In this critical league clash, Newbury was sitting on a decent lead, up 14 to nothing with 20 minutes remaining.  But perhaps ‘sitting’ was the operative word because Newbury failed to deliver a killer blow, then collapsed under a determined Maidenhead comeback.

Newbury began well, staying tight upfront, working phases at the breakdown and containing the Maidenhead backs in midfield.  But both sides clearly sensed it would be a close game.  Maidenhead dominated the scrum but Newbury controlled the breakdown and just had the edge at the lineout.  Newbury showed confidence and chose the right times to run ball in the backs, doing so ambitiously and effectively.  Illustrating how close the game was expected to be, after 10 minutes Newbury opted to go for goal at a penalty on the 10metre line, left of the posts and into the wind.  A good if bold decision but unfortunately despite height and distance the attempt went just wide.  But as the half developed and the home side put on pressure, pushing into Newbury’s 22, first blood went to the visitors on 25 minutes.  Outnumbered in defence, Jonny Courtney anticipated Maid’s final pass perfectly, coming in on the jam and stretching high to snatch the interception before outpacing all chasers for an 80 metre score under the posts.  With lungs burning, kicking duty passed to Joe Leadley, who converted safely.  Newbury kept up the pressure upfront, thanks to efforts in securing and winning ball at the breakdown in particular by Will Eversfield, Tom Simm, Will Frome and Jonno Stancombe.  And when ball came out quickly and cleanly, the backs showed variety, confident handling and some incisive running by Greg Heath.  As the allotted 35 minutes passed, and 5 more minutes strangely ticked by, Newbury started to ease off and the home side clearly had the upper hand. But, no more score.  Newbury was up 7 to nothing at the half.

Maidenhead came out all guns blazing after the break, putting the visitors on the back foot repeatedly and pressurising their line.  But the defence held, even if a few rash decisions did start to emerge.  Then Newbury struck again 10 minutes into the second half after pushing up to Maid’s 22 and winning a lineout.  Newbury’s backs ran a move, Maid’s outside centre targeted opposite number Greg Heath and as Sam Gutteridge feinted the pass he stepped through the defence instead, before shrugging off a tackler to score.  Jonny Courtney converted.  Maidenhead 0 - Newbury 14.  Surely by staying tight, kicking deep to pin Maids back in their half and taking low risk chances when they came, this lead would be hard to lose.  The trouble is, Newbury didn’t seem to try those things and lost composure.  Maid’s first try 5 minutes later was well worked, luring Newbury’s defence into all the intended traps as their 15 ran a nice line through the Blues’ red sea defence to applause from both teams’ supporters. The score was now 7 -14, with 20 scheduled minutes to go.  But the visitors were far from deterred at this stage.  A grubber by Jack Hibberd was chased, contested and recovered by Will Eversfield, setting up Gregg Heath and Jonny Courtney to combine well on the outside and push up to Maid’s 22.   Maids won the ball but Newbury charged down a hurried clearance and hacked the spilled ball forward.  Greg Heath raced the retreating fullback to the line but the defender got the luck of the bounce and grounded first.  Nothing is certain but had Newbury scored then, the game surely would have been over.  Instead Newbury started making errors, taking strange options, burying hard-fought-for ball in the maul for turnovers and conceding penalties galore.  Maidenhead levelled the score with only a couple of minutes to go and that set off the momentum.  Massive Maidenhead pressure followed, with Newbury defending resolutely inside their 22 for several minutes, expecting the final whistle any time and surviving two ‘held-up’ decisions before Maids’ third try.  This seemed to take all life out of Newbury, compounded by losing a key forward to the sin bin for repeated team infringements.  Quite how the game went on so long is unclear (perhaps the ref was playing 40 minutes per half or time added on) but way into unofficial injury time, Maids capitalised on the pressure and man-advantage and snatched their bonus-point fourth. The conversion was wide.  The final whistle blew.  24-14 was the score.  Newbury was wondering “how did that happen?” and Maidenhead could hardly believe their achievement.

Simply, Newbury let it slip away – the contest was much closer than the score but the result reflects a magnificent Maidenhead surge late in the game and a collapse by Newbury. This was a major loss for Newbury given that the match – and perhaps more – had been there for the taking.  But if there ever was a game that shows the awesome power of self-belief, ambition, passion and determination, then this was it.  And if the boys learn that lesson it will (yes, really) have been worth it.  Now, how the team bounces back and performs in the remaining key matches, will be the true test.

Tries: Jonny Courtney, Sam Gutteridge.  Conversions:  Joe Leadley, Jonny Courtney

Squad:  Alex Cima, Jonny Courtney, Will Eversfield, Harry Fisher, Will Frome, Sam Gutteridge, Greg Heath, Jack Hibberd, Ben Hicks, Alex Huntsman, Ean Kershaw, Tom Lauder, Joe Leadley, Tom Nield, George Read-Smith, Tom Simm, Tom Soanes,  Jonathan Stancombe (capt)

A’s & B’s a wake up call…..

Windsor U14A’s  22 v 22  Newbury U14 Stags

You know when you stand in the cold for a whole day at Windsor and come away with a draw and a creditable loss you have to admire the resilience and team spirit of the whole Under 14 Age group, players, parents, coaches, everyone for sticking to the task in hand.  Last year’s league fixture saw Windsor score 66 points to Newbury’s 0 … what will be today’s outcome.

We arrived early and prepared ourselves to start after the U15A game and after a lengthy injury delayed us further we were eventually ready to play….

The two and a half hours had taken their toll in terms of cold and The Stags opened the game by conceding the softest try of the season to go 5 - 0 down.

The air was warm behind the posts as Windsor went to take the conversion and our Head Coach reminded the boys why we had turned up at Windsor.

It was as if the game had just started and suddenly Newbury came to life…..Rucks, Mauls, first tackles were all knocking Windsor backwards.  With ruck ball a plenty Newbury were running wave after wave.  A couple of positive breaks from Matt Nicholls set the backs running then a break from Sam Rossiter, typical sniping run to then open a gap and allow Price Richards to attack, step inside and score under the posts which Rossiter converted. 5 – 7 to Newbury.

More attacking rugby from Newbury with Herrod Taylor and Fane coming into play and then the forwards rampant to release the explosive Tristan Telford in support and after a great final tackle to stop him but the ruck allowed Connor Brady to storm over  to take the lead 5 - 12 the score.

Newbury’s midfield of Bates and Price Richards stopped every Windsor attack.  Newbury were growing in confidence.  The pack were dominant, Hookway, Hawkins and Rees winning good ball, Collington and Brady supporting and stopping everything that moved but the back row of McIntyre, Crossley and Jenkins were destroying any pattern for Windsor and creating ball for the backs to run…. Anything Windsor offered was snuffed out by great tackling, Herrod-Taylor on the wing breaking down each runner with huge tackles.

Newbury soaked up some pressure but rarely went into their own territory after the terrible start and again in midfield they broke down the hosts and from more disruption Price Richards picked up and jinked his way from the 10m line to score a great individual try 5 - 19 to Newbury.  Half time the hosts shocked.

Coaches View

“Great half of Rugby, cold start for good reason but to come back like that was excellent I think the hosts were shocked and we didn’t look fragile today”.

Second Half and the wind was against but this didn’t deter the attacking game Newbury were playing.  Windsor had made a couple of changes to bolster their pack but Newbury came back at them hard.

The high tempo pattern continued and with a bit more luck the game would have been won in the first ten minutes of the half  however Windsor came back and managed  to score through an excellent run from their winger ‘KK’ to bring the hosts back in touch

12  – 19 and Newbury began to regain ground, great open running to set Herrod Taylor loose on the wing but thwarted by a forward pass…

It was tight and Newbury were under some pressure but defended well and broke out with Bates, working hard down the mid field countering at every chance.  This led to a rare penalty and Rossiter slotted home 22 – 12 but more to come.  Newbury stood off and let Windsor come back and with only minutes remaining Windsor travelled up field with some good rugby and after two phases drove in goal to score and convert. 19 – 22 all to play for and with very little time Newbury soaked up pressure and stopped three opportunities for Windsor to score another try … tense but nearly time  and then the final twist, a penalty advantage being played for Windsor, they made ground 10 metres and then dropped the ball to knock on, game over ..… no the penalty stands and Windsor slot home to equalise 22 all Final whistle.

Well played both sides, next season will be interesting! …… J

Coaches View

 “Really pleased but disappointed for the guys, they played really well and we are so close to getting it right. Overall everyone performed.  Some really good individual performances which contributed to a great game and the best team performance to date….We’re on track that’s for sure.  Well done”

Windsor U14B’s  25 v 14  Newbury U14 Roebucks

As we drew breath and rubbed our hands in the increasing cold the hardy Roebucks took to the field, they had endured a lengthy wait, some 3.5 hours!!!…but they started as always with some really good rugby.  The forwards having thawed out, showed how they have worked to improve their rucking and won some good ball for Maher and Gardner to let the midfield run.

Windsor where a well drilled side and although they were attacking Newbury’s defence was outstanding and the tackling of all the backs at this point particularly Billy Clarke was superb.  The game was end to end and after some good rucking Newbury broke loose and Diwas Limbu broke away to score under the posts with Norman converting 0 – 7 to Newbury.

Windsor where gaining in strength and, having been hanging around for a long time, the cold and inevitable tiredness set into the Newbury side.  No detraction they competed well and the front five worked hard to win some good ball and the back row of Kenneth, Cresswell and Wilson competed well with the Windsor forwards.

Newbury kept working and attacking but with growing pressure Windsor broke away to score twice in quick succession to lead 10 – 7 at the break.

Coaches View

“A good half of rugby and each week the performances improve across the squad.  I was really please with the effort in the first half considering the wait!!! Very positive”.

Half Time and Newbury were ready to compete again and considering the cold they came out ready to compete….Great rucking to win more ball, the backs running well and almost breaking through good defence and Windsor were having to work very hard to stay with Newbury.  Windsor’s backs were becoming more dominant and after soaking up pressure Windsor managed to break twice to score and lead 20 – 7.

More pressure from Newbury and some quick hands released Limbu again and he powered his way through to score for Norman to convert again.  20 – 14 and maybe a fightback…..

Newbury kept working and just the final pass didn’t quite make it and with a couple of players carrying injuries Windsor managed to score one final try to win the game 25 -14.  A great all round effort and again a good turn round from last year.

Coaches View

“Overall again another excellent effort, improvements across the squad and some good performances.  One of the big pluses is the effort is sustained for the full game and heads don’t go down when we concede.  That shows great character and again we are starting play good rugby in patches.  It will click soon.  Well done”

The penultimate match of the Berkshire League season turned into a comfortablevictory for Newbury. They dominated in all aspects and Maidenhead were never really able to establish a foothold in the game.

Newbury scored nine tries, two apiece from the Britton twins Alex and Will, and one each from Josh Lawrence, Charlie Tillott, Jordan Ruddock, Andy Payne and Finn Conner.

The first try after five minutes was created by a superbly timed pass by Louis Lyne which created a huge gap for Alex to score under the posts. Theo Brophy Clews converted for 7-0.

The forwards set up the second with a series of drives, the rucking and mauling were excellent and when it came out wide Josh was able to shoot down the line and score, another Theo conversion made it 14-0.

The ensuing kick off was caught by Will Britton who stampeded through a pretty half hearted defence to go all the way down the middle, another conversion and it was 21-0.

The vital bonus point was earned when more forward drives created the space for the backs and Alex burned down the wing to score, 26-0

The fifth capitalised on a kamikaze attempt by Maidenhead to run from their own goal line. When it was turned over it was quickly spread by Lee Cowan to the wing and Charlie Tillett who was on starvation rations for most of the match, seized on a rare opportunity to dive over, 31-0

Just before half time came the try of the match. Theo retrieved a kick under his own posts and set off on the counter. He slipped it to James O’Connor who hit the burners down the wing. When he was brought down Jordan was on hand to shred the remnants of the defence and complete a length of field try. Theo’s conversion made it 38-0 at half time.

The second half was slightly more competitive and there was a slight loss of continuity. It took seven minutes before sustained forward pressure ended with Will picking up and driving over from close range to make it 43-0.

Try number eight showed the value of committing the defender and passing before taking contact. It started with Andy making ground before passing to Theo who strode on and returned a well timed pass which enabled Andy to burst through the defence and storm over.

With five minutes left, Finn cut through the middle and out muscled two tacklers to forge over. Another conversion made it 57-0.

We’ve been ordered to mention a big touch finding kick from Andy Payne which we failed to see and also that Theo had a superb match both at Fly Half and particularly when he switched to Full Back. Jack Davis and Ollie Nunn both deserve a mention in despatches for big games in the loose as well.

In the last play of the match Maidenhead finally got on the score sheet when a sustained drive ended with a close range score to end the game at 57-5.

There is still a mathematical chance Newbury can win the League and the last game against high flying Bracknell should be a cracker in a fortnight’s time.

Photo set view:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettsocial/sets/72157623442532597/

Slide show view:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettsocial/sets/72157623442532597/show/

1. CHRIS ROWLAND

2. PAUL FINCKEN

3. KANE NEWPORT

4. SCOTT WITCOMB

5. IEN ASCROFT-LEIGH

6. FINLAY COXON-SMITH

7. LIAM PERKINS

8. ED JACKSON

9. JACK AVERY                                              

10. MITCH BURTON                           

11. MARTIN FREEMAN

12. BEN WILLIAMS                            

13. NICK SCOTT

14. CHRIS RIDGERS   

15. MIKE MANGEOLLES

 REPS:

      16. TOM FIDLER

      17. CRAIG McGRATH

      18. JACK BENTALL

      19. GAVIN TURNER

      20. CHARLIE PERRY

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettsocial/sets/72157623524787306/

Rgds

Dave

Follow the link below:

http://twitter.com/NewburyRFC

1. TOM FIDLER

2. PAUL FINCKEN

3. KANE NEWPORT

4. DAN HODGE

5. IEN ASCROFT-LEIGH

6. SCOTT WITCOMB

7. LIAM PERKINS

8. ED JACKSON

9. JACK AVERY                                              

10. MITCH BURTON                           

11. MARTIN FREEMAN

12. MIKE MANGEOLLES                              

13. NICK SCOTT

14. CHRIS RIDGERS   

15. CHARLIE PERRY

REPS:

      16. ROB GREEN

      17. MATT OLIVER

      18. ALISTAIR WIDDOP

      19. FINLAY COXON-SMITH

            20. KARL BUTTLE