20 Feb 10
Nuneaton Old Eds III 49-5 OLs 3rds
With the First and Second team matches off at Fenly Field, it was up to the travelling Thirds to defend the Club’s honour in the jewel of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton.
The Old Edwardians pitch, although pleasantly devoid of snow, was also devoid of white lines or, for that matter, grass and the poor conditions set the tone for the match.
Old Eds scored almost directly from the kick off and it was evident that OLs were going to have to work very hard to get anything like a result.
The extra quality added by the newly promoted Disco Eddie and the omnipresent James Melvin in the back row could do little to stifle a home side who managed to turn their wealth of possession into a steady stream of points in the first half. The OLs effort was particularly noteworthy during Andy Spriggs weekly, referee enforced, 10 minute breather toward the end of the half.
Nuneaton were a big side from 1 to 15 and, although under pressure, the OLs scrum managed to hold fast most of the time. A referee with a fastidious application of the laws surrounding line-out throwing on OLs throw and a decidedly lax interpretation of the straight feed to the scrum on Ed’s ball did little to help the away side’s quest for possession but it was the deteriorating pitch that began to get the upper hand over both teams.
This was rugby from the comic book. Rugby as depicted on T-shirts and in sit-coms and the mugs your aunty buys you for Christmas. Rugby from the archives. Thirty mud covered Fran Cottons in a slow motion, error strewn farce.
Needless to say, the travelling support repaired to the clubhouse and OLs turned round 25 points down.
As the 15.10 to Coventry pulled away from the station behind them, it took with it any hopes the OLs may have harboured of a comeback. A fortunate interception by the Old Eds centre in the opening exchanges of the second half put the game well beyond the visitors.
The welcome and much heralded return of Sir Mark Palmer CBE to the fly half berth 10 minutes into the second half saw a slight change in OLs fortunes. In a fulfilment of rugby prophecy, the ball found (the clean) Palmer, the sea of mud soaked opposition parted at his countenance and Palmer scythed through to make OLs largest single gain of the afternoon. Some say they glimpsed a halo.
A few phases of trench warfare later and Kevin White scored OLs only points of the day. Unsurprisingly unconverted.
With mud covered heads held high and Palmer keeping the pressure off with some excellent kicking given the circumstances, the Thirds kept plugging away and finished the game with a creditable defensive effort but they did not threaten again.
With officially five minutes of the forty left and the impending threat of trench foot and only the top of Owen’s head visible above the sod, the referee granted clemency and mercifully blew for full time.
If it wasn’t for the marble and gold plated splendour of the dressing rooms that awaited, it would have been a horrible afternoon.
Report by Tim Chambers
