Colts lose out in thriller of a game

A gorgeous afternoon in Beaconsfield, saw two sides go hammer and tongs at an electric pace for a full 70 minutes - both teams put in one hell of a shift, with real intensity, passion and total commitment. A game played at such pace was attritional and a potential try fest, but dogged defence and forced passes meant many scoring opportunities remained unscored.

A large squad of 30 travelled to Beaconsfield, which did present a challenge in itself and perhaps stifled some real continuity, but it is superb that we have so many committed young players in this squad.

At times Bracknell's direct running game troubled the home team who's style was more free running. There was deadlock through to the 45th minute when a couple of decisions went against the lads and this led to their focus and composure dropping. Ultimately this spell made all the difference as Beaconsfield maintained the pressure and scored two try's - the first from a fly hack & chase following a dropped ball, the second a charge down close to the Bracknell line.

Ben Stevens dotted down late in the game following a snipping break by Jack McGee, but this was just a consolation as the game drew to a close.

So what did we learn from today?

That this a hugely committed bunch of young men who take pride in their performance. There are a few areas to work on lads, for instance being more effective at the breakdown so we don't have to commit more than 3 players, working hard to steal a yard or two on the floor in contact and playing with chins off chests to spot and exploit opportunity. Of course, we also still need to work on our mindset - we must focus on what we can influence, and not allow areas we can't influence to define our performance.

But I was impressed today, I feel we are beginning to hit our straps in larger spells of the game, and at some point soon we are going to put in the complete performance.

Finally, a big thanks to all who attended today, and for the patience shown by the lads with the multiple changes throughout. See you Thursday guys to continue the journey.