1st TEAM Match Report
Saturday 26th August 2006
Pre Season Trials
MATLOCK 1st XV 29 V LUTTERWORTH 1st XV: 34
Lutterworth’s 1st XV squad of twenty players travelled to Matlock on Saturday for what has become the traditional pre-season warm up game. The format was four twenty minute quarters. Although Matlock play a league above Lutterworth in Midlands Two, the visitors looked marginally superior in both fitness and technique and the result was an entertaining and close fought contest that Lutterworth won overall in addition to winning two and drawing one of the four sessions.
Lutterworth dominated the first ten minutes going in front with an early try by winger Shaun Van Heerden but the home side came back strongly and stoic defending kept the final score for the quarter at five each. During the second session Lutterworth gave a fine display of the ‘fifteen man’ game that new head coach, Mick Welham, is determined to play. A perfectly weighted box kick from scrum half, Adam Higgins, set up Van Heerden for his second score, Alan Johnson added another and back row, Dave Stannard completed the quarter with a fine individual effort of some forty metres peeling off from the back of a lineout nearly on the half way line. Matlock hit back with some fine open running of their own in the third quarter which they took by nineteen points to nil but Lutterworth carried the day with a flourish, winning the final session by twelve points to nil, tries from winger, Phil Daffern and Adam Higgins capping for him an inspired performance at scrum half.
On Thursday (31st August) Lutterworth entertain a ‘Leicester Thursday’ side at Ashby Lane, kick-off 6.30, all are welcome to what should be another entertaining pre-season match.