Our driver for the day, a ‘Hale and/or Pace’ lookalike was fortunate not to be drafted into the squad when Vet stalwart Graeme Southern realised they were in the same year at school.
Buoyed by the glorious conditions and the full squad managing the short walk from the clubhouse to the pitch without injury, team enthusiasm couldn’t even be dented by finding the going soft to heavy to say the least.
West kicked off and were met with real intent and strong running from Seghill which required robust defence from Baggs (J), Campbell, Boatman and Myers to snuff out the early attacks. Early kicks into the visitors 22 were fielded well by Colin Cheslin, who it was great to see in a West shirt again.
West didn’t have to wait too long to enjoy some possession and register the first points of the day. This was a superb team try, with near enough every player contributing stretching the Seghill defence across several phases. It began with Morgan Hamilton hitting his mark in the lineout to set loose an impressive driving maul with Davy Tighe marshalling his pack. The travelling support began to think the West forwards would go all the way but with perfect timing, and well into the Seghill half, the ball was spread to the backs with Brendan Baggs using centres Moss and Edwards effectively to gain further ground. A surprising show-and-go to keep the attack going from Jordan Baggs followed and support play from Larkin, Jones and Tighe stretched the Seghill defence to the nearside touchline before the ball was quickly recycled and spun wide by Edwards and Boatman for Myers to step inside two defenders to finish on the far side. The finest Champagne Rugby!! Unfortunately followed by a Lambrini conversion from Moss. (Missed) 0-5
West continued to put together well worked attacks which Seghill had to work hard to contain, only for West handling errors letting two chances go begging. Not disheartened in the slightest, West continued to push and were rewarded as Steve Jones, who was lively all afternoon was on hand to collect a tidy offload from a Boatman break to score under the posts. Moss conversion missed (unsure how) 0-10
Despite a good patch from Seghill, working up the field and putting a nice kick into the West 22, the visitors cleared well after Phil Jukes tidied up scrappy line out ball. A few phases later, Tighe produced the deftest of kicks from the base of a ruck over the Seghill defence for Bones to collect before offloading to Edwards for simple finish. Moss successful conversion (at last!) 0-17
Despite the heavy ground, West’s free-flowing rugby continued, adding two further scores before the break. The first saw Boatman causing problems for the Seghill defence in the centre of the field, timing a pass well to Mossy hitting a great line through the middle. More hard work from the supporting players allowed for quick ball to be spread wide to the far side for Carl Miller to go in for the first of his two tries of the afternoon. Moss conversion 0-24
With Myers collecting the subsequent kick off and running the ball from his own 22, he set in motion another phase of play which saw great interplay between backs and forwards, to take West up the field. Myers should have completed the score that he started but failed to notice the Seghill scramble defence who caught him just shy of the line. Luckily, Matthew Baggs, who had replaced Tighe to join his Dad, Brendan Baggs and cousin Jordan Baggs in the match was on hand to finish the try and make the match report a pain in arse to write. Baggs (B) slotted the conversion.
Half Time 0-31
Having reached the break with a commanding 31-0 lead, few could imagine the mood getting any better in the West camp going into the second half, only for Team Manger Nik Proctor to unveil 2 bags of orange segments and the mood to reach fever pitch. In retrospect, a bucket of ibuprofen may have been more useful.
Whilst only scoring a further two tries in the second half the Vets continued to play some great rugby. Playing down the slight incline into the wettest areas of the pitch proved challenging for the vets at times, but entertaining for the spectators nonetheless.
A number of well worked moves demonstrating silky handling skills saw a number of breaks into the opposition 22, only to be thwarted by the boggy corner. Most notably a great 30 metre break from debutant Vet Arron Pike, who with the line at his mercy appeared to hit a patch of treacle 10 metres short and successfully tackle himself. Disappointment for Arron (having only started playing rugby this season was seeking his first try) but a giggle for the crowd. Fortunately, Edwards and Larkin were on hand in support and work the ball Miller to score his second of the afternoon. Baggs (M) conversion. 0-38
Seghill looked far more threatening throughout the second half and some sustained spells in the West half resulting in the first of two well deserved trys. Conversion missed 5-38
The attacking spells could have led to more for Seghill if not for staunch defence by West with Cameron Snr, Wood, Campbell and Owens making some big hits. Owens had made the trip from Hull just to get his boots (which he has now lost) on with his mates and looked like he enjoyed every minute.
Taking care not to remove his tracksuit bottoms too quickly Cameron completed the seemingly tricky task to feature in the final 15 minutes. Joining son Will on the field, during which he made some strong carries, combining well with Graeme Scott (nearly 60!) to run West out of trouble from a defensive scrum inside their own 22.
Back in the Seghill half, and with Davy Tighe back on the field opting to switch the attack from right to left to avoid the heavier ground and set up simple set of hands along the line to release Jukesy, who entertained the crowd with an outrageous sidestep inside the last defender for a terrific finish from 25 metres, injuring himself in the process. (Con missed) 5-43
Seghill scored their well-earned second try with the final play of the game, powering their way over after a series of penalties and bringing an afternoon of terrific rugby to a close
10-43 Full Time
An great team performance by the Vets and credit to the West front row who put in a full shift without replacements. A mention must go to Sos who traveled and was available to play if needed. Even with his robotic knee.
Many thanks to Seghill for a great game, warm welcome and hospitality throughout the day. Another great day out for the Vets who are keen to keep up their momentum and are already seeking another fixture.
West Man of the Match: Brendan Baggs
Seghill Man of the Match: Nesty (Fly half)
After match scran – Pie and peas: A solid 7 out of 10, TM felt a splash of vinegar and a mushy pea would have made the difference. (It’s the fine margins at this level)
Dick of the Day: Whoever was driving the wrong way down the A19 when we passed them on the way home.