Old Albanians Vs Bracknell

Bracknell 1st XV vs. Old Albanians 1st XV

Old Albanians 10 – Bracknell 6

By Super Slave

Within three minutes of kick off (after play was delayed by 10 minutes because a rabbit chose to build his house on the pitch that the referee did not check before kick off) Bracknell had conceded 3 penalties to which OA’s Fly Half Richard (dead eye) Gregg converted one and placed the other two in strategic parts of Bracknell’s playing half. This in turn rattled Bracknell and it was not long before OA managed to score a try which again was converted by Richard Gregg to give OA a 10 – 0 lead.

When Bracknell did manage to put their hands on the ball, there were dropped passes within critical parts of the move which showed the unease and delicateness of a side that were at odds with themselves. Bracknell’s defence was as solid as ever and by sheer determination they were not going to let a bigger, stronger more experienced pack get through. Kyle Lovell sustained a deep gash to his forehead in one of the melees which required stitching after the game.

Bracknell’s number 13 Jervis Manupenu kicked a penalty in the first half and added a further one in the second for the scores to remain at 10-6 with 15 minutes remaining. OA also had two players sin binned on separate occasion but did not take advantage of the extra man. With time running out Bracknell were encouraged to hold on to the ball and not kick away possession but they failed to add any extra points to their tally however when young backline player (17) Ian Burch came on he sparked life back into the already tired team which very nearly resulted in a try but most certainly showed that he is a top calibre player. There were other players that did no harm to their selection and should be proud of their efforts irrespective.

In hindsight it is not the end of the world but it is these instances that Bracknell will need to learn from their mistakes, believe in themselves and rise to the occasion for the next game. It is not about the mistakes we make but the lesson that is learned from them.

This game is gone (we can do absolutely nothing more about it) Saturday is Hayward’s Heath at Lilly Hill Park, train hard and re-focus for a good win with the prize being the bonus point win. Let’s get back on track! Remember the basics!