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Sat 10 Mar 2018 · London 3 South East
Hastings & Bexhill
1st XV
15
13
Old Boys shoot themselves in the eye
Colin Sinclair15 Mar 2018 - 16:37
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Visitors surrender initiative on waterlogged pitch
A bit like Harold’s army against the Normans, Old Dunstonians were architects of their own defeat, wasting their advantage in the second half against a Hastings & Bexhill side that ultimately showed the better determination and desire to win the game.
After a two week lay-off, OD’s could not blame end-of-season fatigue although, as for the Anglo-Saxons, it was certainly a long ‘march’ down to the south coast, with the rain right on cue as the Langley Park soldiers crossed into 1066 country. Boggy conditions would be energy sapping and it was immediately clear that the soft going would inhibit the team’s preferred running and passing options. However, it looked as though the south Londoners had weathered the storm when they reached the break at 3-3, having pinned Hastings well back into their own half against a blustery wind. In fact, the home side had mustered just one visit into the OD half, which resulted in a successful penalty kick, but otherwise good scrummaging allowed OD’s to capitalise on Hastings’ handling mistakes and a good defensive lineout always gave fly half Mike Ubee the option to kick for territory. Zak Jones, making his debut in the centre, made some strong runs through the middle to get the forwards on the front foot, while prop Josh Ajiboye and flanker Pete Colling shared the limelight with some tackle busting runs to keep the pressure firmly on the hosts. Mike Ubee, despite missing his first pot, found his range to get his team back on terms and when the OD eight destroyed the Hastings scrum late in the half, signs looked good for a second half playing with the elements and against what looked like a tiring opposition.
These hopes seemed well founded as OD’s produced their best period of the match. From the restart, lock Tom McNamara claimed the ball and drove straight towards the Hastings chasers. From the ensuing ruck, Ubee speared a rolling kick deep into the Hastings 22. The overthrown line out allowed OD’s to pounce and set up a series of drives towards the Hastings line. As more defenders were sucked in, Ubee saw his opportunity to cut back to the short side for a try that he converted from wide out to stretch the lead to 3-10.
OD pressure continued and another Ubee penalty settled the nerves as the team seemed to warm to their task but suddenly the momentum swung, as if, like Godwin’s army, they thought the battle had already been won and lost both discipline and cohesion. As McNamara and Ubee combined again to take the game back into the opposition half, this time the referee hauled the game back for offside which put OD’s literally into reverse. A glut of penalty offences completely broke their rhythm and concentration, allowing Hastings to find new belief and claw their way back into the match. Suddenly OD’s were desperately defending their line, unable to create any semblance of direction or control. Perversely, it seemed that only a Hastings’ score would allow the visitors to regroup, get back to the halfway and re-establish some balance in the game. The home side obliged with an unconverted try, courtesy of a series of short range forward drives that eventually ruptured the OD defence. So, at 8-13 with plenty of time left on the clock, nerves over OD stamina and game management reappeared.
Problems were compounded by a sickening head collision which put Andy Booth and Rhys Bozier out of the game and ensured a frantic finish. OD’s just couldn’t get their hands on the ball as the Hastings pack turned the screw. Finally, the pressure told as, from the umpteenth phase, the Hastings fly half smoothly cut a line through a stretched defence to score worryingly close to the posts. Even on this treacherous surface, the conversion looked and was a formality, followed immediately by the referee’s whistle to finish the game.
This defeat makes March a tough month for Dunstonians who face a sequence of demanding league, cup and touring fixtures. Injuries notwithstanding, this will require a big player commitment in the final weeks to cement this season’s undoubted progress, which was slightly dented by what is hopefully only a stray arrow.
Scorers
Tries: Ubee
Conversion: Ubee
Penalties: Ubee (2)
MoM: Zak Jones – a cool head on young shoulders. A strong, direct runner, he consistently took the team over the gain line and made the right distribution decisions. Brave in the tackle, he looks a great asset.
After a two week lay-off, OD’s could not blame end-of-season fatigue although, as for the Anglo-Saxons, it was certainly a long ‘march’ down to the south coast, with the rain right on cue as the Langley Park soldiers crossed into 1066 country. Boggy conditions would be energy sapping and it was immediately clear that the soft going would inhibit the team’s preferred running and passing options. However, it looked as though the south Londoners had weathered the storm when they reached the break at 3-3, having pinned Hastings well back into their own half against a blustery wind. In fact, the home side had mustered just one visit into the OD half, which resulted in a successful penalty kick, but otherwise good scrummaging allowed OD’s to capitalise on Hastings’ handling mistakes and a good defensive lineout always gave fly half Mike Ubee the option to kick for territory. Zak Jones, making his debut in the centre, made some strong runs through the middle to get the forwards on the front foot, while prop Josh Ajiboye and flanker Pete Colling shared the limelight with some tackle busting runs to keep the pressure firmly on the hosts. Mike Ubee, despite missing his first pot, found his range to get his team back on terms and when the OD eight destroyed the Hastings scrum late in the half, signs looked good for a second half playing with the elements and against what looked like a tiring opposition.
These hopes seemed well founded as OD’s produced their best period of the match. From the restart, lock Tom McNamara claimed the ball and drove straight towards the Hastings chasers. From the ensuing ruck, Ubee speared a rolling kick deep into the Hastings 22. The overthrown line out allowed OD’s to pounce and set up a series of drives towards the Hastings line. As more defenders were sucked in, Ubee saw his opportunity to cut back to the short side for a try that he converted from wide out to stretch the lead to 3-10.
OD pressure continued and another Ubee penalty settled the nerves as the team seemed to warm to their task but suddenly the momentum swung, as if, like Godwin’s army, they thought the battle had already been won and lost both discipline and cohesion. As McNamara and Ubee combined again to take the game back into the opposition half, this time the referee hauled the game back for offside which put OD’s literally into reverse. A glut of penalty offences completely broke their rhythm and concentration, allowing Hastings to find new belief and claw their way back into the match. Suddenly OD’s were desperately defending their line, unable to create any semblance of direction or control. Perversely, it seemed that only a Hastings’ score would allow the visitors to regroup, get back to the halfway and re-establish some balance in the game. The home side obliged with an unconverted try, courtesy of a series of short range forward drives that eventually ruptured the OD defence. So, at 8-13 with plenty of time left on the clock, nerves over OD stamina and game management reappeared.
Problems were compounded by a sickening head collision which put Andy Booth and Rhys Bozier out of the game and ensured a frantic finish. OD’s just couldn’t get their hands on the ball as the Hastings pack turned the screw. Finally, the pressure told as, from the umpteenth phase, the Hastings fly half smoothly cut a line through a stretched defence to score worryingly close to the posts. Even on this treacherous surface, the conversion looked and was a formality, followed immediately by the referee’s whistle to finish the game.
This defeat makes March a tough month for Dunstonians who face a sequence of demanding league, cup and touring fixtures. Injuries notwithstanding, this will require a big player commitment in the final weeks to cement this season’s undoubted progress, which was slightly dented by what is hopefully only a stray arrow.
Scorers
Tries: Ubee
Conversion: Ubee
Penalties: Ubee (2)
MoM: Zak Jones – a cool head on young shoulders. A strong, direct runner, he consistently took the team over the gain line and made the right distribution decisions. Brave in the tackle, he looks a great asset.
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