1st TEAM Match Report
SATURDAY 24th January 2004
LEAGUE; MIDLANDS 3 EAST (South)
NORTHAMPTON MENS’ OWN 1st XV: 13 LUTTERWORTH 1st XV: 16
A difficult win at Northampton Mens Own on the same day that top two, Peterborough and Old Northamptonians, drew has brought Lutterworth to within one point of the top of the league.
The first ten minutes were played in the Mens Own half and constant pressure by Lutterworth should have resulted in an early lead. However three consecutive silly penalties gifted to the visitors allowed Mens Own to take the play back to a lineout nearly on the Lutterworth line. They scored from the lineout catch and drive giving them a 7 point lead very much against the run of play. Half way through the half, despite struggling with their lineout all afternoon, Lutterworth managed to take the ball cleanly from a set piece on the half way line. The backs, given the opportunity they had been waiting for, ran the ball in text book fashion and it was full back and man of the match, Bobby Williams, who beat two men to take the ball over in great style. Tim Jeffs converted and later slotted two penalty attempts against one out of two for Mens Own, giving the away side a half time lead of 13 to 10.
Jeffs was in fine kicking form and he added to his tally of four from four attempts with another three points in the second period. Mens Own kicked one and missed one to give a narrow victory to Lutterworth.