Six months on from our first league fixture, this Saturday we finished our campaign against Stow on the Wold and District RFC, who were sitting near the top of the table and looking to reinforce their position. One of our furthest away trips of the year, a convoy travelled from Littlemore through the leafy villages of the Cotswolds to a blustery and muddy hilltop to play.
We knew we would have to be physical from the whistle and this proved to be the case. Stow boasted significant speed and power which we struggled to adjust to. Littlemore players were constantly stretched in defence and having to make cover tackles on a slippery surface. Going forwards we faced heavy traffic and didn’t hold on to the ball when we needed to. As a consequence we spent much of the first half camped in and around our own 22 or chasing Stow out wide. We were able to pressurise them into handling errors too and kept our heads up.
Stow showed no signs of slowing down in the second half, but we were resolved to put our best foot forwards and play when we could. Both our lineouts and scrums provided a lot more stability for the back line, who ran some good attacking plays to get around the Stow blitz and get across the gain line through Trevor Wilson (15) and Nathan Adams (13). When this happened we did start to find space out wide but were unable to keep our structure going, eventually getting isolated on the ground and turned over.
Our best attacking opportunity was an attack down the left wing, with the ball being whipped away from rucks and putting the Stow defence on the back foot. Grant Thomas (Tighthead) and Zac Champion (Wing) both made ground in this passage. Having won a penalty we quickly played on to press home our advantage. Another penalty was won right on the 22 and we decided to kick for touch. Unfortunately, the winds were against us and the ball travelled a few metres past the try line, preventing us from the attacking lineout we needed!
Having played a very tough game, there were a lot of muddy smiles in the huddle and we shared some beers and food in the Stow clubhouse, before returning to HQ in Littlemore.
This has been a hard season for rugby clubs up and down the country, with a lot of effort being put in to get teams together and fulfil fixtures. As of this match report we had fulfilled more fixtures than anyone else in our league (although some teams do have games in hand). While we haven’t always got the results we were looking for, we have brought several new players into the team and all players have developed their games across the season. I can honestly say I am proud of everyone who has pulled on a Littlemore shirt this season; I know we will continue to represent our community and enjoy each other’s company! Cheers!
Final Score
Not the most important thing to remember after this match!
Man of the Match
Ben Filmer – Worked relentlessly all game with tackles and carries, always galvanising the team and even managed a few quick tap-and-go penalties!
Honourable Mentions
David Lammin – Due to an unfortunate spillage on the way to Stow he spent the whole game smelling distinctly of beer