 12 Oct 2009, 2:03 PM
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Scoop
Joined on 10-06-2008
Posts 33
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Crawley III 10 St Francis II 0 on 10/10/09
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Thanks to Matt Ledger for providing the following report................
Sussex "Late Red" Division 3 (west)
Crawley III 10 St Francis II 0
Hard fought local derby goes to the wire with the St Francis players left cursing lady luck.
Following a rousing pre-match team talk from 2nd XV captain Steve Hand, the St Francis players were quick to get into the faces of Crawley, taking the game to them with both heart and aggression.
St Francis have been prone this season to slow starts and had been conceding early soft tries. So it was positive to see Frannies sternly defend their own 22 in the first half, with both Gerald Bush and Joe Lavery on more than one occasion making decisive try saving tackles.
This being a hotly contested local derby, trouble could always be expected and it was not long before Frannies number 9, James Smyth, was viciously scythed down 5 yards from the line by an outrageous high tackle from a Crawley player, which should have led to a caution.
St Francis settled down into a good rhythm winning the ball in the scrum, in spite of what looked like a slight weight advantage for the Crawley pack. Hooker Steve Grice was indomitable, snatching up any loose ball that came his way and gallantly charging at the Crawley defence. With Smyth and Hale combining well to work the ball out to the backs, constant pressure was maintained and the game became firmly camped in the Crawley half.
With the first half drawing to a close at 0-0 Frannies were left cursing their missed opportunities, yet with a positive feeling that they could secure the win in the remaining 40 minutes.
With the second half starting much like the first with continued St Francis dominance, the win was looking more likely, however cruel injuries to Smyth, Akroyd and Bush turned the tide of the game in Crawley's favour.
With the St Francis XV tiring towards the end of the match and one or two players nursing injuries, Crawley were able to seize upon a single opportunity and bundle the ball over the line to take a 5-0 lead with just five minutes remaining.
With the frustration showing in the St Francis team, Crawley were again able to spot a small gap in the back line and power on towards the try line, before man of the match Joe Lavery put in his third try saving tackle of the game to prevent the score. However from the resulting breakdown, Crawley were able to gain a penalty which again was bundled home to secure their 10-0 victory.
St Francis 2nd XV were left feeling gutted as to how they had walked away from this game with nothing when it had been there for the taking. Next time they shall not be so forgiving.
Team - Grice, Eastman, Jeater, Mitchell, Akroyd, Hand (captain), Smyth, Hale, Bush, Prior, Ledger, Lavery, Maurice, McArdle, Mallet.
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