AEI's hard month of October was brought to an end with defeat against a well drilled Towcester side. AEI seemed to slip back to their old ways and by the time they had woken up after ten minutes they were already two tries down. The highlight of AEI's match then came with a superb try from Nick Elliott. Neil Waddoups fed the ball out from the base of a ruck to Elliott, who proceded to break one tackle, then chip through and collect the ball, before running in to score between the posts. Elliott himself converted.
For a while it was close at 10-7, but tries either side of half time and one right at the death saw Towcester to victory and saw AEI cursing themselves for a poor performance. AEI now have their fixtures secretary to thank for and even more arduous month ahead.
AEI eventually came out victors in this tight game which could have gone either way. The early match excitement was only increased by the collapse of one set of posts during the opening minutes. It was strange that after this neither side ventured near the re-assembled posts, perhaps having some effect on the final score.
With the slope to their advantage in the first half, the AEI pack were again dominant in the srums and lineouts but their backs found difficulty getting space to run the ball. In fact, it was Aylestone who took the lead scoring a try in the corner following some slick interpassing. Eventually AEI came back and centre Tony Chronnell scored following a darting break by scrum half Terry Bott.
The second half remained tight and AEI again found themselves unable to use their backs. However, eventually they succeeded and scored the decisive try with winger Nathan Yeung going over in the corner. Nick Elliott maintained his recent excellent kicking form by claiming his second conversion of the match. AEI man of the match was ubiquitous flanker Paul McLernon, making his debut for the club.
On a wet day, when the running game met the kicking game, it proved to be the kicking game of Long Buckby which came out on top. In a game notable for the number of injuries it produced, it was the canny boot of the Buckby fly-half which reigned supreme and kept AEI pinned down in their own 22 for long periods of the match. While AEI retained control of the scrums and lineouts, it was their loose play that let them down and, on the rare occasions when their backs could run the ball, the slippery conditions managed to get the better of them.
Buckby were first to go ahead with a penalty in the opening minutes and this was soon followed by their first try. AEI rallied and were soon back in the game when, after some good second phase possession, the ball was spun out for Nick Elliott to score. AEI then went on to take the lead when Nathan Yeung forced his way over in the corner following a surging run from Nick Smith. Nick Elliott completed a superb conversion from the touchline and, but for some sloppy handling just before half time, AEI could have finished the half with more than just a 14-10 lead.
The second half again saw AEI pinned in their own half and eventually the Buckby pressure turned into points following a maul close to the AEI line. As the injury count rose, AEI pressed for another try but to little avail. In the end, the only consolation for Mike Burnard (playing his last game for the club) was his superb jumping in the lineout and the domination of the front five in the scums.
A hard game on a hard pitch saw AEI subside to their first defeat of the season at the hands of a strong Bugbrooke side. AEI started brightly, despite enforced changes which meant that Stack Stephens and Nick Hayward had to don the unfamiliar shirts of hooker and scrum half respectively.
Bugbrooke eventually went ahead with a well-worked try, but this brought a superb response from the AEI forwards. From a scrum on the Bugbrooke 5m line, the front five drove the Bugbrooke pack off their own ball to leave No 8 Andy Sullivan with an easy try. Nick Elliott scored the conversion to put AEI ahead. However, just before half-time, Bugbrooke were awarded a debatable penalty try and finished the half on the attack.
In the second half the AEI scrum remained solid, but possession from the line-out remained sparse and the speed of the Bugbrooke forwards around the pitch made life difficult for the AEI backs. Bugbrooke scored three more tries during the half, two of them 'soft' tries due to AEI mistakes, which put the result beyond doubt. Stack Stephens was later named as AEI's man of the match for commitment above and beyond the call of duty.
AEI have long had fixtures with Claverdon and Saturdays match, played in excellent spirit, extended the good relationship between the clubs.
AEI started brightly, exerting early pressure and Terry Bott was unlucky to be pulled back with the try line beckoning. Claverdon defended with spirit, but the AEI forwards moved up a gear and Tim Sly scored from the base of the scrummage. This was quickly followed by a try from Nick Elliott benefiting from a jinking break by Nathan Yeung, plus a further score by Bott himself. Claverdon rallied in the last part of the first half to score the first of their two tries.
AEI continued to dominate in the second half through excellent possession play by the forwards. This gave a superb springboard for the threequarters and slick timing and handling resulted in three further tries for Elliott. Then, line out ball on the Claverdon twenty two developed into a rolling maul and Tim Sly squirmed through to claim his second score. Claverdon scored again before the try of the match, which started with a break by the AEI forwards, showing rare handling skills, a link with the backs and Paul Eaton outpacing the defence to make the game completely safe.
Mark McDonough sank one penalty and three conversions, and Nigel Dale kicked a conversion for his debut points.
CPS, 30/9/97
This fixture proved a test of early season fitness for the AEI players and many required oxygen to revive them after only 10 minutes of the game! During a frantic start AEI made the near fatal mistake of trying to play the game at Onley's pace. Eventually, however, sanity prevailed and once they had managed to slow the game down a notch or two, AEI managed to find a stuttering rhythm which turned into a steady flow of tries.
A rare appearance from the ever industrious Graham Wood at scrum half brought him three tries amid claims that he only picks the easier games to play. Number eight Andy Sullivan scored two pushover thanks to the strength of the front five, and many thought that he should have scored more. Also joining in the try fest were Chris Hague (scoring his first try for the club), Nathan Yeung (2), Rich Pinks, Tony Chronnell and Mark McDonough.
Even old-stager Neil Waddoups made a fleeting appearance towards the end and made a couple of telling tackles before retiring for a long bath.
AEI started the season in the same winning style as they ended last season although it took about twenty minutes to shake off some of the summer rustiness, never mind the previous night's grogginess. The game started as an interesting forward contest with Saracens having the advantage in the scrums while AEI, and Mike Burnard in particular, dominated the line-outs. Despite the majority of possession, AEI initially struggled to make an impression as numerous mistakes let the home side off the hook. Eventually the AEI backs remembered how to play and they went ahead after Terry Bott cut in off his wing and the ball was spun out through the three-quarters for Rich Pinks to score in the corner. This seemed to breath new life, nay oxygen, into AEI and they stepped up their game before half-time, further tries coming from Mark McDonough (2) and Andy Sullivan to give AEI a 24-0 half-time lead.
Despite AEI making a few half-time changes plus the added difficulty of playing against the wind and slope in the second half, the match continued in much the same vein. Rich Pinks scored his second try of the match, Saracens scored what at the time appeared to be a consolation try, Mark McDonough added his third try and AEI seemed to be safe. However, they contrived to give away two soft tries towards the end and Saracens threatened to make a comeback before Andy Sullivan scored a late, if dubious, try which Mark McDonough converted to put the game beyond Saracens' reach.
Match cancelled.
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