Midlands 5 East (North), 29th September 2007

Casuals 21 - Hamians 10

Sunny day , big pitch a feast of running rugby expected from both sides

evening post photographer by e mail stated good pictures difficult as both sides kept kicking !

unavaliabilities , injuries etc etc meant selection was challenging and the eventual side went

Pikey , yorkie, hobbit , yorkshire phil , bryn the gym , draps . young tom sedgwick . jez, dave,ice , cookie , stickie , saddler, anvil and the fat prop ....dainty and lee on the bench

two debutants to league rugby and a local derby to boot

suprisingly the wind and sun avalaible casuals choose the wind first half

hamians kicked off , casuals drove back , repeatdly ...clear the game plan drive off rucks and mauls and kick for postion

central scrum and despite pressure casuals fed blind and kicked for position . hamians line out and relieve pressure .
Hamians pressure full casulas line and sneak ball , through the phases and knock on at the second ruck stops momentum

casuals kick from scrummage ball

hamians pressured and casuals line out ..confucuion as shortened line and hamins fail to compete....rolling maul defended well , driven back ...home side retain possession and use large blind side and stand off sprints round forward defending to score out wide .Kicks own try 7 nil

Poor kick off scrum back , repeat back row move and kick . Hamians pressure defense holds , re f awards penalty kicked from deep 10 nil

Casuals using wind and good scrummage ball to pin hamians back

Series of penalties and dominant line out play releases yorkshire and leavy driving through middle ...good tackle hmians quick ball 10 yds out under posts options both ways ...cynical killing of ball results in penalty . Draps kicks

10 -3 against wind

Game scrappy with both sides defence spoiling driving game . Centres seeing how hard they can run into each other ...Bryn makes good yardage with ball in hand

Half time , casuals con ref to a penalty and gain good field position , three rucks later penalty awarded for competing at the breakdown

13 -3 half time

Hamians pick up the pace and drive up field well ...offloads not quite there

from quality line out ball tom with flat ball asks draper to take pass at point of contact , which is shrugged off , an blitz defence all draps to scoot from 22 m under posts

13-10 game on

Use the elements and build pressure tactics to follow

Casuals full back responds well , running kicks back

several times hamians backs create overlap but final execution of pass behind the winger

Referre starting get fussy at scrummage and break down. Rucking banned but late charges into static mauls are !
Casuals still using kicking game to chase and pressure , unecessary penalties allow the rolling maul and static scrums to enginerr 5 yd out attack

good defence holds out

casuls spin out and crash over against run of play

18 -10

hamians strike back and again good line out and ruck ball result in ball in hand

Penalty and line out on 22 . Casuals bring on new second row

Line out and drive form hamians is pulled down whilst going forward , casuals expect penalty if not worst ..ref unexpectedly awards home scrum !

Pressure remains , casuals defence hold , ball spun wide . Turn over and game moves to middle of park .Casuals still using kickimg game for posotion and gain simple penalty as hamians upping the pace .

21 -10

Dainty comes on injects some get up and go and hamians start to show how can run with ball in hand but final pass eludes

Second loss in row , whereas last year half chances were snapped up , not yet happening

communication and defences lapses accounted for two scores and discipline 2 penalties

hamians know they have lost two games they could have won with chances created

good debutes for young lads

seconds had a penannt game canceeled by Bridgfoed 3rds anf substitute fixture Ashfield 2 nds proved too stronge in a fighting 33-7 loss

training tuesday and thursday and two games this weekend