Matlock keep on the pressure at the top

Matlock welcomed Loughborough to the Meadows with both teams eagerly looking forward to nothing more than being able to play a game of rugby. Weather conditions have caused several games to be postponed over the winter months with this fixture originally scheduled for the middle of February. As this was initially a free week the home side were unable to call upon the services of several players with Simon Wright, Tom Cruttenden, James Harrod, George Whittaker, Alex Powell and Tom Morton all unavailable for selection. However the increased strength in the squad this season saw Finlay Mosley start in the front row alongside Conor Loughnane and Curtis Bolam, James Painter join Chris Atkinson in the second row and Joe Thompson coming in one flank with Rory Cookman on the other and the versatile John Statham moving from hooker to No 8. Changes in the back line saw Mark Thornley start at scrum half with Coach Dave Hartley at outside half. The experienced partnership of Ben Neville and Dan Hooton were in the centre, Luke Howard and Sam Ball were on the wings and James Fairclough at fullback. Ash Statham, James Young and debutant Jack Berry made up a strong bench.
The game kicked off with underfoot conditions a little sticky and with after the opening exchanges were fairly even Matlock were given a wake-up call when Loughborough took an early 0-7 lead after just seven minutes. Matlock were penalised for not rolling away just outside the visitors 22, Loughborough kicked for territory and attacked wide off the lineout. With Matlock’s defence scrambling they were penalised again inside their own 22 for a high tackle. The visitor’s again kicked to the corner and a successful catch and drive carried them over out wide for the opening score. A well struck conversion added the extras. Matlock reacted well to this early setback and were soon piling on the pressure at the other end. With 11 minutes gone they levelled the scoreboard when Curtis Bolam broke off the back of a driving maul to dummy and go round behind the posts for a try. James Fairclough added the extras 7-7. From the restart Matlock enjoyed the lion’s share of territory and possession but it wasn’t until the latter end of the half that they turned pressure into points. On 30 minutes Mark Thornley forced his way over in the corner with Fairclough converting well from out wide for a 14-7 lead and on stroke of half time an excellent passage of rugby culminated in Luke Howard being set free down the wing to score in the corner despite a valiant attempt at a cover tackle. The conversion attempt was off target, half time 19-7.
In the second half Loughborough tried everything to get back into the game but Matlock’s defence was solid and held firm throughout. In difficult handling conditions scoring opportunities were scarce however there were some notable strong carries up the centre from Neville and Hooton and the whole pack worked tirelessly to provide the platform for the threequarter’s to work from. On 68 minutes they took the opportunity to increase their lead through a Fairclough penalty 22-7. As time ticked on Ash Statham, Jack Berry joined the fray and then James Young came on with around 15 minutes remaining. Matlock remained in control and were rewarded on 75 minutes when Curtis Bolam went over again from close range to seal the game. Final score 27-7
A good team performance and a very entertaining game of rugby played in the right spirit. Congratulations to Jack Berry who put in a good shift on his debut. This leaves Matlock sitting second in the league with a game in hand.