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Sat 01 Mar 2014
DHSOB Wizzards & Tavistock
The Wanderers (2nd XV)
47
27
Tries: G Michael, C Sillitoe, D Wills (2)Conversions: C Hamer (2)Penalties: C Hamer
Oldies but goodies lead the way.
Paul 'Huggy' Brown2 Mar 2014 - 20:51
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The mind is willing, not so sure about the legs though ;)
With the Old Boys short on numbers (only 6 available, and 2 of them had to leave during the game to bolster the 1st team), an email was sent out and Tavistock answered the call. With the first team currently plying their trade in the Western Counties league, this was going to change the challenge ahead of the Wanderers dramatically.
This week, the headache for coach/manager Paul Brown wasn’t a lack of players but a bucket load, with no less than 10 players on the bench ready to enter the fray.
Mike Freeman (DHSOB Director of Rugby) got the game under way and within 2 minutes the DHSOB/Tavistock players had cross the line for the first points of the day. Just 3 minutes later, an infringement gave returning player Chris Hamer the chance to put 3 points on the board, a chance which he gratefully accepted.
There may have been a gulf between the teams on paper, but we don’t play on paper, and on 19 minutes our ageing pack used all of their experience to drive up the pitch with some excellent mauling. Somehow it was a back, Gary Michael, who took advantage of this, and he peeled of the back to drop over the whitewash to put the Wanderers ahead, 5-8.
Play went both ways for the next 10 minutes, with fly half and captain, Darren Wills, kicking well from hand to supply the forwards with some great line out opportunities. With excellent work from props Dave Rawles and Wictor Kurowski, and the salmon like agility of Steve Reeves, Argaum were in the ascendancy, with Toby Liberson hitting his mark time after time. James Humphrey and Steve Brown finished the job, pouncing on and loose ball to give scrum half Hayden Baugh opportunity to release the backs, with Kevin Sidebottom, Wills and Hamer all making strides into enemy territory, but being felled before reaching the line.
Somewhat upset that they were being upstaged by old war horses like Martin Edwards and Kev Kennedy, both showing tremendous ability and tenacity in the rucks, the youngsters started to use their backs, and despite the tackling efforts of Owen Belli and Jason Burdett, on 29 minutes they scored the first of 2 converted tries in 3 minutes. This left the score at half time with the Wanderers trailing 19-8.
Half time saw a raft of changes to allow everyone some minutes on the park. Into the game came experienced forwards Darren Ford, Dave Nicholson and Mick Wheatley, not forgetting the man who was playing when Webb Ellis decided that football was not the game for him, Chris Silitoe.
Anything that the opposition can do, Argaum Wanderers can match, and in 2 minutes the driving maul was in full effect. The biggest shock was only discovered when the players parted and the dust settled, the man with the ball in his hands was the afore-mentioned Silitoe. They must be putting something in the soup at his old folks home. This really got the DHSOB/Tavi dander up, and ran in yet another 2 unanswered tries.
One thing about Plymouth Argaum is that we never give up, and with the introduction of Rhys Jobbins, Rob Taylor and Paul Symons (unnaturally in the backs), on 18 minutes Darren Wills rumbled (some would say fell) over for a well worked multi-phase 5 points, soon to be 7 thanks to the metronomic boot of Hamer. Soon after, Mark Churchill entered the arena hoping to improve on his last outing of 30 seconds (roughly). For some reason, every time we scored, the opposition decided that they were going to score 2, and this happened yet again on both 22 and 24 minutes.
Once again, with their backs against the wall, the never say die attitude of the Plymouth Argaum Wanderers shone through, and in the last minute of a shortened 30 minute half (requested before kick-off so that we could watch the end of the 1st team game) Darren Wills once again rolled back the years to dive over the line, letting Hamer add the final points of the day.
Final score DHSOB/Tavistock 47 – Plymouth Argaum Wanderers 27.
There were many contenders for man of the match but this week the accolade went to David Rawles for his untiring work in both tight and loose play.
D**k of the day went to Paul Symons for try avoidance (as voted by nearly all present).
This week, the headache for coach/manager Paul Brown wasn’t a lack of players but a bucket load, with no less than 10 players on the bench ready to enter the fray.
Mike Freeman (DHSOB Director of Rugby) got the game under way and within 2 minutes the DHSOB/Tavistock players had cross the line for the first points of the day. Just 3 minutes later, an infringement gave returning player Chris Hamer the chance to put 3 points on the board, a chance which he gratefully accepted.
There may have been a gulf between the teams on paper, but we don’t play on paper, and on 19 minutes our ageing pack used all of their experience to drive up the pitch with some excellent mauling. Somehow it was a back, Gary Michael, who took advantage of this, and he peeled of the back to drop over the whitewash to put the Wanderers ahead, 5-8.
Play went both ways for the next 10 minutes, with fly half and captain, Darren Wills, kicking well from hand to supply the forwards with some great line out opportunities. With excellent work from props Dave Rawles and Wictor Kurowski, and the salmon like agility of Steve Reeves, Argaum were in the ascendancy, with Toby Liberson hitting his mark time after time. James Humphrey and Steve Brown finished the job, pouncing on and loose ball to give scrum half Hayden Baugh opportunity to release the backs, with Kevin Sidebottom, Wills and Hamer all making strides into enemy territory, but being felled before reaching the line.
Somewhat upset that they were being upstaged by old war horses like Martin Edwards and Kev Kennedy, both showing tremendous ability and tenacity in the rucks, the youngsters started to use their backs, and despite the tackling efforts of Owen Belli and Jason Burdett, on 29 minutes they scored the first of 2 converted tries in 3 minutes. This left the score at half time with the Wanderers trailing 19-8.
Half time saw a raft of changes to allow everyone some minutes on the park. Into the game came experienced forwards Darren Ford, Dave Nicholson and Mick Wheatley, not forgetting the man who was playing when Webb Ellis decided that football was not the game for him, Chris Silitoe.
Anything that the opposition can do, Argaum Wanderers can match, and in 2 minutes the driving maul was in full effect. The biggest shock was only discovered when the players parted and the dust settled, the man with the ball in his hands was the afore-mentioned Silitoe. They must be putting something in the soup at his old folks home. This really got the DHSOB/Tavi dander up, and ran in yet another 2 unanswered tries.
One thing about Plymouth Argaum is that we never give up, and with the introduction of Rhys Jobbins, Rob Taylor and Paul Symons (unnaturally in the backs), on 18 minutes Darren Wills rumbled (some would say fell) over for a well worked multi-phase 5 points, soon to be 7 thanks to the metronomic boot of Hamer. Soon after, Mark Churchill entered the arena hoping to improve on his last outing of 30 seconds (roughly). For some reason, every time we scored, the opposition decided that they were going to score 2, and this happened yet again on both 22 and 24 minutes.
Once again, with their backs against the wall, the never say die attitude of the Plymouth Argaum Wanderers shone through, and in the last minute of a shortened 30 minute half (requested before kick-off so that we could watch the end of the 1st team game) Darren Wills once again rolled back the years to dive over the line, letting Hamer add the final points of the day.
Final score DHSOB/Tavistock 47 – Plymouth Argaum Wanderers 27.
There were many contenders for man of the match but this week the accolade went to David Rawles for his untiring work in both tight and loose play.
D**k of the day went to Paul Symons for try avoidance (as voted by nearly all present).
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