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1st TEAM   Match Report

Saturday 22nd January 2005

LEAGUE:  MIDLANDS 3 EAST (South)

WELLINGBOROUGH 1st XV: 20     LUTTERWORTH  1st XV: 39

Last weeks disappointing defeat at Belgrave in the County Cup seemed long forgotten as Lutterworth came out all guns blazing. During the first five minutes of play the visitors mounted phase on phase of attacking rugby. A perfectly timed pass by fly half Bobby Williams began a finely crafted three-quarter move neatly touched down in the corner by Jim Croucher. Williams slotted the difficult conversion to give Lutterworth an early seven point lead. Minutes later Ian Johnson wrested the ball from a maul, popped it to fellow lock, Ben Husthwaite who set off on one of his barnstorming runs with Jim Croucher at his shoulder, Croucher received the ball well to take it over for his second try and Williams duly converted. Wellingborough were never able to recover from this early double whammy and spent the remainder of the came trying to play catch up rugby. They did manage an opportunist fly-hacked try and a penalty but Lutterworth were unlucky not to score during the final minutes of the first period finishing with an adequate 14 to 8 lead.

A clean take of the ball from the second half  kick-off set number eight Adam Conway on a defence busting thirty yard run. As always number seven, Rob sands was on hand at the ruck to pass the ball to fellow flanker Simon Deacon who went over for a well deserved try. Deacon rarely features on the scoreline but is in the middle of an impressive run of form as the tackling machine of the back row. The pick of the Lutterworth tries came next, it began from the lineout with a sniping run by scrum half Gareth Court, the resulting ruck set up a period of pure fifteen man rugby, the ball was eventually taken over with great panache by David Simpkin, welcomed back to the side after a four month break. During the remainder of the half two more tries by Lutterworth’s Adam Conway and Ben Husthwaite were matched by the opposition but a final penalty kicked by Jim Croucher gave the visitors a well deserved and substantial 39 t0 20  victory.