Towcestrians RFC 1st XV 36pts vs Market Harborough RFC 1st XV 15Pts 23rd October 2010

Towcestrians RFC 1st XV 36pts vs Market Harborough RFC 1st XV 15Pts
23rd October 2010

Towcester ran Market Harborough ragged to bag the points from this vital League encounter.
Harborough arrived at Greens Norton Road looking to get their campaign back on track after losing to leaders Peterborough Lions narrowly last week. They flew out of the traps, taking the game to Towcester from the whistle.
Their bigger forwards battered the home defence, driving Towcester back to the five metre line and forcing a penalty for offside. Harborough took it quickly and caught the home side napping – gliding over for the softest of tries.
But the dream start soon turned to a nightmare. The simple conversion went begging, as did a subsequent penalty.
After 20 minutes under the cosh, Towcester’s lightening backline stamped their mark on the game. Wing Dave Devlin-Jones and centre Dave Williams combined to run the ball from the home 22.
Williams was held up just short but released a perfect pass for the combative Matt Bodily to stretch for the line and score. Yuill converted from wide to take the lead and Towcester never looked back.
On the half hour, scrum-half Austen Wheldon burst down the blind side to set up a one-two with winger James Falvey. Falvey scorched down the touchline, flipped the ball back inside to Wheldon who danced round the full-back to touch down under the posts.
Yuill converted and added a reversed penalty from in front of the posts moments later to stretch the Towcester lead to 17-5.
Having shown their attacking ability, Towcester now showed their character by absorbing five minutes of intense pressure as Harborough camped on their line, winning a string of penalties and scrums.
Harborough were denied a push over try and only tight defence kept them out until flanker Nathan Payne broke the deadlock by turning over possession to set Towcester back into attack.
Play swung back to the Harborough line and amid the melee, Harborough’s tight head prop was sent to the sin bin.
Towcester opted to scrummage the ensuing penalty and relentlessly drove back the opposition pack for Wheldon to score under the feet of his No 8.
They turned round 22-5 up and immediately added to their haul after the restart. Full back Yuill fielded a clearance kick and set off like a rocket. An inside pass ignited skipper Liam Wilkinson who broke through the remaining defence to put in Yuill under the posts. Yuill converted his own try to make it 29-5.
Harborough hit back with a try but Towcester, putting on a show for their vice-presidents, soon cancelled it out. Yuill put away Bodily for his second of the day and added the conversion. Harborough added a consolation try at the death but the day, and the points, belonged to Towcester.