1st XV 3 - 6 Newbury
| Match date | Saturday December 12, 2009 |
|---|---|
| Match time | 15:00 |
| Match location | Home |
| Team | 1st XV |
| Opponent | Newbury |
Player of the Match - Ben Gerry
Stourbridge Saxons 3 Newbury 6 by Paul Smith
Returning players have a knack of producing a decisive contribution at their former stamping ground.
With four Stourbridge “old boys” in the Newbury squad, there was certainly no lack of opportunity for this age-old sporting adage to strike again, during this tight National 1 encounter.
But rather than Matt Williams or Martin Freeman speeding to the line to clinch the game, unexpectedly it was Chris Rowland, along with his two front row colleagues Ryan Prosser and Tom Fidler who proved to be the biggest thorn in Saxon’s side.
In a dour game, where neither side had a clear-cut try scoring opportunity, the pressure exerted by the visitors’ pack proved just enough for them to shade the match.
Stour have dominated all comers up front in the last two months, and as a result produced plenty of good quality ball, as well as forward-based tries, finished by the likes of Ben Hughes and Ben Gerry.
But Newbury scrummaged powerfully, performed consistently at the line out and despite conceding penalties at a ratio of nearly 2:1, also competed well at the break down.
With neither pack able to gain clear supremacy, a dearth of quick ball resulted, producing a stalemate that was only broken by an occasional flash of individual skill.
Sam Robinson, who assumed the kicking duties for the first time this season, swapped close-range penalties with Newbury centre Mich Burton in the opening quarter.
But the Stourbridge man also missed two eminently kickable opportunities before the half hour mark.
Newbury’s on-loan Bath fly half Paul Roberts varied his options intelligently, as well as producing a handful of superb tactical kicks that gave the visitors good field position.
Newbury lost ex Launceston second row Stephen Pape to the sin bin just before the interval, triggering a brief spell during which both sides finally created some space.
First Freeman nearly got round the outside of the home defence, before Stour’s Craig Richards burst down the Newbury right, only to be felled by the last line of defence.
Burton, who missed two difficult chances to put Newbury in front after the break, found the mark from point blank range in the 53rd minute, when the home side transgressed on the ground.
Kurt Johnson came closest to a try midway through the half, when he touched down a delicately weighted Robinson chip, only to be recalled by the referee for being offside.
A scorching 50 metre Freeman burst produced no end product, when he ran out of support, before the visitors’ one concerted spell of pressure on the home line was also repelled by some determined defence.
The home side produced a couple of good forward rumbles, but with both starting deep in their own half, neither threatened the Newbury line.
Stour had one final chance to claim a draw deep into injury time, but eschewed a kick at goal in favour of a death or glory attempt to claim four points, which ended with the former, courtesy of a midfield knock on.
Stourbridge: Higgins; Chance (T.Hughes,47), Johnson, Barkley, Richards; Robinson, Richardson; Sturdy, Gerry, Lawrence; Dean (Griffiths, 71), Homer; Rodley, R.Cooper, Pearson. Reps – Keylock, W.Cooper, Baker.
Newbury: Williams; Perry, Katz, Burton, Freeman; Roberts, Gasson; Rowland, Prosser, Fidler (Green, 51); Pape, Ascroft-Leigh (Hodge, 65); Coxon-Smith, Ovens, Jackson. Reps – Newport, Howell, Avery.
Referee: C.Rudkin
Man of the Match: Paul Roberts (Newbury)
