Midlands 5 East (North), 20th October 2007

Dronfield 24 - Hamians 17

IF YOU CAN KEEP YOUR HEAD WHEN ALL ABOUT YOU



The words of Kipling kept ringing through my head all of Saturday and Sunday . How had we managed to squander the opportunities created ……still as long as we learn from it ……..

Dronfield away , sloping pitch narrow and big grumpy pack …..yes nothing changes

Selection saw 6 changes in pack and 2 in backs from last week and youth and geriatic policy both used

Side read

Pikey , yorkie , alf , Hartley , callum , lamin , stu , rhys , ladi , ice , jonesy , coops, sadler , daints and fat prop …bench bryn the gym

Three debuts , two players whose games total over 1500 appearances 4 the club

Line outs were invented prior to kick off , and tactics agreed …confidence high that despite enforced changes hamians pattern of play could be established

What a start , they kicked off , solid platform and touch ….catch and drive from line out , hamians repel

This was their prime weapon together with close quarter driving

Hamians get ball midfield by counter rucking …;lamin tests defence …gain foild position in their half /

Hamians scrum ball , pack conceding 2 stone a man , ladi's case 6 stone …solid platform , lamin hits 10 /12 chanel bounces through off load to ALF and under posts ….stu slots over 7 nil

They kick back , camp in half ….turning over ball , missing touch results in kcikand chases .

Line out ladi competing and on own ball variations confusing opposition and variation of length gifting penalties

Ref after discuccion with home skippe , insists Dronfield given time to adjust to hamians numbers ….later this worsens as he insists we tell him how many we are putting in line and give them time b4 we play …what a farce as they slope in slowly thereby slowing down game …..suits there big pack

As half proceeds we concede three scores off line outs and rolling mauls , despite great defence

Twice maul collapses and hamians penalized

21 -7 down running ball , good scrummage hamians squander chance up hill

½ time /….more of the same

Slope and quality out wide will result in scores if we can keep up possession

Start well and kick penalty to make it 21-10

Pressinghard but crabbing across park and closing ourselves down

Lamin kicks us to corner , knock on in line out …solid scrum , start pushover ball whipped out ;lamin double dummy under posts , stu kick

21-17 game on

all pressure hamins decline easy 3 points , no kicker

alf breaks through , stumbles I yd short , ball ripped away

lamoin breaks through after stu , daints drive on , pass forward to wing

trying too hard

subs by home side strengthen pack ….niggle entering into game , hamins get drwn in

ref does not want to know

concede position string of penalties they kick 24 -17

run out of time and ideas

Sad thing is a clearer head and simple use of ball we would have won , its about time the boy grew into the man and ignored the goading etc…

East Retford two games this weekend