Extraordinary. Quite Extraordinary. With play at Hornby Park entering its 80th minute and the hosts clinging on to a slender 24-18 advantage a late surge from the visitors saw a series of penalties awarded to Tech in the home 22. From the last of these penalties Kevin Cook, who had performed tirelessly throughout this derby encounter, eventually found a gap to burrow his way under the Seaton defence and register his team’s third try of the afternoon. A point down with the conversion to come, Phil Wallis, who had enjoyed mixed fortunes with the boot up to this point, placed the ball on the tee and started his run up. As the kick sailed wide left, the Seaton players and supporters punched the air with delight. Surely this would be their afternoon? Sadly for Seaton, a late sting in the tail was about to unfold. Under the watchful eye of referee Dean Walker Seaton flanker Stuart Grazier had let fly with a verbal outburst as he attempted to charge down Wallis’s kick. Under law 9.B.3 subsection (c) of the IRB regulations, the defending team of a conversion kick must not shout out during a kick at goal. Obviously oblivious to this law (one can only assume the player wouldn’t have called out if he knew a re-kick would have resulted) the flanker’s actions left Walker with no choice but to award a second attempt to the Tech fly half. From elation to despair, the home players and supporters watched as Wallis’s re-kick sailed between the posts. Tech’s supporters jubilant, the players ecstatic, the victory moves them back into second place, although Novocastrians do have a game in hand.
As for the hosts, the late turnaround could have a massive impact on their fate this season. The defeat means they are still two points adrift of Yarm who also have two games in hand. Whilst a victory wouldn’t have been their saving grace, it certainly would have put them in a preferable position to the one they find themselves in now.
Tech player/coach Michael Parker was delighted that his troops had come through a tough assignment but was similarly quick to point out that improvements will need to be made for the big one against Novocastrians in two weeks time. “I don’t think I need to tell the players that we’ve got out of jail today” said Parker. “Well done to the players for the win but we’ll need to work hard to make sure the game against Novos goes smoothly”.
Certainly, Tech will have to make some improvements before their second promotion show down in three games, as this was one of their more shoddy displays of the season. Although Seaton were an organised, combative unit, Tech really should have seen off their struggling hosts with a great deal more comfort than what transpired. Whereas Seaton were happy to play to their limitations and grab what they could, Tech seemed intent on throwing the ball about as if they were in an exhibition game, a tactic that cost them dear on two occasions with Seaton grabbing fourteen points from suicidal tactics on behalf of the visitors.
With a strong wind blowing towards the golf course end of the ground, Tech were always going to find it tougher in the first half playing against the gale but despite this they made a superb start. A good line out win on the Seaton 22 saw the ball spun out to Richard Foster who made good ground and then offloaded a lovely pass to Jon Cole who sprinted home for his third league try of the season. Wallis converted with the aid of the post.
A Tech knock on from the restart handed the initiative back to Seaton and, using the strong wind, they kept their opponents pinned in their own 22. Tech held out until the 9th minute when Murray Stockdale, who again proved to be a handful for the Wiltshire Way club, barged over in the corner for an unconverted score.
In the face of an increasingly determined home effort, Tech should have consolidated and set about building momentum heading into the second half when they would have the wind in their favour. Instead they tried to over complicate things with some ambitious passing and haphazard play in the loose. Such play cost them dear on 20 minutes. Having moved up to half way a sloppy turn over at the ruck presented Seaton with a good attacking platform. Fly half James Norman made a good break and fed Lewis Humble who sped home under the posts. Jeff Storey converted.
Tech did improve towards the end of the half and Wallis should have converted two penalties on 24 and 40 minutes but, disappointingly, he miscued both attempts the second coming back of the post.
Eager to make amends for his misses the young stand-off started the second half in impressive fashion by utilising the wind to perfection. Having established a ruck just inside the home half the ball was spun back to Wallis who attempted a speculative drop goal attempt. All in attendance watched as the ball, aided by the wind, hurtled over the bar and between the posts for a great effort from all of 45 metres.
This should have marked the moment when Tech utilised their wind advantage, played for territory and settled for throttling the life out of their opponents. But instead they continued to throw the ball about as if the result of the game was beyond doubt and, having been given one slap in the face for attempting to engage in such whimsy, were made to pay again on 50 minutes when Seaton scored an interception try. The restart was well taken by Tech but instead of clearing the ball down the pitch Tech attempted to run the ball out of danger. Such folly was finally exposed when Stockdale pounced on a panicked kick by Williamson and strolled under the posts for another converted try. It would be easy to point the finger of blame at Williamson in this instance but the truth is that the majority of the Tech team deserved flak for failing to realise that setting the ball and playing back to Wallis for clearance was the best option available to them.
Wallis reduced the deficit to six points on 57 minutes when Seaton were penalised at a ruck and with the game back up for grabs Tech belatedly started to play intelligently with Wallis firing the ball into the home 22 and putting pressure on the resultant line outs. This resulted in an excellent try for Carl Brown on 71 minutes. Seaton failed to gather their own line out and after the ball was spun wide to Jon Cole, the full back drew his man before sending Brown in for a deserved score. Wallis narrowly failed with his kick meaning that Seaton led by a single point.
But the margin was restored to six only four minutes later. A good restart from Seaton put pressure on the gathering Tech team and a knock on gave the hosts an attacking scrum. From this they executed a well-worked back move to fashion an overlap for Jeff Storey who crossed for the score. Crucially, the winger missed the relatively simple conversion meaning that Tech could still win the game with a converted try.
And this they did amidst the game’s bizarre conclusion.
Seaton Carew 24 (12)
Tries: M Stockdale (9, 50), Humble (20), J Storey (75)
Cons: J Storey (20, 50)
Tech 25 (7)
Tries: Cole (3), Brown (71), Cook (80)
Cons: Wallis (3, 82)
Pen: Wallis (57)
DG: Wallis (42)
Scoring sequence (Seaton Carew listed first):
0-5 (T), 0-7 (C), 5-7 (T), 10-7 (T), 12-7 (C) HT 12-10 (DG), 17-10 (T), 19-10 (C), 19-13 (P), 19-18 (T), 24-18 (T), 24-23 (T), 24-25 (C)
Seaton Carew
Humble, J Storey, Lindsay, King, Cambridge, Norman, K Grazier; Train, Raynor, Ruddock, Kidson, M Stockdale, S Grazier, C Lithgo, V Lithgo. Subs: B Lithgo, Knightly, Braham (all used)
Scrums 5, Attacking scrums 3, Scrums won on own put in 5, Scrums lost on own put in 0, Pens awarded 12, Kicked at goal 0, Kicked for touch 10, Ran 2, Lines won on own throw 11, Lines lost on own throw 7, Free kicks 0
Tech
Cole, Foster, Corrigan, Donnelly, Brown, Wallis, Williamson; Dove, Hamilton, Ward, Jukes, Thompson, Best, Cook, S Stockdale. Subs used: Palmer, Howard, Cheshire. Sub not used: Campbell
Scrums 11, Attacking scrums 4, Scrums won on own put in 11, Scrums lost on own put in 0, Pens awarded 10, Kicked at goal 3 (2 misses), Kicked for touch 3, Ran 4, Lines won on own throw 7, Lines lost on own throw 2, Free kicks 0
Referee: Dean Walker (Yorkshire)