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1st TEAM   Match Report

Saturday 3rd November 2007

League Match

LUTTERWORTH  1st : 29pts  V  Huntingdon 1st 23pts

After their very disappointing performance and defeat last week to league leaders Wellingborough, Lutterworth came back strongly with a good win against mid table rivals, Huntingdon.

It could be argued that the home side should have won more easily as they squandered any number of scoring opportunities, Lutterworth were superior in most departments except in penalties conceded where silly errors kept their opponents in the game.

Huntingdon took the lead after only a couple of minutes with an inspired switch of attack by from the open to blind side by their fly half, Damien Whales allowing flanker, James Thorp for an unopposed run in and seven points. Whales was the pick of the visitors marshalling his side well and eventually scoring Huntingdon’s second try as well as kicking thirteen points. Lutterworth were soon back into the game when stand-off Andy Burgess showed great vision, beating two defenders and off loading to captain, Chris Gregory who went over for the first of his two tries, the second shortly afterwards when he touched down from the back of an unstoppable five metre scrum. Meanwhile the visitors maintained their lead with two converted penalties but Lutterworth managed to wrench a half time lead when hooker, Paul Riley went over from the back of a driven maul that started with a penalty tap and go.

After the break the home side increased their lead when winger, Dan Ford eagerly accepted a high kick, exchanged play with full back, Jim Croucher and showing his blinding pace finished clinically under the posts. To their credit Huntingdon, now trailing by nine points, never let their heads go down and it was that man Whales who kicked another penalty, scored and converted a try to take the slenderest possible lead. With five minutes to go and trailing by one point this was nail-biting stuff in the extreme for the home supporters whose side had looked the better all afternoon. The Lutterworth forwards spent agonising minutes camped on the Stag’s heroically defended line, eventually the ball appeared and this time it was Ford who set up Croucher for a winning seven points.

Coach, Mark Ellis, was generally very pleased with his side’s performance, which displayed patches of thrilling open rugby, and especially that of open side flanker, Matt Randle who on the day was easily the pick of the Lutterworth crop. However Ellis was disappointed with the penalty count and some poor decision-making in kicking too much ball away yet not kicking easy penalties when the opportunity arose

 Scoring: 0-7; 5-7; 5-10; 10-10; 10-13; 15-13; 22-13; 22-16; 22-23; 29-23.

 Team:                      Wilford   Riley  Renshaw

                                     Husthwaite  Evans

                              Conway    Gregory   Randle

                                         Court   Burgess     

                          Stretton  Stannard  Perry  Ford

                                              Croucher

Reps:         Bell  Kiddie  Turner