1st TEAM Match Report
Saturday 8th April 2006
LEAGUE: MIDLANDS 3 EAST (South)
LUTTERWORTH 1st XV: 26 V NORTHAMPTON OLD SCOUTS 1st XV: 33
Second placed in the league and looking for promotion to Midlands Two by way of a play-off, Old Scouts counted themselves fortunate to leave Ashby Lane with two points. The Lutterworth pack dominated in both set piece and open play, confirmed by the fact that all the home side’s scores came from the forwards. However it was the visitors’ backs that won the day notching up all of their side’s five tries.
Lutterworth won the toss and decided to play into the very strong wind that was tearing down the length of the pitch, when half time was reached at level pegging it was evident that this had been the right decision. Old Scouts opened the scoring after only two minutes with a converted try but Lutterworth hit back after fifteen minutes, Alan Johnson going over from a lineout catch and drive. Old Scouts maintained their momentum minutes later with a try from scrum half, James Nimmo, their outstanding player on the day. The rampaging Lutterworth pack was rewarded with a penalty try late in the half to level the scores at fourteen all and should have taken the lead in the dying minutes of the half from a rolling maul that took them from the half way line to the try line yet somehow they failed to score.
The second period was really more of the same, Lutterworth easily won the battles for possession and territory but consistently failed to convert these advantages into points. Old Scouts romped into an early first half lead with two tries; the second was an opportunist affair snatched from a Lutterworth attack in Scout’s twenty two by their very rapid outside centre. Great work by Paul Wilford and replacement open side, Paul Riley set up lock, Ronnie Williamson for Lutt’s third try, narrowing the margin to five points. Again Lutterworth’s finishing disappointed as they failed to score from a penalty that was kicked to touch awarded in Scouts twenty two and were immediately punished when the visitors quickly hit back with a fine try to extend what was now becoming an unassailable lead. More good work by the forwards allowed Paul Riley to take the ball over for a final consolation try, the whistle going shortly afterwards in tune with sighs of relief from the Northampton visitors. Lutterworth named Ian Evans as man of the match especially for the amount of turnover ball he won during a gritty second row performance.
Scoring: 0-7, 7-7, 7-14, 14-14
14-19, 14-26, 21-26, 21-33, 26-33.