A comeback worthy of Hollywood maintained AEI’s unbeaten start to the season and demonstrated both the good and bad in the team.
The first half of the game was truly awful in defensive terms with the AEI players, excepting man of the match I Cockerill, seemingly unable or unwilling to tackle a rampant Old Leamingtonians team who crossed AEI’s line within the first 5 minutes. The OLs scoreboard continued to tick over so that halftime saw AEI trailing 37-12 with S Downs and L Clark providing a glimmer of hope in an otherwise abject 40 minutes of rugby.
AEI had played like they had been fatally shot in the head during that first period but a halftime examination proved it to have merely creased the brow. Changes to the starting line-up which had included two hookers playing in the centres brought a sense of determination and self-belief, AEI sparked into life by scores from J Bott (3) and J Stretton.
OLs had extended their lead to 44-12 soon after the break but from that point AEI shifted up several gears and in the end were playing against not just a tiring and, due to key injuries, makeshift OLs team but also the clock.
The last play of the game saw AEI with a lineout inside their own 22 and trailing by 44-38; after drawing a penalty from the lineout, AEI shifted the ball to the talismanic J Bott who set off on a mazy run, leaving Ols players strewn in his wake. A chip ahead looked to have gone for naught when J Bott was eased out of his stride by the chasing OL player but P Stander was on hand to touch down under the posts with J Bott converting to seal a remarkable turnaround.