Broadstreet welcomed a Stoke Old Boys RFC 2nd team packed with ex-Broadstreet players to the Ivor Preece Field Rugby Ground for a local derby that over the years has always had an edge to it, being between such close neighbours.  Danny ‘Tinkerman’ Rowan’s  list of unavailable players included Gavin ‘Yorkshire Gav’ Barsby and Scott ‘Teflon’ Truslove, who were away in West Africa helping with the relief effort and Andy Tee who was sent on a Papal Visit to seek penance following his kicking display last week.  With some late cry offs, in came John ‘Mister Chairman’ Warne and the on-form Darroll Watts; the team was looking very different from last week’s line up. 

Jordan SimpsonOn a blustery day, Street lost the toss with Stoke deciding to play against the brisk northerly breeze.  It was very tense stuff in the opening ten minutes with Stoke having much the better of the tight play - a tough match was in prospect.  With wind advantage, playing away from the clubhouse, Street eventually saw the light and came to their senses by shipping the ball a little wider.  With the current youth policy coming to the fore, Mr Chairman and Stuart Crawford (someone remarked “with virtually eighty years experience between them”) were working very well in the centres, aided and abetted by some impressive strike runs from Andrew Greggs’ Skene.  Street’s backs were looking, dare I say it, slick and the deadlock was broken after fifteen minutes with Street adding some more before the break. 

 Half Time: Broadstreet 3rds 20 - Stoke Old Boys 0. 

Broadstreet applied multiple changes at half time and the pack had a somewhat younger feel about it (viz. didn’t have an average age of fifty!).  Stoke put up a strong defence after the break and Street had to work hard for their first try.  From a Stoke restart, Brendan McGuire broke through and, with his ginger hair trailing behind, pinned his ears back and headed for the line, only to be tackled by their smallest player, just short of the line, but  Pete ‘Evergreen’ Branston was on hand to provide support and link play.  Broadstreet then added several tries in short succession and the on-form Darroll Watts was metronomic with his kicking display.  Danny ‘Tinkerman’ Rowan was by now making substitutions like there was no tomorrow, which had the effect of disjointing the team a little, but no panic, on came James ‘I’ve lost my Teeth’ Downes to shore up the pack.  Street then added a further try by Murray Mint somewhat gifted to him by Jordan Simpson (Simpson with thoughts of ‘jug avoidance’, no doubt).  In the dying minutes of the game, with Street relentlessly pushing forward toward the Stoke half, the ball was spun wide to Darroll Watts, who fly hacked it through, ran past the opposition, scooped the ball up and offloaded onto the waiting Broadstreet player.

With a strong display from all the backs this week, Andy ‘Rosary’ Tee will need to do some serious praying in Rome to get a spot back in this team.

Final Score: Broadstreet 3’s  35 – 0 Stoke Old Boys

Man of the Match: Darroll Watts.

Team: 15 Andrew Skene; 14 Murray Mint, 13 Stuart Crawford, 12 John Warne, 11 Darroll Watts; 10 Jordan Simpson, 9 Robbie Holmes; 1 Kevin Truslove, 2 Tom Ainsley, 3 Matt Dearden; 4 Bill Vennard, 5 Patrick Jay; 6 Danny Havart, 7 Danny Bucknall, 8 Pete Branston.

Replacements: 16 John Brown, 17 James Downes, 18 Brendan McGuire, 19 Clinton Mamba, 20 Connor Hunt, 21 Lewis Cavanagh, Ryan Evans.

Director of Third Team Operations: Danny Rowan.

Motivational Coach: Rick Skene.

PS  Best wishes to Bill Busby who underwent knee surgery on Friday.  

PPS.  Street Twos, with an average age of nineteen, came away from Lichfield with a very creditable 22-15 win. 

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