Bracknell caught cold for Pete’s sake

Bracknell caught colPete’s sake d ... for

Bracknell RFC U19s 5 v Petersfield RFC U19s 14

Bracknell’s Colts showed more cobwebs than a haunted house in losing to Hampshire high-fliers Petersfield, and yet, the Academy boys produced enough steel and raw ability to limit their guests to two tries and leave the issue in doubt right into the final 10 minutes.
Despite sustained pressure, Petersfield were forced to wait until first-half injury time to open the scoring - a neat finish from full-back Jon Pryce who followed up a delicate kick ahead, gathered a kind bounce, and shrugged off two Bracknell tacklers to make the line. Centre Rory Andrews’ conversion put the visitors 7-0 up in the final action of a half in which Petersfield threw away try-scoring opportunities like confetti at a wedding.
No wedding would be complete without a gift and Petersfield received theirs in the form of a second try on the hour, and was against the run of play as Bracknell’s backs tried to run a counter attack off an aimless clearance kick and muffed it up mightily.
Full-back Ben Blosse’s siege-gun kicks had kept Bracknell in the hunt when things were tough in the first period, and he was well worth his man-of-the-match trophy. But, on this occasion, he passed inside when he probably should have kicked; fly-half Cameron Boret hesitated when he probably should have kicked, then he off-loaded to newboy centre Dan Ryding under pressure; Ryding was up-ended as the Petersfield tacklers descended, and a forced pass to substitute left winger Sean Cuff was dropped. Petersfield right-wing Ollie Tabard pounced on the loose ball and scored close enough to the posts to leave Andrews a straightforward conversion for 14-0.
Bracknell had deserved better for all their hard work and they received some reward four minutes later when their most outstanding forward, Oli Nixon, peeled off the side of a maul to score. Blosse missed the conversion but at 5-14, with 10 minutes remaining, the tie was still in the balance.
But the first-half roles had become reversed and it was Bracknell who failed to convert territory and possession into points. They almost conceded a third try at the death as Tabard cut a path through once more and released James Bowman in the left corner but he was felled, just two metres out, by Cuff’s brilliant cover tackle.
DHL Academy Coach Martin Bradshaw is still assessing his squad but he had seen enough to be upbeat, even in defeat. His side will now enter the National Plate competition but all thoughts will be on the need to improve before their first league game at Redingensians.
“We did not have a good first half. There was plenty of ring rust there,” he said. “But we ironed out a few things at half time and I felt we improved as the game went on. This was Petersfield’s third match of the season and it showed. We have plenty of work to do but I was pleased with the way the boys responded.”
Petersfield head coach Dave Cosway was a happy man. His side has already notched up a friendly win against Effingham and a league victory over local-rivals Havant, but this was their toughest examination to date. “It was a hard-fought contest,” he said. “Bracknell were very physical and really made it tough for us. They were so tight defensively that they knocked us off our game plan which was to draw them in and then swing it wide. We should have had a bigger half-time lead but, in the end, either side could have won.”
In truth, Bracknell had made the stronger start. The scrum was solid and Petersfield were denied clean possession off their first four lineouts. Anderson and Blosse had each missed penalties and there was little to choose between the sides. The key lay in the contact area where Petersfield smuggled turnovers on the floor or robbed Bracknell of the ball with sturdy, well-timed counter rucking.
In the pack, Nixon was almost matched by great performances from Dave Staunton, James Wright, and Matt Elsbury, but Petersfield were sharper mentally. Their backs were also off-loading to support runners at pace in a way that Bracknell could not match.
Fitness may also be an issue and scrum-half Matt Wogan will be hoping the next time he makes one of his sniping runs into space he has a bit more in the way of company.

By David Ryan

SCORERS: Pryce (try) 0-5, 36mins; Andrews (con) 0-7, 37mins; Tabard (try) 0-12, 60mins; Andrews (con) 0-14, 60mins; Nixon (try) 5-14, 64mins.