NLD Cup Quarter Final, Sat 10 Feb 2007

Casuals 11 - Hamians 24

Hamians travelled along the river to sunny Beeston to do battle in the cup quarter finals against Casuals

Given Casuals tactics against Bakewell and making them play on a small pitch we expected to make do with a postage stamp tucked away in the corner of Canalside ...with Ilkeston 2nds warming up on the first team pitch it looked likely ....

suprising they were banished to the netball court and the game progressed on the show pitch .

this game showed several firsts for hamians and i feel we must note them (perhaps they had a bearing on the result )...chicago passed a ball within 5 mins of kick off , leavy kicked for touch , cooper only gave away two penalties , the fly half was sober , awake and had a rugby brain plus we only opened our mouthes once to give away a silly penalty ...

selction , unavaliability , hangovers , age and work comittmentts meant the side lined up thus

pikey , yorkie , phil A , Adonis the greek , epsy , draps , vaz , hobbit , jez ice , dave , cookie , mozza , anvil and gambize pud ( he casts for marlin and lands catfish ...what can u say ! )

Casuals although below hamins in the league were of the belief that victory was theirs and immediately took the game to hamins ....following a crap hamins kick off ...

reminisant of the league encounter their game plan was based on forward drives and rolling mauls ...

it beacame clear hamins backs were the more adventorous and attack minded ..with casuals idea of pinning hamins back in theor half

Vaz despite his late call up was finding draps who was probing with kicks and deft handwork .

Casuals lineout ploy of throwing it three yards as their two had long arms out in front was nullified by Dave's slap down to the grateful anvil to pinch endless ball

cookie ruled the centre of the line out till half time ( when he left ! coops tried to step in )

scrummage through the first half were even with both packs gaining the upper hand at the engagement dependent were the ref stood

hobbit , hartley and adonis were punching holes with good driving round the fringes .

leavy at full back touch finds were made safely .

pressure on casuals backs resulted n several charge downs , quick follow up found the ball swept to hobbit who skipped forward drew two men and placed a try scoring pass into puddins breadbasket ( from returned from aidding africa he looked like he had brough on e back with him ....in his stomach , realising his lack of mid range acceleration tossed a trade mark one handed loopin pass to unmarked winger yorkie ...yorkie ( used to such passes and generally no passess at all ) twisted his body to lean backwards retreave the ball and piroete to plung over the tryline

draps slots it over 7 nil

the next 7 mins saw hamins dominate proceedings with good ruck ball , first phase dominance and astute line out kicking from the fly half

a penalty 30 yds out , is specilaist hobbit to blast through the front line of defence and skipp past the full bcal , who was stood like a rabbit in headlights

14 nil 25 mins gone

hmians drift off , let kick off find touch

give away silly penalties ...result in 3 pts back

casuals return kick off , poor decision making surrenders ball and drop goal 14 -6

casuals flyhalf kicking for position hamins run back well create space to miss with last pass

conceed soft position , two good line out drives see hamins defend line

win scrum position , slip and ball squites outs , scrum half fails to clear and flanker pounces . kick missed 14 -11

wake up call , pack get to grips and manhandle casuals back up field , backs threateneing alltimes ,

great drive up middle and 5 metre scrum , vas sprints through cover feeds draps who puts Adonis in corner

19 - 11 Half time

Cookie off Coops on

What prooceded was hamians gaining teritary then conceeding needless penalties

injury to draps ...reshuffle , leavey gobs off , penalty kick down pitch

casuals forwards wallow forward like pregnant hippos fall over , conceed scrum

hamians releave situation

refs convention of casuals ex and current refs claim ....referees undertsanding of aspects of play is limited ...but hamians are better side

play advances ..dainty making progress with ball in hand , ( not attempting to pass ) hitting rucks with enthusiasm

scrummages mozza pressurssing and casuals struggling to cope , addedd by dainty shovin casuals scrum half takes exception to having digits stomped on trys to rip dainty bleached and highlighted head ( everyone knows you unscrew it and don't just pull a dainty head ) red mist dainty snorting .....ref ignores and yellow cards casuls for startin it

play opening up , chicago ignores overlap , recycled hobbit puts yorkie on cut back quick ball reyclced through two quick drives ...6 man over lap and ice scores

24 -11 game over

clock runs down and hamians undefeated 2007 run continues


Next week league action against Dronfield down at Adbolton 2.15 ko.