Gloucester All Blues 10 - 12 Cotham Park

Cotham’s 1st VX welcomed back Tom Hicks from an extended absence due to trips abroad and several un-successful visits to the hairdressers. After asking him if he could fill the wing birth for the 1s in his first game of the season, he maintained is “fitness was shocking” and he “wouldn’t be much use”...he needn’t worry!

1. Ginna
2. Cresswell
3. Pinchin
4. Victor
5. Sagey
6. Marcus
7. Pete Ashby
8. Johnny A

9. Damo
10. Matt Ace
11. Elliott Broadley
12. Matt Smith
13. Simon Donnervan
14. Tom Hicks
15. CJ

16. James Sutherland
17. Phil Jones
18. Ricky Jones

The boys travelled up the M5 on a pleasant Saturday afternoon; however the fair weather feeling soon vanished as we arrived at the swamp at Gloucester All Blues. In the shadow of the old power station, Cotham trudged out, via the small lake that had appeared on the track to the field, onto the pitch. Quiet warm-ups of weeks gone by had been replaced with utter silence - this seemed to be hinting at a calm focus in the ranks.

The game kicked off as the clouds gathered over-head. The first play of the game would see the home side use their sizeable left wing (for the one and only time) as a battering ram, running straight at Matt Ace at 10, who promptly stood him up, leaving it to someone else to complete the tackle. All Blues worked themselves a space to kick to the corner. Cotham’s first lineout resulted in a scrum to Blues, and their forward power was instantly evident. Also evident was their insatiable need to spin the ball wide. A need Hicksy had noticed during the warm-up, and it would be the mop-haired flyer who would capitalise on this: plucking the flat-as-a-pancake pass out of the air to race 90yards for the score. He promptly called for a substitution for being “knackered”, but found no luck in that. Damo slotted the extras. 0 – 7.

The game was always going to be an attritional affair. The astonishingly bad pitch left the ball feeling like a half-melted Easter egg at the best of times, and handling errors were rife. The home side had gained the upper hand in the scrums and lineouts from the off; but Cotham were winning the contact area and the kicking game, leading to a relatively even opening half. All Blues’ frustration was all they had to show for their fruitless endeavours out wide and in the tight until the half hour mark. Cotham’s aforementioned kicking game had worked wonders; Acey pushing the ball to the corners with aplomb. And it was this and the direct running of centres Matt Smith and Simon Donovan that saw Cotham pitch up at the opposition line with white in their eyes. However, a quick turnover and some excellent support play from the Blues saw them race to the other end of the field. And despite CJ’s last ditch tackle (which knocked him out cold, the ref didn’t care much), a few phases later the home side had their score.

After a rather cheery opening 20minutes, by the time the half time whistle sounded the two sides were well and truly at each other’s throats. It seemed every breakdown was a chance to have a pop, with more afters on show than the Great British Break Off. The stamping and sneaky punches did nothing but in-still a belief in the Cotham XV that they could win the match. And it would be All Blues’ bean-pole second row who would get the first card of the match (I don’t know why, maybe it was for being impossibly lanky) just before the break.

The second half started no different. With the scores tied 7-7, Cotham knew they had to take it to their opponents. But the various skirmishes and constant bickering where beginning to ruin an already butt-ugly game, ensuring the ref had too much to deal with. This lead to the award of a potentially match-winning penalty against the Cotham fly-half after the Blues No.8 popped him the ball from the floor in open play. The ref had deemed the 10 offside, saving the number 8’s blushes in the process. 10 – 7.

After a first half of back-play from Cotham, the forwards were finally starting to get their tight game working. The scrums had fared better in the closing minutes of the first half, Johnny A and Damo doing well to control the ball in the chaos, and now scrums were beginning to swing in the visitors favour: Sutherland and Ginna turning the screw on several occasions. Cresswell was starting to hit his man at the lineouts, with Sagey even getting on and stealing a few against the head. As the game wore on, it seemed less and less likely that All Blues would hold onto their lead. The introduction of Ricky at full back after CJs KO provided yet more kicking excellence from the Cotham backs, while a fired up Simon Donovan was beginning to break the line at will, carrying tacklers along with him as he and Matt Smith dominated the midfield battle.

Cotham’s reward for a sterling defensive effort and improving offence would come eventually through a piece of individual brilliance (not to big myself up too much of course): Another scrappy breakdown and Damo (who’s passing had been spot on all day) whipped the ball to Matt Ace at 10, the converted fly-half chipping the on rushing defence and making the very most of the indecision from the Blues back-three, grubbering ahead and setting a platform for Johnny A to bundle over. Damo just skewing the conversion. 10 – 12.

The game zig-zagged its way to a conclusion...Ricky continued to kick well to ensure Cotham played in the right areas, while the defensive line stood firm to repel any would be attackers. The final piece of drama would come in the shape of a Johnny A red card fafter a fracas with his opposite number. The All Blues captain also got a rather ridiculous yellow for the closed fist punch to the face that followed! A truly bizarre decision: But it mattered not, as with less than 10 to go, both sides finished the game with 14 on the pitch, but the important stat was the 2 extra points Cotham had on the board.

A superb win against a team that had been hammering sides all season, and in their own back swamp to boot.

Well done lads.

Tries: Tom Hicks, Johnny A
Cons: Damo (1)

Man of the Match: Simon Donovan, a powerful performance both defensively and offensively.

Cheers y’all,
Matt Ace