‘Street Shuffle Trumps Spirited Scunthorpe.
‘Street put on a second half show in this penultimate National League Three Midlands outing and last home game of the season at the Ivor Preece Field Rugby Ground, to please their loyal supporters; scoring seven well-crafted tries to add to a first half brace for a nine try 57 – 26 win over Lincolnshire visitors Scunthorpe RFC. Despite further depletion in the backs through recent injuries ‘Street’s shuffled squad showed strength of character and a collective spirit in prevailing handsomely over an in-form Scunthorpe, who had showed why they have commendably escaped relegation again this season in winning five of their last six matches. ‘Street welcomed back talented young lock Callum Tucker after a five month injury absence; number eight and ‘Skipper’ Chris Wood after four weeks injury, scrum half Nick Thatcher from two weeks paternity leave and the gifted wing forward Beau Carney carried on where he left off last week in at centre, in the absence of injured Todd Freemantle and Jordan Simpson.
Gareth TurnerAndrew MurrayThe first half was an anonymous affair with fifteen penalties – one every two and a half minutes at best – and ten against the home team in the first twenty nine minutes; with seven awarded in a nine minute period leading to an inevitable ‘team sin bin’ for the unfortunate ‘fall guy’ Chris Zutic; and it is interesting in what Mrs Freemantle had to say, “Were ‘Street that bad and Scunthorpe that goody-goody”? You just can’t play rugby if you’re not allowed to have the ball! Me thinks she has a point! But you can only get it, or hang on to it, if you are not giving away penalties, real or imagined, and the reality is that between a very capable opposition and the whistler ‘Street were denied any really decent first half possession with which to express themselves. Instead, four immaculately struck, long range penalties by visiting centre Steve Johnson set Scunthorpe on their way to a 0 – 12 lead in the first half hour (and he missed another) before a threatening ‘Street build up; involving Beau Carney, Andy Murray, Jamie Harrop, Matthew Solomon and Tommy ‘five tries’ Harris, led to the hosts picking up only their second penalty out of twelve awarded in the first 31 minutes, to the vociferous delight of the crowd. [I think the cheer must have had an effect because ‘Street were awarded all three of the remaining penalties before the break]. A kick to the visitor’s corner saw ‘Street’s forwards finish the good work off as busy number eight, Gareth Turner crashed over, after ‘evergreen’ hooker Stewart Pearl had been halted short; Corey Venus, carrying on a great job at fly half in the absence of Danny Richards and Lee Chapman, added the conversion for 7 – 12. ‘Street managed to complete one more un-blemished passage of play to score an unconverted try wide right through full back Andy Murray after Stewart Pearl and his troops had created the space through some hard driving play left of field.
Half Time: Broadstreet 12 Scunthorpe 12.
‘Street players then employed the view that if you do not engage too much in contact, you cannot be pulled up for breakdown ‘mistakes’ and, added to that, ‘verbals’, which had reportedly annoyed “Sir” in the first period, were curtailed which resulted in another seven tries in the second half; firstly, through mercurial centre Will Owen - one minute in; Gareth Turner, his second after a break by Beau Carney on five minutes; Stewart Pearl got there eventually on 12 minutes and stand in centre Beau Carney popped up, as he does, to finish off a consummate sweeping passage of play involving Gareth Turner, Stewart Pearl, Will Owen and Andy Murray; all scores coming in the third twenty minute quarter. These were followed by tries for, yes, you just knew it! - Ben ‘Blockbuster’ Dawes on 26 minutes; and Andy Murray recorded a brace five minutes from time before a brilliant weaving sprint from his own half saw winger Jeff Gregson time a perfect scoring pass to the supporting Corey Venus, two minutes from the final whistle. Venus converted five to add to one in the first half for a personal tally of seventeen points. There could have been more as Matthew Solomon missed out on a try three minutes into the second half, when a pass one metre from the line un-characteristically failed to stick to the big man’s hands and then; ten minutes later, Chris Wood suffered the same fate when he fumbled the ball ‘in-goal’ at the end of a 5 metre push-over scrum at which time Scunthorpe hooker Gareth Mist picked up a yellow card for an off-side offence. Despite the heady score-line, Scunthorpe were by no means overwhelmed and their resilience under pressure, especially the second half, was admirable. They showed outstanding mettle throughout, scoring two spectacular tries in the second half; firstly on nine minutes through winger Tom Hughes and after thirty minutes, by fly half Tom Foster, both converted by talented kicker and centre Steve Johnson. Dave Garbutt led the way in the forwards for “Greenies” with a bullocking performance from the eight berth. Similarly, great credit for setting up ‘Street’s pacy backline, via ‘tricky-dickey’ half back Nick Thatcher, must go to the forward pack of Dawes, Pearl, Neil Tatlow, Harry Pendleton, Callum Tucker, Matthew and Andy Solomon and a tireless back row of Jamie Harrop, Chris Zutic, Chris Wood and lastly, but by no means least, dynamic Gareth Turner; ensuring that play flowed in the second half without too much interruption.
Full Time: Broadstreet 57 Scunthorpe 26.
Cameo Moment: Jeff Gregson’s sprint through mid-field, to set up Corey Venus for the last try.
[or, was it that ‘cheer’?]
‘Good Luck Alex Beddows’ - everyone wishes you the best of good fortune in the Midlands Under 20 trials on Sunday.
Team:Pendleton, Pearl, Tatlow; Tucker, Solomon Matthew; Zutic, Harrop, Turner; Thatcher, Venus; Harris Tommy, Carney, Owen, Gregson; Murray. Reps: Dawes, Wood, Solomon Andrew
The Final Push next Saturday at South Leicester’s Welford Road will not be easy. It never has been at that venue, so keep your standards high lads!
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