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Sat 10 Dec 2016 · Midlands 2 West (North)
Stourbridge Lions
1st Team
10
11
KC's tame Lions in their own den
Martin Easton11 Dec 2016 - 22:06
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KC's have had to wait a long time to taste success at local rivals Stourbridge but it was worth the wait......
KC’s produced their best performance of the season so far to inflict a first defeat upon the previously unbeaten Lions in a cracking local derby at rain sodden Stourton which was a credit to both sides.
With seven minutes played the first opportunity fell to Kidder when they were awarded a scrum penalty which was kicked to five metres.From the lineout they set up a ruck under the posts to create a drop goal chance for flyhalf Andy McLellan but his kick was charged down.However,at the next scrum Stour were again penalised and centre Rhys Pritchard made no mistake.
The visitors had started well,making a couple of half breaks and quick to pounce on any handling errors by the Lions who were on the back foot for the most part and it was twenty minutes before the home side were able to make their first meaningful incursion into KC’s 22 which was rewarded with a penalty for offside but came to nothing as the kick at goal by outside half Owen Williams was pushed wide.
Following a deliberate knock on by Stourbridge on halfway,a fine kick to touch by McLellan took play into the hosts 22 and from the throw outside centre George Morgan made a clean break to threaten Stour’s line and they then conceded another kickable penalty but this time Pritchard’s kick was pulled to even up the misses at goal.
The momentum of the game then swung dramatically as for the last fifteen minutes of the half Stourbridge set up camp in Kidder’s 22 and the visitors simply could not get out.The siege began when the Lions rather surprisingly decided not to go for the posts and kicked a penalty to touch instead.They repeated the ploy twice more in quick succession before Williams kicked lineout possession to the right corner and a try looked likely.To KC’s relief the ball just beat the winger but the ref had been playing an advantage and when play was brought back prop Matt Rigsby was shown a yellow card.The onslaught continued but with brave defence and a measure of good fortune the fourteen men somehow held out to preserve their narrow 3-0 lead until the welcome sound of the halftime whistle.
Just four minutes into the second period Stourbridge were awarded a penalty in front of the posts when it might have been more to their advantage for play to have been allowed to continue but Williams knocked the kick over to level the scores and with the tension racking up a bout of handbags at dawn broke out between these two very competitive sides but the incident was dealt with sensibly by the referee and the cut and thrust quickly resumed.
Ten minutes into the half,the Lions were still dominating territory and KC’s were still resisting manfully but from a lineout on the left touch Stour’s forwards drove towards the line before the ball was released and a towering kick to the right corner was calmly plucked out of the sky by winger George Tildesley who dabbed the ball down for the first try of the afternoon which was excellently converted by Williams from wide out.
Now 10-3 ahead,Stour looked favourites to go on and win the game but Kidder had other ideas and with their forwards beginning to absolutely muller their opposite numbers in the scrums they were able to play some enterprising rugby,building from the back and putting together some impressive phases without actually threatening the tryline until midway through the half when skipper Chris Pinner kicked to the right corner and Andy Holloway,who had moved onto the wing from fullback when Arthur Morgan had been forced off with an injury,won the foot race to touch down and bring them to within two points.
Shortly afterwards,a breakout from deep by Tom Maher and George Morgan led to KC’s winning a penalty on halfway and McLellan found touch in the 22.Their lineout ball was pinched but the relieving kick was fielded by left wing Jake Shellis who ran the ball back into Stour’s half where another penalty was given and Pritchard kicked the goal from the ten metre line to edge the visitors ahead by a single point with ten minutes left to play.
Kidder were now the more dangerous side with ball in hand,attacking from all parts of the pitch,and although an even longer penalty attempt by Pritchard was unsuccessful it ate up valuable time and they were able to regain possession from the drop out.As the clock ran down KC’s continued to keep the Lions penned back and,most importantly,they were at the wrong end of the pitch to have any hope of getting the score that they needed.A terrific Kidder turnover on their 22 ensured that the match ended with the ball a very long way from KC’s posts and the Lions had to settle for a losing bonus point.
This win,their fourth in a row in Mids 2 West (N),should give KC’s a massive confidence boost as they showed that they can stand toe to toe with any side in the division.Apart from a few flaky lineouts, there was not one area in which Kidder were in any way inferior to the league leaders and they certainly had the Lions on toast in the scrums but they will need to be at their best again next week when they entertain Tamworth who will arrive at Marlpool Lane on the back of an impressive 23-17 win over second in the table Camp Hill – KO 2.15 pm.
With seven minutes played the first opportunity fell to Kidder when they were awarded a scrum penalty which was kicked to five metres.From the lineout they set up a ruck under the posts to create a drop goal chance for flyhalf Andy McLellan but his kick was charged down.However,at the next scrum Stour were again penalised and centre Rhys Pritchard made no mistake.
The visitors had started well,making a couple of half breaks and quick to pounce on any handling errors by the Lions who were on the back foot for the most part and it was twenty minutes before the home side were able to make their first meaningful incursion into KC’s 22 which was rewarded with a penalty for offside but came to nothing as the kick at goal by outside half Owen Williams was pushed wide.
Following a deliberate knock on by Stourbridge on halfway,a fine kick to touch by McLellan took play into the hosts 22 and from the throw outside centre George Morgan made a clean break to threaten Stour’s line and they then conceded another kickable penalty but this time Pritchard’s kick was pulled to even up the misses at goal.
The momentum of the game then swung dramatically as for the last fifteen minutes of the half Stourbridge set up camp in Kidder’s 22 and the visitors simply could not get out.The siege began when the Lions rather surprisingly decided not to go for the posts and kicked a penalty to touch instead.They repeated the ploy twice more in quick succession before Williams kicked lineout possession to the right corner and a try looked likely.To KC’s relief the ball just beat the winger but the ref had been playing an advantage and when play was brought back prop Matt Rigsby was shown a yellow card.The onslaught continued but with brave defence and a measure of good fortune the fourteen men somehow held out to preserve their narrow 3-0 lead until the welcome sound of the halftime whistle.
Just four minutes into the second period Stourbridge were awarded a penalty in front of the posts when it might have been more to their advantage for play to have been allowed to continue but Williams knocked the kick over to level the scores and with the tension racking up a bout of handbags at dawn broke out between these two very competitive sides but the incident was dealt with sensibly by the referee and the cut and thrust quickly resumed.
Ten minutes into the half,the Lions were still dominating territory and KC’s were still resisting manfully but from a lineout on the left touch Stour’s forwards drove towards the line before the ball was released and a towering kick to the right corner was calmly plucked out of the sky by winger George Tildesley who dabbed the ball down for the first try of the afternoon which was excellently converted by Williams from wide out.
Now 10-3 ahead,Stour looked favourites to go on and win the game but Kidder had other ideas and with their forwards beginning to absolutely muller their opposite numbers in the scrums they were able to play some enterprising rugby,building from the back and putting together some impressive phases without actually threatening the tryline until midway through the half when skipper Chris Pinner kicked to the right corner and Andy Holloway,who had moved onto the wing from fullback when Arthur Morgan had been forced off with an injury,won the foot race to touch down and bring them to within two points.
Shortly afterwards,a breakout from deep by Tom Maher and George Morgan led to KC’s winning a penalty on halfway and McLellan found touch in the 22.Their lineout ball was pinched but the relieving kick was fielded by left wing Jake Shellis who ran the ball back into Stour’s half where another penalty was given and Pritchard kicked the goal from the ten metre line to edge the visitors ahead by a single point with ten minutes left to play.
Kidder were now the more dangerous side with ball in hand,attacking from all parts of the pitch,and although an even longer penalty attempt by Pritchard was unsuccessful it ate up valuable time and they were able to regain possession from the drop out.As the clock ran down KC’s continued to keep the Lions penned back and,most importantly,they were at the wrong end of the pitch to have any hope of getting the score that they needed.A terrific Kidder turnover on their 22 ensured that the match ended with the ball a very long way from KC’s posts and the Lions had to settle for a losing bonus point.
This win,their fourth in a row in Mids 2 West (N),should give KC’s a massive confidence boost as they showed that they can stand toe to toe with any side in the division.Apart from a few flaky lineouts, there was not one area in which Kidder were in any way inferior to the league leaders and they certainly had the Lions on toast in the scrums but they will need to be at their best again next week when they entertain Tamworth who will arrive at Marlpool Lane on the back of an impressive 23-17 win over second in the table Camp Hill – KO 2.15 pm.
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