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TECH 6 - 25 MALTON &
NORTON |
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| TECH entertained
form team Malton & Norton on Saturday and despite going down 6-25 they
gave their visitors plenty to think about until very late in the game. In bright conditions the game started disastrously for the home side when after only 4 minutes they lost skipper Steve JONES with a cheek injury after he had been accidentally stood on. Kevin COOK came on as his replacement. TECH came back strongly from this set back and good line out possession from WRAY saw them drive upfield.The visitors then broke out from their own 22 as good handling from their dangerous looking backs took them deep into TECH territory. A good tackle from COLE brought the move to a halt but shortly afterwards they were awarded a penalty which was converted by full back HOUGH. TECH continued to battle strongly with their pack making regular inroads which was clearly rattling the visitors. On 13 minutes this led to a home penalty as a Malton player was penalised for back chat. From the 10 metre line Jon COLE saw his kick hit the post before bouncing to safety. TECH maintained their pressure and just 3 minutes later levelled the score when COLE made the most of another penalty chance. Both sides were attempting to play good attacking rugby but both also had defences that were determined to keep chances to a minimum and as a result scoring chances were kept to a minimum. After 26 minutes the home side again shocked the visitors. A quick free kick following an offence at the scrum saw Adam HOWARD drive forward into the heart of the Malton defence. Just as it seemed TECH would win possession a defender killed the ball resulting in a penalty. Jon COLE again converted to take his side into a 6-3 lead. The visitors tried to hit back quickly but the home defence was looking solid and kept them at bay. Just after the half hour a good home move saw centre Nick CORRIGAN chip a dangerous ball into the opposition 22 but desperate defence saw them manage to clear to touch. In the 45th minute of the half Mixie PARKER kicked a penalty to 5 metres of the Malton line but their defence held firm TECH kept up the pressure till half time but despite looking dangerous they could not finish it off with the score their play deserved. 4 minutes into the second period TECH again threatened. A fine break by winger FOSTER saw the ball transferred to his other wing colleague Adam RYAN who was stopped just short of the line. The resultant scrum saw the home side again go very close before being stopped. |
From this scrummage
TECH opted to move the ball to stand off PARKER. With defenders coming up
on him quickly he opted to kick over their heads to the far corner but the
kick was slightly too far ahead of the TECH chasers and the chance was
lost. The visitors showed why they have the leagues defensive record by continuing to frustrate TECH's best efforts. They then wasted a chance to level the score when a penalty in front of the posts was put wide by full back HOUGH. On 17 minutes they had another chance to level with an equally kickable penalty but this time scrum half NEWSOME put his effort wide. On 18 minutes TECH number 10 PARKER had to leave the field having with an eye injury he had sustained much earlier in the game. Despite battling on bravely he finally gave in and Chris WILLIAMSON replaced him. This saw a reshuffle for TECH with David CHESHIRE moving from scrum half to number 10 to enable WILLIAMSON to take up his usual position. After 25 minutes Malton eventually took the lead when after getting good ball from a line out the moved it quickly for PATEMAN to cross for a converted try. TECH kept battling away but could not break the strong visitors defence despite showing a level of commitment and determination above anything they have shown so far this season. Although the visitors had kickable chances to extend their lead they were unable to do so and TECH were still well in the match. On 40 minutes the visitors effectively clinched the game when centre CREBER broke through a tiring defence for an unconverted try. Worse was to come on 45 minutes when a good back move by the visitors saw a miss move get the ball to winger CARNEY who crossed for a try converted by scrum half NEWSOME. Despite being understandably disappointed TECH can take a lot of positives from their display. Up front their scrum and line out worked well with the experience of Kevin LLOYD being a major factor. The back row of DICKENSON, COOK and Alex BEST all worked tirelessly with the latter being outstanding when taking the ball forward. The backs also looked far more settled especially in defence. In attack David CHESHIRE kept them moving forward with some good breaks and when they did move the ball wingers FOSTER and RYAN both looked dangerous. Having played all the sides at the top end of the table the next few games sees the side face sides just above them. If they can show the same commitment in these games hopefully the first league win will not be to far away.
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