Lakenham Hewett vs Crusaders II Mens

A Message from your DoR:

This Saturday Lakenham welcomed a very well drilled Crusaders to Hilltops, for what has always been a keenly contested and sometimes fiery encounter. Crusaders have been one of the standout sides during the early part of the season, Lakenham knew this would be a tough one, but were heartened by the realisation that this wasn’t the Crusaders franchise from New Zealand.

Lakenham had 20 players in the squad for Saturday which was a massive boost to the club, especially having had to concede last weeks game away at Southwold. The first 20 minutes of the game was very attritional with Crusaders having the majority of the early possession, however Lakenham stood firm, so firm that I could hear Gandalf in my ears shouting, ‘You shall not pass!!!’. Funnily enough, once I heard that, Crusaders scored!

The second quarter was proving to be a real scrap with both teams fighting for every inch in the set piece and in open play, however it was Lakenham who would score next, with a Crusaders scrum just outside their own 22, Dave Payne (who is apparently so old him and Prince Phillip used to bunk up together in a hostel in Athens) won the ball against the loose and then a series of pick and drives ensued only for another oldie Mark Walton to dive over the line and score, This was a big milestone for ‘Wally’ whose last try came back when they used to play with a pig skin and men used to drink beer out of bumholes without the need for a health and safety advisor!!!

The half was evenly contested, however just before halftime Crusaders went ahead again after a tap penalty (the original penalty had been given as a high tackle, even when the Crus 7 said that he had been tackled on the arm). This meant the score at halftime was 10-5. At halftime, it was an absolute luxury to have some subs to choose from, it’s a bit like Jordan Holland in the hair products aisle in his local Aldi (WHAT DO I PICK).

The second half proved to be a more open affair, Crusaders hit a real purple patched around 10 minutes into the half where they scored 4 unanswered tries to take what proved to be an unassailable lead. However, Lakenham showed some dogged determination to hit back twice, firstly Dorian Squires who added a try for the over 40’s club (This is subject to dispute as Dorian is currently contesting his age in the high court to be reduced to 25). Lakenham managed to finish the game with another try, Scored by Michael Barber who again showed why he is the skipper and has been player of the year 2 years running.

A shout out to the young player from Crusaders, who was playing 7 a fantastic effort from a young lad and we all found it surprising that he isn’t playing at a higher level- he is so good, our local tinder expert Rob is prepared to set you up a profile!!!! Overall the game was played in a great spirit, with both teams battling hard but never going over the edge however Crus turned out to be more clinical and were deserved winners.

Lakenham 19-30 Crusaders