Overton RFC vs Bognor RFC

Saturday 14th April 2018 By Thomas James

By Thomas James

The sunniest day of the year in the south saw Bognor travel to a distant field in search of their final win of the season.

The game started off with a try from kick off for Bognor, Billy Toone directed the ball into the hands of Tom James who broke the first tackle, finding himself in acres of space the tight-head prop fed his partner in crime Chris Webb who used great footwork and lovely hands to send Paddy Burnett over in the corner. 0-7.

As the game very slowly progressed due to the amount of scrums both sides had to endure, neither team grasped a clutch on the fixture. However, with ball in hand Bognor always looked more dangerous; Lee Balchin in his last game as captain alongside Joshua Burgess and George Castleton were trucking it up in the way they always do, with savage intent.

Pat Gains was once again alongside his rapid centre partner Sam Newcombe, the two linking really well in a move that saw the 13 score his first of the day in typical Newcombe fashion. Sublime pace and gruesome footwork made the finish all that more spectacular. 0-12, Power edging the egg fractions wide.

Venci Angelov and James Barlow were enjoying the scrum time and both were heavily involved in a lot of the dog work throughout the first half. Joshua Riggall and Jack Hornibrook looked fired up, the two not seeing much of the ball but when they did they didn’t take a backwards step, great handling and pin point kicking from Riggall released pressure when Overton looked to pin the corners.

Unfortunately for Bognor the penalty count continued to rise, Adam Knight was defending endlessly but was also pinged for a very tight offside call. Overton smashed one into the corner and used a quick off the top ball to send it out wide, Gains was quick to cover his ground and nailed his man into touch.

The skill level of both teams was deteriorating quickly, most likely down to the scorching sun and continuous stoppages. Fortunately for Bognor, Newcombe managed to get his brace just before half time. The electrician bursting through the tackle after a lovely offload from Burgess, finished under the posts. Gimme for Power, 0-19.

The second half was upon us, Jonny Lang and Danny Greenslade were introduced and both made their intentions clear from the get go with some lively defensive work and powerful carrying. Bognor were then caught napping, Overtons 9 picked at the base of a ruck and saw a gap; his winger finding space and finishing tidily in the corner. 7-19.

Balchin and Castleton were covering the whole field in defence and attack with Toone keeping the game ticking with his expert marshalling. Webby saw some space out wide, the last wild rhino in the world used filthy feet to step the 15 and the 10, and was only stopped short of the line after an expert tackle from the home side’s 12. Hornibrook followed the ball, used his agility to duck and weave out of a table to then provide Newcombe a simple pass for his hat-trick and top try scorer award for the season with 14. 7-26.

Overton responded quickly, the number 8 carried well in the midfield for the home side and managed to be stopped 5 metres out. The ball was then slung out wide and finished by the centre. 12-26.

Jeremy Newton-Young once again proved his worth for the first team when he came on, he almost looks like he is gliding when he runs with ball in hand and can tackle well above his weight.

The final score of the match came from the hard working Joshua Riggall, it certainly wasn’t a game that suited the backs despite the excellent conditions but the Bognor boys showed grit and determination to battle back from the endless set backs and score in the corner after some lovely hands from fly half Power. Final score 12-33.

Joshua Burgess had this to say at the end of the match “.....”

Line-up:

1. Thomas James
2. Venci Angelov
3. Chris Webb
4. James Barlow
5. Adam Knight
6. Lee Balchin
7. George Castleton
8. Joshua Burgess
9. Billy Toone
10. Sean Power
11. Paddy Burnett
12. Pat Gains
13. Sam Newcombe
14. Jack Hornibrook
15. Joshua Riggall
16. Danny Greenslade
17. Jeremy Newton-Young
18. Jonny Lang

By Thomas James