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1st TEAM   Match Report

Saturday 10th March 2007

League Fixture

ASHBOURNE 1st XV: 10pts    V  LUTTERWORTH  1st XV: 51pts 

Lutterworth’s own ‘Barmy Army’, the infamous ‘Forty Club’ were treated to a rugby feast in the foothills of the Peak District as their team recovered from a stuttering start to eventually run in nine tries. A true fifteen-man performance with scores coming from some incisive running by the backs as well as others created by the pure power and dominance of the pack especially in the set pieces. Winger Phil Daffern made full use of the width of the pitch securing a hat trick and hooker Alan Johnson added two more to take his season’s tally to eleven.

Fly half Jimmy Croucher was in fine form especially with the boot, after seven minutes he found touch in Ashbourne’s twenty two, the resulting lineout was robbed by the forwards who gained precious yards with a drive from which the ball was shipped out to Charlie Roberson, the full back who has returned to his true form after a long period beset by injury, set up centre Bobby Williams steaming in from deep to open the account for the visitors. The following ten minutes belonged to the home side partly due to very sloppy defending, Ashbourne very gratefully running through the gaps kindly provided to score two well executed tries and take a ten to five lead. The arrival of skipper Dennis Hall on to the park from the bench spurred Lutterworth back into the game which they dominated until the final whistle. Scrum half Jez Bell, having his best first team game to date, was instrumental in the next two scores. His finely timed pass finding centre Will Newman who opened up the defence and off loaded to Daffern, the winger finished clinically. Shortly afterwards Bell broke forward from a scrum and found Daffern directly for the third try just before half time.

Having wrenched control of the game in the first period Lutterworth went on to dominate and delight. Early in the half a ten-yard drive allowed that man Johnson to take the ball over and minutes later the move was repeated when locks Husthwaite and Evans once again made mincemeat of an Ashbourne lineout. After several phases of Lutterworth possession Daffern completed his hat trick, Paul Riley replaced Alan Johnson at hooker and was soon amongst the points with a fine try after taking a precision off-load from skipper Hall. Winger Ben Stretton added five more points and Ben Husthwaite took the tally into the fifties with a twenty yard run in set up after Paul Riley had snaffled up a loose ball.

Towards the end of the game the news was heard that for the first time this season leaders, Syston had slipped up at Spalding, setting up the prospect of an enthralling encounter when Lutterworth travel to Syston next Saturday for a double-header game that is not only a league but also a County Cup fixture.

Scoring: 0-5; 5-5; 10-5; 10-15; 10-22; 10-27; 10-34; 10-41; 10-46; 10-51.

Team :                  Wilford    A.Johnson.  Stevens

                                          Husthwaite  Evans

                                  Conway    Gregory     Davies

                                             Bell   Croucher

                           Daffern  Williams  Newman   Stretton 

                                                 Roberson

Reps:    Hall,  Riley,  Burgess