Prudhoe & Stocksfield 65 vs 3 Hartlepool BBOB

Having been thwarted by the weather the previous two Saturdays, P&S welcomed Hartlepool Boys Brigade Old Boys in the first reversed fixture of the season. BBOB like many of the Hartlepool clubs base their game on large bulky forwards who like to physically impose themselves on a game and hope that they could score some points along the way.

After only 5 minutes P&S looked as though they may struggle, when from the second penalty of the game, the visitors took the lead with a well struck kick. However from the kick off P&S made progress up the field gaining a line out 15 metres out. From the well taken catch the forwards quickly went towards the try line and Andy Marsh broke from the back of the pack to open the scoring for the home side. With a 5-3 score line BBOB clearly felt they were still in the game but with only a quarter of an hour played P&S forwards led by a marauding Phil Bewick drove up field at pace and Phil finished off the drive with a second home score. The larger visiting pack, playing with the slope, were being outplayed by a lighter, smarter home eight. Try number three soon followed from a well won scrum. The ball was passed along the back line and winger Kris Jewitt was over for the score. Before the thirty minute mark the home side had a fourth try and the bonus point. Another strong scrum five metres out saw scrum half Chris Patterson dart over for score four. Score five was a twenty metre drive concluded by Coach Chris Russell, guesting in the back row, to ground the ball. Steven Henderson who had been tasked with four conversions never more than ten metres in from the side lines finally saw the ball sail through the posts. Debutant referee Drew Robertson was having a good game and was clear and decisive throughout. When after a BBOB player dipped his shoulder and tried to cut inside Bewick saw a yellow card for a high tackle leaving the home side to go into half time leading 27-3. The second half saw both sides down to fourteen with a BBOB player injuring his hand and leaving the fifteen man squad one short. For P& S it was when and how they would score. Not surprisingly it was the forwards and three quick 5 metre scrums concluding with Chris Patterson going over for his second try. Three minutes later Will Foster went over from close range. Clearly the forwards were dominant but the backs were keen to join in and were running at every opportunity. Finally, 15 minutes into the second half, Luke Masters took a pass from Ben Archer and simply ran round a tiring BBOB. For the next ten minutes the play was wholly in the visitors half and for much of the time in the twenty two metre area. The P&S pack were first to any breakdown and were becoming even more powerful in the scrum. After a particularly strong drive leaving the BBOB pack in tatters Chris Patterson completed his hat trick and scrums became uncontested as a second BBOB Player leaving the field injured. Four minutes later the final member of the P&S front row, hooker Mark Russell, dashed over to score try ten. The power of the scrum, the dominance at line out and general support work of Michael Henderson, Jay Neil and skipper Jack Liddle need to be mentioned. Dan Whiley looked as though he might make the score sheet but instead it was Luke Masters who rounded off the day with his second try. With five conversions for Steven Henderson the final score was P&S 65 Hartlepool BBOB 3. A fine way to end 2015 with a match dedicated to former skipper Dave Mignonelli who sadly passed away earlier this month.