We was robbed. Kev White was unlucky but was wide with a brave last minute penalty attempt from half-way which could have won AEI the match.
On an unusually warm and pleasant spring day AEI arrived at Heathens expecting a run out against their second team despite grave predictions from several older members of the team about the oppositions predisposition in changing the fixture. Alas the doom merchants were correct and another AEI selection of those not on gardening duty ran out against the might of Northampton Heathens first team. To compound the gathering gloom a particularly vocal referee caused consternation in the dressing room and proved to be a rigorous defender of the rules.
Initial exchanges suggested a rout was to be expected as the normally tight AEI front five were shoved all over the park in the first scrums. Good ball was received by the Heathens backs on numerous occasions which after some stout defending by the AEI backs was eventually kicked by the Heathens outside half. The pressure told as the Heathens winger unusually outpaced Salter to score. Nevertheless, the AEI forwards gradually imposed some sort of pressure on their Heathens counterparts and procured occasional ball which was ran by the backs. Elliott crashed through but unfortunately had the ball knocked from his grasp, The heathens backs were quickly up and almost intercepted a pass, but overall the first half was a tough, bruising affair with the AEI team performing heroics in defence.
By half time Heathens had scored three tries, the AEI were bruised battered but not unbowed, and after sympathetic encouragement from the captain and a motivational oratory from the vice captain, restarted the game with increased vim and vigour and conceded a try. Sargent was substituted just after half time and the old war-horse and erstwhile Heathens protagonist "Stack" Stephens took to the field and onto the wing with Murphy moving to the backrow. Stephens instantly receiving the ball in a defensive situation and taking to his heels ran in a reckless display of bravado making all of five meters. Yet the reorganisation lent some shape to the AEI team and proved to instil a confidence in their play. The heathens sensing the change ran at the AEI with increased ferocity, but the AEI responded with a magnificent display of tackling led by Sly at fly-half. Stephens encapsulated the burgeoning steel by chasing the Heathens scrum-half who having escaped the clutches of the AEI defence sprinted down the wing to score under the post only to be disposed by the chasing Stephens and indeed knocking on under the posts to boot.
The Heathens were visibly shaken and the AEI confidence soared, Yeung fielded a ball in his 22 a took off upfield only to myopically pass the ball to Sly (unusually in support). The forwards won some lineout ball, Storer flicked out a pass, Sly passed to Elliott, he slipped a tackle and made ground before passing to Pinks who, in his inimitable style attempted to round the fullback but unusually failed and was hauled down within 5 meters. From the ensuing scrum the Heathens responded by launching upfield with only Pinks saving the day. Again came back the AEI and Pinks was unlucky when held up within a metre of the line he passed to a Heathens player. Heathens changed the game plan, holding players back, playing the ball from offside positions and most unnecessarily stamping on a prostrate Sly however the referee proved to be more than a match for these tactics and responded with a series of penalties. The forwards roared into action and after several penalty charges by Neil were awarded a scrum 5 meters from the line. Considering the mauling that the front five had in the first half, they creditably held solid for Storer to scoop the ball up and take to the blind side to find the supporting Sly who, brushing aside his opposite number, scored.
The remainder of the game was played at a declining pace and ferocity as both sets of players tired in the humid conditions and no more scores were registered. A post match analysis concluded that it was a gritty committed display from the AEI. The evidence was compared in the changing rooms being the number of bumps, bruises, strains and sprains. The Heathens also came out of the game with a similar number of injuries and may have won the game but a team performance of courage and determination in adversity, laid claim to a moral victory for the AEI.
[Report courtesy of the verbose Mr T Sly]
No report.
No report.
On a fine spring day, both sides demonstrated that the handling game is alive and well amongst the junior clubs but AEI passed up a golden opportunity for victory.
Early exchanges demonstrated that the sides were evenly balanced, and it took quarter of an hour until the first score. It came uncharacteristically from a a five metre scrum. The AEI front five took full advantage of superior technique and No 8 Andy Clark (with no "e") made the try look easy. Buckby immediately struck back however, and the game swung from end to end. AEI retook the lead when Mark McDonough launched Tony Chronnell on a defence splitting run, his searing pace taking him past the full back to score under the posts. However Buckby had the advantage at the change round, leading by a penalty.
The second half continued with the same madcap antics as the first. One spell of play went on for 5 minutes before the referee had to call a halt for oxygen. Sustained pressure on the Buckby line lead to an AEI penalty and the home side took the lead again when McDonough outwitted the defence for a simple try. AEI then spurned a second pushover try when there was a mix up at the back of the scrum and this seemed to be a turning point as Buckby bounced back. They scored twice in the last quarter of the game to secure the victory.
[C P Stephens]
AEI's struggle against 1999's ever increasing injury and absence list meant that debutant Herve Menaut was the 42nd player used by AEI this season. Following the pre-match minutes silence in honour of former AEI player Jim Baines, the well drilled Kettering team were quicker out of the blocks and were two tries up within 10 minutes. AEI dragged themselves back into the game and, following a blind-side break by stand-off Tony Chronnell, Rob Goode scored a try in the corner.
Trailing only 5-10 at halftime, AEI had all to play for in the second half but, despite some good spells of pressure, mistakes in defence led to a further two Kettering tries. In turn, this brought another spell of AEI pressure and eventually, after a few minutes camped on the Kettering line, Andy Clark went over to score from a rolling maul. Prop Jocky Corbett scored his eighth conversion of the season. AEI finished the game with a few more names to add to the injury list and a tough looking run-in to the season.
A disappointing result for AEI in a scrappy and niggly match. In what is traditionally a tight fixture between the teams, Cosby took first blood with a penalty in front of the posts. Despite some problems in the scrums and the early loss of Mark McDonough through injury, AEI then worked their way back into the match. Fly-half Nick Elliott was felled by a high tackle when he looked certain to score and man of the match Terry Bott scored in a well rehearsed move from the resultant penalty.
The second half remained very tight with Cosby taking the lead with a penalty, swiftly followed by a drop goal. AEI had a couple of opportunities to win the game in the last ten minutes but were unusually profligate as the try line beckoned.
With a continued disregard for protocol, AEI won on tour for the third year in a row. A somewhat rushed and cramped changing room combined with a liquid lunch made AEI's pre match preparation more chaotic than usual. This, combined with the brave decision to play uphill for the first half, led to an early spell of Chorley resulting in a try for the home team. As the first half carried on, AEI began to rouse themselves from a drowsy and dilapidated state to a more organised, if still cavalier, unit. In one of the ever more frequent AEI attacks the forwards won good second phase ball, Tim Sly and Andy Sullivan (surprisingly turning up on the wing) made good ground and released Tony Chronnell for a try in the corner.
AEI started the second half fortified and envigored and their forwards were soon on the rampage. Firstly, second rows Clive Partridge and Stevie Neal combined in a "fat slags" move for Neal to score a captains try, then the whole pack demonstrated their dominance as scrum half Terry Bott claimed a pushover try. Replacement prop Dave Pritchard (making a welcome if rare appearance) then scored a try following a rolling maul and after Stevie Neal had been denied his second try, fly-half Tim Sly used all his bulk and power to crash over between the posts.
AEI's joint "men of the match" award went to Mark McDonough and Steve Oxberry. Finally, AEI scored a rare victory in the post match "boat race" before retiring to sample the delights of downtown Chorley.
On a picturesque pitch in a clearing in the woods, like Hansel and Gretell, AEI got lost and didn't find their way home.
With the heavy rain during the week and snow on Saturday morning, the heavy conditions did not suit the normally fleet footed AEI. Whilst they were ruing that the polish had been spoiled on their boots, Kenilworth exploited their own acclimatisation to the thick mud and standing water to score the first try. The game had started badly, and continued to go downhill as Kenilworth ran in two further tries.
AEI began to arouse towards the end of the half and were exerting some sustained pressure, but it seemed it wasn't to be their day as an attempted chip over the defence was charged down and the Kenilworth winger ran the length of the pitch to score. A stern talking to at half time saw AEI start much more brightly. They pressed immediately and at last began to recirculate possession. A fourth phase adventure saw the ball moved to the wing without spillage, and Alan Meahan scored a welcome first try for the club. Buoyed by this success, AEI continued to rampage, and 15 minutes into the half more pressure resulted in a rare penalty for the Works side. Quickly taken by Terry Bott, the move ended with Clive Partridge driving over under the posts.
Now within two scores, AEI looked to be in with a serious chance of taking the match, but an injury to No.9 Terry Bott put a sudden brake on progress. Although sportingly replaced by a Kenilworth substitute, AEI were unable to recapture their momentum. There were to be no more scores until AEI's outside half was knocked unconscious when trying to gather a kick and Kenilworth scored in the last minute. Mark McDonough's (or was it Kevin White?) kicking boot was on fine form making both conversions.
CPS 8/3/99
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