Effingham 'A' 5 v 3 Cobham 'A'

Eagles 5 – 3 Cobham

Juniors U13 • League • Sun 7th Mar 10, 10:00AM

U13 Surrey League Division 2Effingham 'A' 5 v 3 Cobham 'A' All at a cold and blustery KGV witnessed an intense and, what can be best described as, attritional game of rugby. A true local derby, and played in an excellent spirit; it may have been low scoring, but dramas galore unfolded during the morning and it was certainly not a "one

dimensional game" for the victors!!!

 

Fielding a completely dfferent backline from their last game, due to injury and school commitments, Effingham showed the true depth and spirit amongst their age group with some heroic league debut performances from Messrs. Crowhurst, Parsons, MacDonald and Meek.  From the start, Effingham were once again a little hesitant, and invited early pressure on themselves. Never really settling, they conceded a penalty just inside their 22 which was duly despatched through the posts. 0 - 3  As ever, Effingham responded with a calm authority, and never panicking, they utilised the strengths of their forwards to make significant ground into Cobham territory with two successive driving mauls. With Cody testing their FB with deep punts, Effingham were able to dominate the majority of the half. Notwithstanding this dominance, Cobham's overall tackling and defence play was exceptional, and Effingham found it increasingly difficult to penetrate their lines. However, with time running out before the break, a succession of 'pick and drives' from the robust Brown, and the elusive Parsons, saw considerable ground made down the Effingham left wing. The baton was taken on by Chandler, and with considerable support from Warr, Gibbons and Matthews he was able to take the ball over the try line for a much deserved score. In the blustery conditions the conversion attempt from out wide was always going to be difficult but Mead was extremely unfortunate to see his attempt hit both bar and upright. Nonetheless, Effingham were in front going into the interval 5 - 3 The second half commenced with a kick deep into the Cobham half, and with excellent closing down by the backs, Effingham were able to place immediate pressure on the Cobham team. Cobham however, were not going to lie down and continually tested the Effingham defence, with Woodhouse in particular needing to be alert to the threat.  It is probably fair to say that both sides suffered from handling errors today, and the blustery conditions certainly played their part in this. For Effingham it was simply a case of playing to their strengths, making sure the ball was retained by their forwards and allowing Bliss, Bone and the undoubted Man of the Match, Bill Bathurst, to make regular forages. From one such forage deep into Cobham territory, following excellent link play between Hammerson, Bone and Gruen; the powerful Godwin just failed in a desperate attempt to secure Effingham's second try. It was riveting stuff, and most people had by now forgotten how bitterly cold it was..... Well almost! We were now in the last 10 minutes and still Cobham were looking to expose the Effingham defence; but a series of penalties allowed Effingham to find touch and work their way slowly up the pich. SH Mead was always looking to extract the ball for opportunities to get attacks underway, but again the difficult conditions prevented Effingham from feeding the lines with any real zest. It was back to plan B, and with the clock ticking down, another penalty was handed to Effingham, this time in front of the posts just outside the 22. In what was the penultimate play, Effingham elected to go for the points to settle the nerves. It was a brave call, but unfortunately the wind caught the ball and it shaved the outside of the post. However, in what might be a blessing, the re-start for the last play commenced from the 22 and not the halfway line, which effectively put the pressure on to Cobham to make a decent kick. Alas for Cobham, the kick was caught in the wind, which resulted in a knock on to bring about the final whistle. Huge cheers, a degree of relief and sporting embraces from the players. Everyone knew they had witnessed a compelling match; yes it had been attritional, but nonetheless it had been truly entertaining with Effingham just about deserving to take the game  5 - 3 Statistics Man of the Match For a superb, athletic and tireless performance - Bill Bathurst Sequence First half: 0 - 3 Cobham pen; 5 - 0 Chandler trySecond half:  Squad Max Chandler, Louis Hammerson, George Matthews, George Gibbons, Dominic Brown, Sam Godwin, Stevie Warr, Luke Bliss, Elliott Woodhouse, Chris Bone, Bill Bathurst, Will Mead, Chris Cody, Marcus Gruen, Sam Parsons, George Meek, Max MacDonald, Mikey Crowhurst  T H Lonsdale7th March 2010  

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