Pitchero

Hemel Hempstead

Grasshoppers

G Jahn (2), G Carder, D St George McKenzie

Tries

D St George McKenzie (3)

Conversions

D St George McKenzie

Penalties

Sat 4 Mar 15:00 - London & SE Division - London 3 North West Full time

Report

Highlights

Selection

League round up

Camelot take revenge over Grasshoppers

By Tim Wynne-Jones

Visitors are blown away when 1s score 2 converted Tries in 7 minutes

With only 4 league games remaining Camelot stay firmly in 2nd place 13 points ahead of Stevenage but 10 points behind the league leaders Hackney after last weekend’s game.

As grudge matches go this was a minor one. In the reverse fixture earlier in the season, Camelot had suffered their 1st league defeat at Grasshoppers which had more than slightly irritated the Camelot coaches for a number of reasons.

Starting with high intensity and precision, Camelot were out to stamp their authority on the game from the very start.

The first try was not long in coming with an interception on the halfway line and accurate passing saw Gary Jahn, playing 2nd row in this game, on hand to crash over out on the right to get the first points on the board. With David St George McKenzie, negotiating the strong cross wind, slotting the difficult conversion Camelot lead 7 – 0 after 3 minutes. Three minutes later Camelot were on the attack again driving towards Grasshoppers line and No 8 Gareth Calder went over for Camelot’s 2nd. St George McKenzie again put over another difficult kick to take Camelot 14 points clear after just 7 minutes.

With Grasshoppers finding it difficult to get into the game, Camelot continued to press, forcing them to concede a penalty in front of their posts for obstruction. Again St George McKenzie struck the ball cleanly to make it 17-0 after only 10 minutes and the home side appeared to be out of sight heading for a big points win.

However, Grasshoppers started to find their feet and showed that they weren’t going to lie down without a fight. In the 14 minute they produced their first real attack of the game which ended with them crossing Camelot’s line for a well taken try which they duly converted. This cut the gap to a 10 points deficit. They added a penalty in the 22nd minute to get within one score but that was the closest they would get.

In the 29th minute, when Camelot were pressing to extend their lead, Grasshoppers conceded a penalty 20 metres out. While the visitors arguing the toss with the referee, quick thinking Camelot’s Fly-half Daniel O’Brien took a tap penalty and got within 5 metres of the try line offloading to Gary Jahn to score his 2nd try of the game. With the conversion going wide the home side had extended their lead to 22 – 10.

To round off the half, Camelot scored their 4th and bonus point try when Full-Back St George McKenzie went over close to the left touch line. He duly converted his own try and the half ended with the home side leading 29-10.

Having watched a most entertaining first half where 5 good tries were scored, the second was in stark contrast.

Grasshoppers proved a hard side to breakdown and continued to come more into the game. Their early persistence brought them their second try and, in fact, the only score of the second period.

Although both sides continued to probe the other's defences neither could make a decisive break. Camelot's precision of the early part of the game deserted them and with referee decisions going against them, they rarely got close to scoring. In contrast, their defence, apart from the early visitors try, remained solid as ever.

Final Score 29-15

Camelot look forward to welcoming Datchworth to Chaulden Lane this coming Saturday.

However, it is 2 following games that will define their season. Camelot go to 3rd placed Stevenage on 25th March which is followed by a home fixture on 1st April against league leaders Hackney.

Scorers

Tries Gary Jahn (2), Gareth Calder, David St George McKenzie
Conversions David St George McKenzie (3)
Penalties David St George McKenzie

Team
1 Matt Kears
2 Nino Massa
3 Jamie McCutchen
4 Sean Meddeman
5 Jack Field
6 Gary Jahn
7 Will Temperley
8 Gareth Carder
9 Tom Aitken
10 Daniel O’Brien
11 Aled Gamble
12 Jamie Hearn
13 Ryan Doyle
14 Sean Johnson
15 David St George McKenzie
Subs
16 Joe Cox
17 Hadyn Morgan
18 Ross Merritt