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1st TEAM   Match Report

Saturday 13th January 2007

League Fixture

LUTTERWORTH  1st XV: 11pts    v  SPALDING 1st XV:  9pts

A twenty-mile an hour gale blowing the length of the ground dictated the pattern of play in a hard fought enthralling contest, Lutterworth took the two points but must consider themselves very fortunate to have done so against such determined and streetwise opposition.

At half time it seemed that the home side had the upper hand despite trailing by nine unanswered points. The Spalding scrum half, James Williams, had converted only three out of six penalty attempts and Lutterworth were confident of piling on a big second half score. They started the half well, in particular fly-half Gareth Court and lock, Ben Husthwaite were breaking strongly in the midfield but without reward and it was left to Lutterworth’s Bobby Williams to chip away at the deficit with a couple of well taken penalty kicks. After twenty minutes that seemed an eternity, full back Jim Croucher took a neatly executed pass from prop, Paul Wilford and went over in the corner for what was to be the only try of the day. Both sides had mixed results in the set piece and although as usual the Lutterworth forwards totally dominated the scrum they did not perform so well in the lineout. The number of scrums that were won against the head by the home side were matched by the number of lineouts lost and it was this combined with some very ordinary defensive kicking from their twenty two by Jim Croucher that put Lutterworth under the most intense pressure they have felt so far this season. During the final fifteen minutes against the wind and against all odds the Spalding forwards made yard after hard yard in a series of attacks that stretched Lutterworth almost to breaking point producing some outstanding defence and great first up tackling especially by Williams, Barnardo and Court. In the dying minutes Spalding denied themselves the narrowest of victories with a missed penalty attempt that although in front of the posts was forty yards into the wind. The huge sigh of relief that was heard across Ashby Lane coincided with final whistle to give Lutterworth a wake up call that they need to remember.

Scoring: 0-3; 0-6; 0-9;  3-9; 6-9; 11-9.

Team -              Wilford    A.Johnson   Stevens

                                       Husthwaite  Evans

                                  Conway   Gregory     Davies

                                          Newman    Court

                     Daffern      Barnardo  Williams  Stretton

                                             Croucher

Reps;    R. Jones    Higgins