Back

1st TEAM   Match Report

Saturday 8th March 2008

League Match

NORTHAMPTON  BBOB 10pts  v  LUTTERWORTH  1st : 50pts

Lutterworth consolidated last weeks win over one Northampton side with another better victory against neighbours, BBOB’s. Once again it was the pack that did all the damage backed up with a solid, played to orders, no nonsense performance from veteran fly half, Ivan Bills. There was praise aplenty for all eight forwards but Paul Riley at seven and back from a long absence, Dave Stannard at number eight, were both outstanding. Despite starting into the prevailing strong wind the visitors were immediately in charge, superiority in the set pieces was established in the opening minutes and the only surprise was that Lutterworth failed to post a score after twelve minutes played almost entirely in BBOB’s twenty-two. Inevitably the floodgates were opened as Lutterworth found the key to unlock a beleaguered defence and turn possession and territory into points.   

The first score came after fifteen minutes, Paul Wilford, as usual, in the thick of it offloaded to Riley who set up skipper, Chris Gregory to barge over. Five minutes later a gargantuan effort by the pack took a scrum against the head and powered forward from five metres, Dave Stannard made no mistake carrying the ball over and Bills hit the first of his five successful conversions to give the visitors a twelve-point advantage. The Northampton side replied with a lone converted penalty but it was Stannard who hit back with his second try after some fine work by backs Phil Daffern and Jez Bell.   Just before half time, centre, Ben Hooper was unlucky to just fail to score on the left wing but the ball was retained and swung wide for Dan Ford to go over in the other corner.

With the wind at their backs Lutterworth continued the onslaught in the second forty. A foray by the back row that scythed through the Northampton defence was finished by scrum half Gaz Court and then the pack was back in action again with a carbon copy of the second try, although it was Court this time who touched down after another five metre scrum put in by BBOB’s was won against the head. Lutterworth at this point took their foot off the gas and allowed a well-deserved consolation score to be taken by BBOB’s scrum half who was by far and away their best player on the day. The curtain was brought down after winger Dan Ford dodged and jinked his way through five or six defenders to bag his second, Lutterworth’s eighth, try and a very welcome fifty point tally.

Scoring:   0-5; 0-12; 3-12; 3-19; 3-24; 3-31; 3-36; 3-43; 10-43; 10-50

 Team:                      Wilford      Randle   Stevens

                                         Conway    Faulds

                                  Gregory    Stannard   Riley        

                                            Court        Bills

                               Daffern  Croucher  Hooper  Ford

                                                     Bell

Reps:    Tivey,  Evans