VIGO BACK ON COURSE

Vigo re-ignited their promotion hopes with a bonus point win over Dunstonians at Swanswood. Tony Whitehead and Elliot Stickings scored all the points between them, but this was a team effort, flawed in places but overall, highly satisfactory.
Vigo, who had stuttered last time out against Bromley, had obviously been put through the paces on the training ground and looked sharp from the start. Dunstonians dithered at the kick off, allowing the ball to bounce. While they were deciding what to do, Elliot Stickings arrived and snatched the ball, Vigo’s pack piling in behind. Vigo remained on the front foot, attacking across a broad front before squeezing out a penalty, which alas for the visitors was a recurring motif. Tony Whitehead, in prolific form, notched the kick and Vigo were on the march.
The Old Boys are a more than useful outfit and were soon swinging back into action, advancing menacingly, their half back pairing of Andrew Booth and Michael Ubee kicking well to pin Vigo back. Jamal Gabir, who had scored a hat-trick in the reverse fixture, almost got away down the right wing, Vigo’s cover defence just managing to halt his progress, before Dunstonians gave away the inevitable penalty allowing the Villagers to clear. For a while, the match ebbed and flowed, Vigo probing, Dunstonians reacting. Centre Rory palmer was already attracting attention with some sharp running and solid defence, as Vigo struggled to find a way through. Worryingly for the visitors, their excellent winger, Gabir, began to hobble, but it appeared that the visitors didn’t have the resources on the bench to cover. Whitehead, so alert, spotted this and sent a wonderful Crossfield kick behind the labouring winger for Stickings, the ball just eluding the flying winger’s grasp.
Apart from their penchant for giving away the frequent penalty, Dunstonians’ handling was as certain as Brexit, too. All too often a promising move by the visitors was halted with a dropped pass or a penalty, the referee ever up with play. Dom Mickelburgh, who went on to have a superb match, was everywhere, Stakhanovite in his work rate, and with Luke Henderson and Ben Moorhouse in Vigo’s back row – arguably the youngest ever fielded by the Villagers – was causing real problems for the visitors. Dunstonians scrum looked in good order, rudely shoving their opponents back at times, but Henderson at 8, proved capable of making something out of not a lot, one pick up from a retreating scrum almost bringing a try, but for some excellent defence by the visitors. But there was to be no denying Henderson as he once again instigated a sharp attack, and although stopped just short, he laid the ball back for his team mates, who recycled and spread the ball wide where Tony Whitehead was lurking, crashing through a thicket of defenders to score.
The plethora of penalties became too much for Mr Hartley who sent prop Austin Raleigh to the Naughty Step after yet another transgression. S the Old Boys had already lost another front row, the scrums were uncontested. Unbelievably, Dunstonians found a way to cough up another penalty from the scrum. Henderson quickly tapped and sent the ball down the line where Stickings took advantage of his opposite number’s injury to sweep into the corner.
Perhaps, Vigo relaxed, thinking it was all over. How wrong they were. The alarm bells should have rung when Ubee just missed a kickable penalty, but even one man down, Dunstonians were more than troublesome for the home side, who became a bit sloppy. Punishment, naturally, followed. If there is one thing that Vigo have learned in their second visit to this Division is one cannot take anything for granted. Any team is capable of beating any other team, ignore the League position. So Dunstonians scored, the excellent Ubee ending a brilliant sand wedge of a kick over Vigo’s rather somnolent defence. Palmer was on the ball in a flash and before Vigo could react, he had scored. Conversion missed, half time was called, and Vigo retreated to their Haribos, Jaffa cakes and John Whitehead – not necessarily in that order.
Re-energised -it’s the Jaffas wot done it – Vigo came out full of intent. Although Raleigh was restored, the spark seemed to have gone out of the Dunstonians front row. Either that or the perspicacious Whitehead had spotted a fault in Vigo’s scrummaging. Whatever, Vigo’s pack exploded into action. James, Rawlings and Sewell, who had been busy round the park, applied themselves to the rather more mundane job of shoving. Which they did . Hard. Dunstonians retreated in the face of Vigo’s renewed fury. Vigo advanced inexorably into Dunstonians territory. The visitors defence worked hard, effectively, keeping Vigo at bay. But it had to crack as Vigo attacked across the field, forwards and backs interchanging with confidence. Mickelburgh continued in the same vein as the first half, again almost scoring before Dunstonians closed him down. Still Vigo huffed and puffed searching for a crack in the Dunstonians wall. And it was that man Tony Whitehead who broke through, running a brilliant angle to spear through the Dunstonians defence, adding the conversion.
With Vigo’s scrum now dominating, the Villagers opted for scrum instead of kicks at goal and their bold approach paid dividends. They needed a bonus point win to stay ahead of the following pack, and it duly came. Once again, Vigo put huge pressure on the Dunstonians line, who tried to kick for touch, instead finding James Clemmence , who hadn’t dropped a ball all day. Vigo attacked, moving the ball one way, then the other. There was a hint of crossing, but the referee waved play on. Perhaps Dunstonians hesitated but Stickings sprinted over for his second, Whitehead converting for a handy 27-7 lead.
Once again, Vigo seemed to take their foot off the gas, Dunstonians flying into attack. Their threes are pretty sharp, their passing crisp and flat, inviting the runners onto the ball. Vigo, whose line speed has been a determining factor this season, were a tad lethargic and the ball found Gabir on the wing. Hobbling he might have been but he still managed to almost hop over in the corner. Energised, Dunstonians threw themselves into the fray with renewed vigour. Vigo were under the cosh and when Michael Ubee scuttled from open to blind through a startled Vigo defence to score a wonderful individual try, alarm bells were ringing amongst Vigo’s crowd, if not the players. Nick McPherson came off the bench, James McLoughlin, too, and Vigo re-applied themselves. Predictably, aptly, it was Tony Whitehead who had the last word.
Calmly, Vigo returned to the task in hand. Stickings and Luke Vint combined beautifully to open up the Dunstonians defence, to put the visitors under pressure. Dunstonians coughed up yet another penalty. Vigo went for the scrum, when surely the kick was the correct thing to do. But method in madness, Vigo duly won the scrum, ran about a bit, recycled a bit, until the ball found itself in Whitehead’s hands who blasted through to score, the conversion giving him a personal haul of 24 points. Job done, the whistle signalling the end of a terrific match, played in terrific spirit, was perhaps a tad early, but it would have taken a superhuman effort by Dunstonians to claw back 17 points in a few minutes in all honesty.
So, Vigo back in the hunt for promotion with just three games remaining, one against their nearest rivals Beccehamians whose victory over Lewes push them into third place just 5 points behind Vigo.
Vigo team: J.Clemmence; C.Gibson, L.Vint, D.Winstone (capt.), E.Stickings; T.Whitehead, D.Carslaw; W.James, G.Rawlings (rep: J.McLoughlin), P.Sewell; L.Wiltshire (rep: N.McPherson), J.French; B.Moorhouse, D.Mickelburgh; L.Henderson
Rep: C.Whitehead
Scorers: Vigo : Tries: Whitehead (25’, 53’, 75’), Stickings (31’, 58’). Cons: Whitehead (3). Pens: Whitehead (1)
Dunstonians : Tries: Palmer (40’), Gabir (63’), Ubee (71’). Cons: Ubee (1)

Man of the Match – Dom Mickelburgh – who never stopped running.

Phil Ubee (Dunstonians coach) I was disappointed with our performance, disappointed we didn’t get at least a bonus point, but overall we were outplayed, Vigo deserved to win.
John Whitehead : Good comeback from the Bromley game. The boys were ‘’up’’ for this, they played with passion and pride. Our back row were outstanding. We worked hard in midweek and reaped the rewards against a good side.
Harry Wilson (view from the side) Started with a lot of intensity but started to make a few mistakes. We were clinical when we needed to be. If we can put away a team as good as them, with so many injuries, and not playing our best, we have a good chance.