Battling OEs fall short

Old Elthamians 18 Old Alleynians 2nds 20

This was a far more disciplined home performance than of late - they at least kept 15 men on the field for the entire 80 minutes - but OEs remain the architects of their own downfall.

Too often, their hard work in securing possession and gaining good field position was undone by a sloppy pass, a dropped ball or a wrong option, and their lively opponents were quick to punish their profligacy.

Alleynians, it must be said, were good value for the win. With pace to burn out wide, and a solid well drilled pack of forwards, they came to play rugby rather than the forward-orientated arm wrestle OEs have encountered in recent weeks and it made for an entertaining and fast-paced, if error-strewn, game of rugby.

It was the Blue & Gold who came storming out of the blocks from the first whistle, taking an early third minute lead thanks to a well struck Rory Mitchell penalty.

The OEs fly-half had a chance to add to his tally five minutes later but pushed his kick wide as Elthamians dominated the opening quarter with aggressive defence putting the visitors under heavy pressure in and around their own 22.

A clever cross-kick from Mitchell sent Sam Scott clear down the right flank, only for the winger to be brought down with a last ditch tackle close to the try-line. Excellent work at the breakdown from Lewis Gaboardi earned Elthamians their third penalty of the opening 15 minutes which Mitchell converted for a 6-0 lead.

The score finally sprung Alleynians into life and for the remainder of the half, it was the visitors who monopolised possession and territory. Putting Elthamians under pressure at scrum-time, they looked to move the ball wide at every opportunity using their dangerous backline to probe for space behind Elthamians’ aggressive press.

They opened their account on 23 minutes, dismantling the Elthamians scrum five metres from their own line before spreading play quickly left for a simple overlap in the corner.

Then some lovely interplay between forwards and backs allowed Alleynians to cut deep into OEs’ territory in the final 10 minutes of the half, but they only managed two penalties to show for their efforts and a 13-6 half-time lead.

Playing down the slope after the break, Elthamians started the second period strongly, kicking to the corner and then winning the ensuing lineout which the forwards drove to the visitors’ line. But captain Ben Cole knocked on at the base of the ruck and Alleynians won the scrum.

Unpeturbed, Elthamians continued to build momentum and were rewarded with their first try on 50 minutes. Full-back Cam Haimes started a counter-attack with an arcing run from inside his own half down the right touchline. When he was brought down inside the 22, the ball was recycled quickly and moved back into midfield for centre Luke Cooper who barrelled his way through two tackles before managing to get an outstretched hand over the line.

With the scores level, Elthamians now had their tails up despite being forced to play on the back foot behind a rapidly retreating scrum. Yet again, however, they decided to shoot themselves in the foot just as they started to make gains in the visitors' half. And the Alleynians backs were quick to capitalise on home mistakes.

As Elthamians moved the ball wide inside the visitors’ half, a sloppy inside pass went to ground and was pounced upon by Alleynians centre Luke Sullivan who sprinted away up the touchline before passing inside for his midfield partner Josh Davies to have clear run to the posts.

It was a soft try to concede, but it sparked Elthamians’ best period of the match as they kept the ball through multiple phases and pinning Alleynians in their own 22. They were rewarded for their efforts with a second try five minutes from time. A jinking run from replacement Max Drysdale allowing flanker Callum Lach to send Josh Chanthakumaran over in the corner.

Two points behind and with time rapidly running out, Elthamians were indebted to the impressive Lach for an outstanding try-saving tackle as Alleynians came storming back with a series of drives close to the home try line.

There was still time for Elthamians to snatch a last gasp victory when they were awarded a penalty inside their half which they kicked to the edge of the visitors' 22 to set up one final attack. However, they somehow contrived to make a hash of the resulting lineout and Alleynians were able to secure the loose ball and the victory.
As a snapshot of the preceding 79 minutes, it pretty much summed up Elthamians’ afternoon.

SCORERS
Tries: Cooper, Chanthakumaran
Pen: Mitchell x 2
Con: Mitchell

Half-time: 6-13

Old Elthamians: Everett, Sebastos, Smith, Ryan, Elliott, Warren, Lach, Gaboardi, Cole (caps), Mitchell, Scott, Coppard, Cooper, Chanthrakumaran, Haimes. Subs: Trew, Freeman, Drysdale.