Oundle outclass the 2nds, but not without a fight

Report: Jim Leyden

A surprisingly mild but windy winters day saw Ives 2nd XV v Oundle in a friendly fixture, which was switched to the Northants club at late notice due to the condition of the pitch at the Chicken Shack. Thanks to Oundle's ever-accomodating Fixtures Secretary, Graham, for accommodating us at short notice.

Thanks to some excellent commitment form the stalwarts of the team, a full side was depleted by three at the last minute for 1st XV duty, leaving the 2nd XV with a forward bias and a fairly high average age - but there was no faulting the commitment on the day.

As always, Captain Leyden used his resources as best he could and the side showed the usual mix of old heads, debutants, young legs and faithful warriors.

Losing the toss was the first bad rub of the green as the hosts chose to attack using the strong wind at their backs. The first 10 minutes were an indication of things to come as Oundle raced into a 17 point lead from virtually no contact play - though after last week's cancellation first game rustiness had a lot to do with it.

Undeterred, the Ives pack finally got a grip and the next 25 minutes were played in the Oundle half. Hats must be topped to the home side who, when it mattered, defended to a man. Ives though will rue the lost opportunities they did create either through bad comms, isolation of forwards, bad choices at crucial times.

There was some hope when newbie Phil Kneeshaw burst down the line, resulting from an excellent lineout take by Sam Bateman, who was returning to the side after a long injury layoff. Kneeshaw had an excellent first game at flanker and he showed the Oundle defence a clean pair of heels to score just to the right of the posts.

Sadly the 5 points were soon pegged back, as from the kick off Oundle scored a simple try to make it 27 v 5 at the break. The second half was almost a carbon copy of the first, however the second rub appeared when the wind so prominent to the first half died completely.

A valiant effort again by the forwards but the backs simply had no answer to the ever charging young legs coming at them. Ives were close on numerous occasions, but simple mistakes saw possession handed on a plate to Oundle, who didn't miss the gifts they were given. A good enjoyable game in the end.

Consistency in availability is one of the answers - we have the makings of a fine squad and cutting out simple errors will go a long way to see us getting the rewards we work so hard for.