Midlands 2 North – November 4
This weekend Pavs welcomed West Bridgford RFC to The Stump in Round 8 of the Midlands 2 North competition.
This particular fixture, has developed a certain competitive edge over the past few seasons, so the gathered large crowd were anticipatory of a thoroughly entertaining affair despite the mist, rain and gloom of an early winter’s afternoon.
From the kick off it was Pavs who stole the initiative with some pacey play despite the conditions.
In nine minutes, hooker Owen Taylor touched down after a powerful forward drive to give Pavs the lead at 5-0. More was to come on fifteen minutes, as fit again Will Taylor sprinted into the corner to skilfully score before being driven into touch. George Billam added the extras from out wide to extend Pavs lead to 15-0.
Bridgford then started to find their feet in the game with a number of forward orientated moves. On thirty nine minutes, as Bridgford moved into Pavs 22, the free running Owen Taylor stole the ball from the Bridgford centre and set off on a mazy run that took him into the Bridgford half. He moved the ball on to the supporting Will Taylor (no relation) who set off on an equally mazy run of his own before passing inside to flanker Josh Alton-Smith who duly scored. A wonderful try that saw Pavs move from defence to attack to score in the blink of an eye! Billam added the extras to give Pavs an emphatic 19-0 lead at the break.
Despite this, a dropped kick off reception at the start of the second half brought Bridgford into the game. After winning the ensuing scrum, the Bridgford pack finally scored and with the extras narrowed the score to 19-7.
Lock Theo Collier, after some strong and intelligent performances in recent weeks, was given a break with Pavs introducing his young counterpart in Ben Allen.
On fifty three minutes, number 8 Phil Eggleshaw powerfully drove over to score and with more Billam extras re-establish Pavs lead to 26-7.
Ten minutes later, Bridgford demonstrated that they were not out of the game with a well taken score to bring the score to 26-14. At the same time, Ben Allen was forced to leave the field with a cut to his ear and antipodean, Tom Gladwin took his place in the fray.
The last ten minutes turned out out to be a fraught affair. On sixty nine minutes, Phil Eggleshaw saw his opportunity to break from the back of the scrum, and with no Bridgford player willing to interrupt his rampaging run, score almost between the posts and with Billam on hand give Pavs the seemingly emphatic lead of 31-14.
Youngster Danny Green replaced scrum half Ben Taylor with Pavs just needing to see the clock out.
From the kick off, Pavs again failed to clear their lines and gave Bridgford the opportunity to again narrow the lead. Despite some brave tackling on the line, Bridgford scored again to take them to 31-21 behind with seven minutes left.
They continued to battle away and pinned Pavs back. On seventy minutes, Matt Molyneux was yellow carded for a perceived failure to roll away. Ben Taylor re-assumed his roll at scrum half, with Alex Rimmington being replaced and Danny Green taking his slot on the wing. Within minutes, Ben Taylor himself was sent to the bin with the official feeling very harshly that he had failed to release the ball. Accordingly, Pavs were down to thirteen with three minutes left.
Bridgford still pushed for another score until Tom Gladwin leaping like the proverbial salmon stole an attacking lineout and Pavs were able to see out the remaining period in a more controlled manner and seal the victory at 31-21.
On this occasion, the bragging rights go to Pavs. The first half, in particular, saw them display the quickly improving form of recent weeks. To be picky, one might want a more controlled last period, but this does not overly detract from another accomplished performance against a challenging and vocal local rival.
With three wins in the last three weeks and 15 league points to 1, Pavs now find themselves deservedly in fourth spot in the league. Next weekend, Pavs travel over to Matlock, looking to continue their recent improvement on a surface that may be a little more challenging than the well drained sod of Burntstump.
As per last week, it would be churlish to name a back or forward of the match. As with a tight unit of mates, the collective is always more important than the individual, indeed, every individual in this squad actively seeks to advance the collective without seeking reward or personal gain from their own particular achievements – a quality displayed by any team that looks to improve and develop. A hearty well done to all will again suffice.
Squad – Dan Hyams, Owen Taylor (1 try), Jake Baldry, Theo Collier, Aaron Langan, Josh Flanagan, Josh Alton-Smith (VC, 1 try), Phil Eggleshaw (2 tries), Ben Taylor,
George Billam (3 conv), Will Taylor (1 try), Doug Billam (C), Morgan Jones, Alex Rimmington, Matt Molyneux.
Rep – Ben Allen (40), Tom Gladwin (63), Danny Green (71)
Paviors Rugby Club play at Burntstump Hill, Arnold, NG5 8PQ and the club runs over twenty teams.
New players are always welcome – girls, boys, men & women, there is a team for all.
Further information about the club including contact details can be found on http://www.paviorsrfc.co.uk/ .
