DURHAM CITY 33 - 0 TECH
TECH TRAVELLED TO HOLLOW DRIFT ON SATURDAY HOPING TO PUT BEHIND THEM THEIR HEAVY DEFEAT AT PERCY PARK THE PREVIOUS WEEK END. AGAIN, AS IN THAT REVERSAL THEY PLAYED WITH LOTS OF HEART AND DETERMINATION BEFORE GOING DOWN TO WHAT ON PAPER AT LEAST LOOKS A BIG LOSS .IN TRUTH THE HOME SIDE ALTHOUGH DESERVED VICTORS WERE FLATTERED BY THE SIZE OF THEIR WINNING MARGIN.
TECH KICKED OFF THE GAME PLAYING TOWARDS THE CLUB HOUSE END OF THE GROUND AND WITHIN A MINUTE FOUND THEMSELVES SUFFERING YET ANOTHER SERIOUS INJURY. AS TECH WON THE BALL IN THEIR OWN 22 IT WAS PASSED THROUGH SEVERAL PAIRS OF HANDS. WELL AFTER THE BALL HAD PASSED HIM SIMON CAVEY WAS HIT BY A LATE CHARGE BY HIS OPPOSITE NUMBER WHICH SAW HIM TAKEN OUT OF THE GAME. THE GAME WAS ALLOWED TO CARRY ON AND TECH TOOK PLAY TO THE HOME 22. CITY THEN MANAGED TO CLEAR TO TOUCH BEFORE THE REFEREE RETURNED TO SEE HOW THE TECH CENTRE WAS. ALTHOUGH HE BRAVELY TRIED TO CARRY ON IT WAS QUICKLY OBVIOUS HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO SO AND HE HAD TO LEAVE THE FIELD. A LATER X RAY SHOWED HE HAD SUFFERED A BROKEN BONE IN HIS SHOULDER THAT HAS PREMATURELY ENDED HIS SEASON.
DESPITE THIS EARLY DISRUPTION TECH WERE COMPETING WELL ESPECIALLY UP FRONT WHERE NEIL MASON WAS AGAIN MUCH TO THE FORE. DESPITE THEIR PRESSURE TECH COULD NOT BREAK THROUGH THE HOME DEFENCE AND ON 14 MINUTES THEY FELL BEHIND WHEN THEY WERE PENALISED AT A RUCK, WALKER TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE SHORTLY AFTERWARDS HOME FLY HALF, REAY WAS ALLOWED TO CUT THROUGH SOME POOR COVER TO SCORE AN UNCONVERTED TRY.
UNDAUNTED TECH AGAIN TOOK PLAY TO THE HOME SIDE PUTTING THEM UNDER PLENTY OF PRESSURE. IN ONE ATTACK A PROMISING POSITION WAS LOST AS A PASS WAS RULED FORWARD AND THEN ON 22 MINUTES ANOTHER GOOD FORWARD DRIVE SAW THE BALL MOVED TO ASHLEY PARKER. HIS CLEVER KICK WAS FOLLOWED UP BY JON COLE BUT WHEN IT SEEMED CERTAIN HE WOULD SCORE THE BALL SQUIRTED AWAY FROM HIM AND THE CHANCE WAS LOST.
ON 36 MINUTES TECH'S FAILURE TO CAPITALISE ON THE PRESSURE THEY WERE EXERTING WAS MADE WORSE AS THE HOME SIDE REGAINED POSSESSION IN THEIR 22 AND QUICKLY TURNED DEFENCE TO ATTACK. THIS RESULTED IN HOWE SCORING A TRY WHICH WAS CONVERTED BY WALKER. THE SAME PLAYER THEN ADDED TO TECH'S WOES AS HE KICKED A PENALTY TO TAKE THE HALF TIME SCORE TO 18-0.
THE SECOND HALF SAW TECH CONTINUE TO COMPETE WELL BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO MAKE A BREAK THROUGH. WITH THE FORWARDS STILL SHOWING A GREAT APPETITE FOR WORK THEY CONTINUED TO PRESSURISE THE HOME SIDE. THIS APPETITE WAS SHOWN NO MORE CLEARLY THAN BY NEIL MASON WHO PUT IN SOME EXCELLENT TACKLES THAT SAW HIM DRIVE CITY PLAYERS BACKWARDS. UNFORTUNATELY WHEN THE HOME SIDE DID GAIN POSSESSION THEIR BACKS ALWAYS LOOKED DANGEROUS AND THEY PROVED THEIR WORTH BY ADDING THREE FURTHER TRIES TO TAKE THE SCORE TO 33-0.
AS THE GAME ENTERED IT'S FINAL MINUTE TECH SUFFERED ANOTHER MASSIVE BLOW. INFLUENTIAL BACK ROW STEPHEN SMART SUFFERED A NECK INJURY. WITH THE PLAYER LAID PRONE ON THE PITCH THE REFEREE CALLED AN END TO THE GAME WHILST AN AMBULANCE WAS CALLED. THANKFULLY AFTER BEING EXAMINED AT DURHAM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL THE INJURY WAS FOUND TO MUSCULAR RATHER THAN ANYTHING MORE SERIOUS AND HE WAS ALLOWED HOME.
DESPITE THE LOSS OF TWO POINTS TECH WERE MUCH MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE TWO INJURED PLAYERS WHO HOPEFULLY WILL BOTH UNDERGO SPEEDY RECOVERIES.