight minutes in when we are awarded a scrum following a Harborne knock on about ten metres out from the Harborne line; Barstool territory and he doesn't disappoint as he picks & goes, but is held up about a metre or so from the line, we recyle and spin short to Symes, he gets held up and we gather round. Barrel goes in to rip it out which he does, presents it, ball comes out to big Phil who takes it on the gallop and gets to within inches of the line; we recycle and the General whips it out to Nev, to Ralph and he sends a long one out to Bean in space who goes over about five metres in 5-0 Ralph's conversion is unsuccessful.
Harborne unphased equalise a few minutes later when awarded a scrum on halfway, their young No.8 picks & goes, beats the initial cover defence and ultimately it's a two on one with Bean, who takes the No.8 but not in time to prevent the pass putting their winger over about ten metres in from the touchline 5-5 Kick unsuccessful, but lots of whoop whoop from the young Harborne side and game on.
Our lead was restored about three minutes later, when Bean chips a neat one over the top forcing his opposite number to bundle it into touch for a lineout five metres out. Big Phil takes it cleanly at four and drops it down to Mark who tidies it up, and we drive but Mr O'Power spots something he doesn't like and blows; Nev takes it quickly does a run around the ref and pops it to Barstool who bludgeons his way over to restore our lead 10-5. The tee's gone missing, so Slow suggests Ralph dig a hole, and maybe it's too deep as the kick misses.
Our third try starts with a lineout following the Harborne scrum half box kicking it direct into touch, BMT takes it cleanly again at four and we drive it on towards the posts, we splinter infield, I have no idea who's got the ball at this point, but ball goes to ground, the General scoops it up and we go wide, to Nev to Smokin' (Barrel having gone AWOL), Gary comes back in steps two, passes to Sean who offloads to Symes, some great interplay from our wingers, Simon's held, so we recycle and it's a long spin out to Barrel to Rick in midfield, he takes a high one around his ears, but takes it into contact, we set in front of the posts. General to Nev to big Phil, he gives it to Smokin', back to Nev, he sees a gap and cuts through, finds Nick he makes a couple more before going to ground. Ball finds its' way to the back, General picks up dummies to big Phil, and goes, he's held up Symes goes in, but it's Barrel who finally digs it out and goes over short range 15-5 Ralph makes no mistake with this one
17-5. Seven minutes till halftime.
But again Harborne come back when following several good phases of the play they camp on our five metre line and their big Venezuelan (I kid you not) second row goes route one through the middle to go over for an unconverted try on the stroke of halftime.
Halftime 17-10 Isotonics & despite the late score with the considerable slope in our favour the Vandal massive are confident.
And it's not long after halftime that we do increase our lead, all starting with Ralph sending one deep which the Harborne fullback obligingly knocks on for a Vandal scrum five metres from their twenty two. Nice steady scrum and the ball comes to the base and Barstool picks up & goes, he makes a couple before going to ground, Symes is in their and flicks it up of the deck, and we spin, Nev brings Barrel in on the scissors and he hits their young fly half who in fairness stands Barrel up and we have to go again, General to Nev who puts one into the corner but Tom's seen a knock on and we come back for another scrum on the twenty two. Harborne put the wheel on and the General has to ship it out to Nev, who dummies Barrel, dummies Smokin', passes to Ralph who brings it back in, he gets over the twenty two, gets tackled, the Assassin's first there he flips it up to Barstool who sets off in characteristic fashion and goes over for his second close to the posts 22-10 Ralph converts for a 24-10 lead and Slow knows we're past the point of no return for Harborne as no one's achieved more than 21 points this season.
Time for some fresh legs Andy Killarney comes on for John Lonie, Mike Neary for Dave Rollins and Chris Rowe for Nick Levey, Barstool moves to loosehead, Rick takes a breather and Ali " Spasm" Gouldbourn comes on at No.8.
Shortly afterwards Nev bangs the first one down really deep into the corner, this is where we want to play, a tactic Harborne were unable or reluctant to use in the first half, but Tom stops the game mid play for a neck injury to their South American lock; Slow & Smokin' ponder on how he intends to restart the game, and Slow postulates a drop ball maybe. Eventually the big man gets to his feet and has to come off, and Harborne's only replacement, a winger is press ganged into second row, and Tom restarts with a scrum to Harborne on just shy of their ten and we immediately drive them off their ball and Shark tidies it up. We really start to crank it up now sensing the game is ours.
Our fifth try was a real team effort, starting with Nev selling an outrageous dummy in midfield, and he goes right through the middle before offloading to Barstool, it's an underhand pass to Smokin' to Sean, he cuts back inside and breaks the half tackle before setting, ball's out quickly to Mike at pace but he's held up five metres out, we recycle and ball comes out to Nev, not much outside him so he fakes the drop goal attempt and heads back indoors and gets close before looking for his friends, Barstool's next to have a go and is held up just short. The General decides to go long to Smokin' but the pass goes to ground but backwards, he picks up does a couple of steps and a spin to give himself some space to operate and goes into contact and the 677 gather round and drive relentlessly towards the line and over we go and it's Mark Baldwin who emerges from the bottom of the pile
with his season's maiden try having pinched it off Sid with a yard or two to go 29-10. Nev makes it good 31-10
Another long break shortly after sees one of the Harborne wingers going off and Ralph sportingly goes on for them at fullback.
Our sixth try was scored by Sideways following a punt through traffic along the deck which became a straight foot race between our speedster and the cover defence, still lots of work for him to do as he outsprints the cover to chip ahead and regather right on the line and dots it down against the post 36-10 Another straight forward one for Nev 38-10
The restart goes dead and we come back for a scrum on halfway, Spasm picks up and offloads to the General, to Nev who chips over the top and Ralph takes it well but gets Symes for his trouble but still manages to offload it, but the receiver gets creamed by Andy K and big Phil moves in to strip the ball, and Shark comes away with it, dummies Sid and heads for the line, but his pass is adjudged forward for a scrum to Harborne. No matter as we put their eight under all sorts of pressure and the General harries his opposite number and they are literally forced to kick it along the line and Chris is an agonising fingertip away from a pick up and certain score. The tackles rain in as the ball evades the Harborne hands and finally it's a great pick up off the deck by the biggest man on the park BMT, who feeds his namesake, who pops it to Nev, to Barrel, who straightens it up, finds Simon, to Smokin' who's finally driven into touch about five metres out.
Harborne retain their possession and kick to touch, but keeping up the tempo Sean takes the quick throw to Mike who makes good ground before taking a high one and Tom awards the penalty. It looks though as if we opt to take a scrum instead, and secure steady ball, General sends it out to Nev, who dummies Barrel, flat pass to Smokin' but it goes to gound, Tom plays good advantage and one of their quick lads sets off with it but is hauled down by Smokin'. They spin again, Shark makes the tackle, Spasm the next, as Harborne put a couple of phases together and reach halfway, but the tackles keep raining in from our midfield and finally a Harborne pass goes loose which Barstool gratefully picks up and goosesteps his way in from about the halfway line to score under the posts 43-10 Nev makes it three from three 45-10
Still time for a last few changes the Colt Arkell comes on for BMT, Nick returns for Marcus, Slow comes on at inside centre and Rick replaces Sid at hooker. We close the game out with Harborne still pressing for a consolation score.
Final score 45-10 Final age a healthy 668.
Big thanks to Tom for stepping into the breach.
This week Evesham 3rds at home, Warley having cried off again.
Slow