12 Sep 09
Midlands 2 West (South)
Droitwich 18 - Old Laurentians 12
OLs stumbled to defeat with a disjointed performance against a well organised and competitive Droitwich side who deservedly took the points in this opening encounter of the league season. And if the home side’s goal kicking had been more accurate, their margin of victory would have been far bigger.
OLs stayed in contention in an undistinguished first half and held a 5-3 lead at the break after an early Droitwich penalty was countered with a well taken try by wing Shane Betts.
But the home side upped their effort in the second period and had Laurentians on the back foot for most of it, scoring three tries to put the game out of reach. OLs did manage a late consolation score when scrum half Richard Parker went over to finish one of the few threatening attacks they had mounted in the second half, Denzil Evans adding the goal points.
Although Paul Willis ensured that OLs achieved parity in the line out battle, their scrum was under constant pressure and the resultant possession was often slow and poor. But the big difference between the sides lay in the ability of the Droitwich eight to retain and recycle possession, a feature which resulted directly in each of their tries when they committed OLs’ defence fully before releasing their backs for straightforward run ins.
OLs best chance of success lay in bringing their dangerous wings into play, but Simon Bayliss and Shane Betts rarely received the ball with the time and space to threaten the Droitwich defence. However, emerging with credit from an otherwise below par display were Mark Todd, Ben O’Riordan and James Orbinson, who ran and foraged tirelessly.
Given the high expectation engendered by a selection that looked strong on paper this was a very disappointing outcome, but improved individual performances can certainly be anticipated from several of the team in future games. This result is a reversal of the team’s early performances in the last couple of years, when they have tailed off towards the end of the season after excellent starts, so it may be a good omen after all!
And as the season unwinds this defeat may be put into a clearer perspective, as Droitwich look like they will be a difficult team to beat and demonstrated with this display the potential to mount a serious challenge for league honours.
Report by Bill Wallis
Warwickshire League 1
Old Laurentian 2nd XV 69 – Stratford upon Avon 2nd XV 0
OL’s 2nd XV welcomed Stratford to Fenley Field on a fine autumn day, and a tough encounter was expected. Unfortunately for the visitors, a car carrying their front row couldn’t find our well hidden clubhouse and they found themselves back at Stratford! This meant passive scrums for the afternoon, but this didn’t have any effect on OL’s pack who dominated all areas of the game.
The excellent platform they provided saw skipper Ricky Reed dummy his way over from close range for a hat-trick of tries inside 17 minutes! Fly half Scott Wiles was running the back line very well and sending centres Matt Miller and Ted Wallis on a number of line-breaking runs which resulted in further tries for Jamie Brightwell, Howard Harris and Miller himself, with Dom Hammond adding 3 conversions to rack up a 31-0 half time lead.
The second half continued in much the same vein with the home side showing some superb handling and offloads. The forwards were still dominant and they finally got their just rewards with tries for Andy Orbinson, Harley Steel and Dom Hammond. Brightwell added his second try and Reed his fourth with Hammond adding four more conversions. A very satisfying afternoon’s work with great credit to the pack for their hard work and to backs who were dangerous every time they had the ball.
Report by Ray Todd
