Cents maintain fine start to their season

Cents maintained their fine start to the season with a hard fought victory over a strong Old Redcliffians side.Cents knew they would be in for a tough match despite Old Reds being near the bottom of the league.Matches beween our two sides are always interesting affairs with both sides playing a similar attack minded style of play and the encounter proved to be no different from previous games between Old Cents and Old Reds.
Todays match was a played at a very fast tempo and the match seemed to be over in a flash because both sides moved the ball around at every opportunity.Cents had the edge in the tight and Reds had the edge in the lineouts with both sides competing vigorously at the break down.Cents backs also had the edge in both attack and defence although Old Reds were well organised in these areas as well.Perhaps the difference between the two sides was that Old Cents took their chances when the came and finished the match stronger than their opponents.
Cents started the scoring fairly early in the match when Capt Liam Hemming scored a fine solo try when he spotted a gap and burst through the defence from 22 metres out.This try went unconverted and soon afterwards Old Reds went in to the lead with a penalty and an unconverted try.On about twenty minutes Cents drew level with a penalty from in front of the posts and this was converted by Liam Hemming.There was no further scoring in the half and at half time the score was 8-8,however both sides had tried very hard to break the deadlock with attacking play from every where on the pitch.
The way the first half had gone the crowd were expecting another hard fought period of open attacking rugby from both sides and this they got.Try scoring chances were at a premium with both sides working well in defence.However as the match wore on Cents seemed to be slightly more fitter and this gave them a slight edge.Cents scored their second try after a bout 15 minutes of the second half and this was scored by prop James Elliott who finished off a series of forward drives near the Old Reds LIne.The score was 13-8 and the home side had their noses in front going into the final quarter of the match.With about 15 minutes left to play Cents sealed their victory with a try scored by winger Ben Turk who had charged down an attempted clearance from Old Reds and this try was converted by Liam Hemming.The score was now 20-8 to the home side and they now had the breathing space to close out the match and look for the four try bonus point.Cents come close to scoring their fourth try on a few occasions but brave defence from Old Reds kept them out.The home still had to be on their guard as Old Reds themselves looked to increase their score and kept the home side penned back in defence.
Cents held out for their fourth win of the season and they just about deserved their latest win against an Old Reds side who perhaps should not be in the position they are in at the moment.Both sides were a mirror image of each other as they have the same way they go about playing the game and the match went by in flash because of the fast tempo of the match.
Cents Sponsors man of the match went to centre Joe Preece for his work in both attack and defence and he was closely followed by Ben Slatter. Cents next match is at Oxford Harlequins and we expect another tough encounter on the road.