 14 Sep 2009, 2:25 PM
|
Scoop
Joined on 10-06-2008
Posts 33
|
St Francis 27 Hove Beefeaters 13 on 12/9/09
|
|
|
|
The following report was written by Adie......................
Sussex Intermediate League
St Francis 27 Hove Beefeaters 13
St Francis started the 2009/10 season as they finished the last with a hard-fought win over fellow newly-promoted team Hove. Hove started the game the livelier, with their big pack outmuscling the Frannies pack in the first five minutes. Hove forced St Francis into conceeding penalty after penalty and with a penalty for hands in the ruck just outside the Saints twenty-two, Hove kicked through the posts for a three point lead very early in the game.
St Francis pulled up their sleeves and from the kick off showed their intent to go toe-to-toe with the Hove forwards by putting Hove on the back foot from the next scrum. With the good platform given by the Saints forwards at lineout and scrum and the quick ball at the ruck, the Saints backline started to enjoy more time and space with ball in hand and with Shane Kenny, on his debut, pulling the strings it was not long before gaps started to appear in the Hove defence.
The Frannies backline looked unusually clinical for a first game of the season and it did not take long for Shane Kenny to dart through a gap in the Hove defence to touch down for Frannies first points of the season. With Matt Parish adding the extras St Francis went into a commanding 7-3 lead. Frannies did not stop there, and with the forwards in the ascendancy and Jude Harrison single handedly quashing any attempts from the Hove backline to attack, it was not long before St Francis turned pressure into points with Harrison expertly evading two Hove players to touchdown. St Francis did not rest on their laurels and with their back-row putting the Hove fly half under immense pressure and good quick ball for the backs, man of the match Shane Kenny scored another try in the corner after a number of passes left him with little to do to beat the on-rushing Hove full-back. Half time came with St Francis holding a deserved 19-3 lead.
The second half started much as the first ended with St Francis on top, but a couple of errors left Frannies rueing a few squandered tries. St Francis still looked comfortable, however, and appeared to have the game sewn up. But then an interception try by the Hove scrum half and a converted penalty brought Hove to within six points of the St Francis total to give Hove a glimmer of hope.
St Francis regrouped and following a well worked caught and driven line out, Matt Parish touched down behind the advancing forwards to put some daylight between the teams once again. Parish then added a penalty kick from some distance, restoring a fourteen point cushion, and St Francis could see the game out to a 27-13 victory.
Special mention should be made of Imminder Singh, who looked like a seasoned professional in his first game for the first team, and Matt Parish, who slotted in to scrum half seamlessly at very short notice.
St Francis entertain Plumpton at Southgate playing fields this Saturday, 19th September, kick-off 3pm. Please come along and support the team.
Team - McGahan, Bender, Singh, Page, Callan, Cooper, Millard, Miles, Parish, Kenny, Perry, Harrison, Stephenson, Aydin, Blake, Porter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|