Old Yardleians R.F.C. 3 Old Halesonians 53
Oh dear - where to begin? After two good wins either side of Christmas, Old Yardleians come up against a very strong Old Halesonians side. It was clear from the start that the forwards were well matched - although the referee suggested after the game that the Old Yardleians pack was the stronger. The Old Halesonians backs were just too slick and two quick for Old Yardleians. Accurate passing and excellent cross kicking brought Old Halesonians a nine try haul.
An early penalty attempt from Steff fell just short of the posts - and nearly led to a try as Rob and Nick backed up the kick. A breakaway from their own line produced the first Old Halesonians try under the posts. A huge cross kick let the Old Halesonians winger in for the second try a few minutes later. The third try came from a quickly taken tap penalty for not releasing in a ruck.
A nasty clash of heads caused Dan to leave the field after 25 minutes - Ben coming on as replacement. Steff got in three great tackles in succession to get the opposition at bay before his attempted clearance kick was charged down for the fourth try. The half time whistle was blown just after a fifth try was scored in the right hand corner.
Half time: Old Yardleians 0 Old Halesonians 31
The second half began with Dan back on but clearly not at his best. Old Yardleians tried to get back into the game but handling errors and strong running by a now very confident Old Halesonians side combined to bring a further four tries. A consolation penalty was scored by Steff with just a few minutes remaining.
The game ended on a very sour note with Adam being blatantly and intentionally kicked in the head by one of the Old Halesonians forwards. Nothing could justify this level of foul play and despite being unsighted, the referee wisely decided to end of the game early rather than let it potentially deteriorate into violence.
Full time: Old Yardleians 3 Old Halesonians 53
Team: Steff, Chris, Jamie, Andy W, Tom H, Rob, Joe, Adam, James, Will, Tom J, Matt, Andy R, Dan, Nick. Replacements: Ben (for Adam)
Scorers: Penalty - Steff