A strong cold wind faced Fleetwood in the first half and Collegiate took the initiative from the start, driving Fleetwood back on the defensive. Only a well marshalled defence kept them out but eventually the pressure told and Collegiate took the lead with a well struck penalty. As the first half progressed Fleetwood managed to exert some pressure themselves and began to play some good rugby. Conditions were deteriorating and the crowd were starting to have trouble distinguishing the teams as green and gold and blue shirts both took on a muddy brown colour. After spending some time in the Collegiate 22 Fleetwood eventually earned a penalty in front of the posts which was converted by Tom Evans to level the score at half time 3-3.
The second half was a repeat of the first with both sides playing decent rugby despite the worsening conditions. Early in the half, a clever kick pinned Collegiate back on their own 5 metre line. Fleetwood stole the line out and after several phases of play Ricky Newton burrowed his way over the line from about 3 yards. An excellent forwards try, that in true prop forward tradition, became more and more exaggerated as the night and consumption of alcohol wore on. Tom Evans added the extras to give Fleetwood a 10-3 lead, which they held until the final whistle.
A good result for Fleetwood after last weeks hiccup. The game was sponsored by our Mini/Junior section and their coaches gave the Man of the Match accolade to Mike Kelly for a characteristic all round performance. We now have a break from fixtures until the New Year.
All credit to Collegiate for a gutsy performance. They never gave up and were good value for their losing bonus point.
Report by Steve Doherty