Sat 9 Nov 2024
This week Stratford welcomed Whitchurch RFC to Pearcecroft, with the players welcomed onto the pitch by a cohort of Stratford minis and juniors ahead of a one-minute silence in aid of Remembrance Sunday. Straight from the kick-off Stratford went on the attack, despite knocking on from the restart the referee allowed play to continue, and Whitchurch were only able to escape via a clearing kick that stayed inside their 22. Whitchurch knocked on from this and gave Stratford a great attacking scrum which allowed the backs to get their hands on the ball early.
A pass out the back to winger Tom Houlahan moved the attack to centre-field and then a quick ruck allowed another of fly half Nathan Geekie’s fast flat passes (a feature of recent weeks) out to winger Andy Oliver and then back inside a helpless covering full-back, to Gwilym Davis, for the first score of the game. Having helped ensure the first ruck was secured tidily, Dan Whitby stepped up for his first kick of the game and made the score 7-0 after only two or three minutes. This this try was literally the making of all 15 Stratford players and a great opening to the day.
In the next 20 minutes or so Whitchurch and Stratford both had attacking opportunities, with the Stratford defence standing up strong when pushed back to their own try line and Stratford gaining the ascendancy in scrums. Lineouts appeared to be functioning better than in recent weeks though not perfectly. On a couple of occasions Stratford were pulled back for, what the referee deemed forward passes, but the early signs were positive with Houlahan, Whitby and Oliver all going on weaving runs through the Whitchurch defence. Lock Sam James made it over the line on one occasion as well, but the referee declared it held up.
Following a 10-minute delay for a Whitchurch player to receive treatment, the game restarted with a Stratford scrum just outside Whitchurch 22. With most of the Stratford caries breaking the game line and allowing clean ball for scrum-half Jake Lowe, Whitchurch were forced into a penalty and after an opportunist grubber that didn’t pay off, the referee brought it back. Stratford kicked for the corner and set up a lineout 10 m from the line. Hooker Ben Cole found lock James Walton who secured the ball and the maul started moving forward, eventually collapsing on the line with no 8 Jack Young scoring the try 15 m to the left of the posts. With the conversion successful by Whitby, Stratford now led 14-0.
With just under 10 minutes to play, Stratford made their way into the Whitchurch half having turned over possession and won a penalty two further scrums, maintaining their dominance, they pressed on from here and spread the ball left from another scrum and proceeded into the Whitchurch 22 once more. At the next breakdown the Whitchurch blindside appeared from nowhere after the next ruck and levelled openside Zak Hamersley, but being slightly too high, instantly saw a yellow card from referee. Stratford kicked to the corner for a lineout on the 5 m line but were unable to repeat the second try. Having secured another penalty closer to the posts, they took a series of scrums, and the referee awarded a penalty try to Stratford with Whitchurch forced or do whatever they could to try and stop themselves being driven backwards over the try line. With a second Whitchurch player binned, the score was now 21-0.
From the restart, Stratford then gifted Whitchurch a good attacking scrum position, just inside the Stratford 22 after another forward pass, from this a no 8 pick and go to the right, with the ball popped back inside to the nine, he darted in to the right of the posts. The try was converted and for all Stratford’s dominance they were only 21-7 ahead. The game got a little messy from here, and following one ruck captain Tom Stanley and his opposite man were sent to the sin bin with the referee perhaps assuming he missed some punches on the floor. Vice-captain Whitby extended Stratford’s lead after this from a penalty on the Whitchurch 22, and they took that 24-7 lead into halftime.
Within five minutes of the second half starting, Stratford aiming to expose the Whitchurch backs were dribbling kicks in behind and sending the ball wide quickly. But for a miscommunication on a running line done one wing and another pass the referee adjudged to be forward down the other, Stratford could have been in for two more. Scrums continued to dominate despite Stanley being off the pitch with Angus Wightman stepping into the front row. An example being a 10 m drive on a scrum setting up this first missed opportunity just mentioned. They weren’t completely dominant though, and after a couple of rash decisions they found themselves defending a lineout on their own 5 m line.
Stratford were driven back in the maul from this lineout, and the ball was taken at speed off to the right with the Whitchurch player stopped on the line before being driven back a metre. A pick and go was attempted to the right but no 8 Young managed to hold the player up. The referee didn’t dispute that it was held up, but decided Young was offside at the start of the action and he was sent to the bin for the offence. Before the scrum got the game back underway the two binned props return to the field. Whitchurch enjoyed some attacking possession in the next 5–10-minute spell, at one point forcing winger Oliver to touch down and Stratford to clear from a dropout on their goal-line, however, they never appeared to fear conceding a try.
The game continued with both teams making progress into the opposition’s half, but not securing points whilst there, due to mistakes of their own or turnover penalties. Stratford could be accused of taking their foot of the pedal but perhaps Whitchurch stepped up a level as well, making the most of some of their bigger players to really test the Stratford defence.
The only points of the half were scored three minutes before the end, with winger Houlahan rounding off a generally successful afternoon for the Stratford boys. Having been awarded a scrum just inside the Whitchurch half, following a knock-on, Stratford sent the ball left having already secured a scrum penalty advantage. In this move they brought full-back Jo Cook into the line and he evaded the first would-be tackler, before eventually being brought down on the Whitchurch 22. After a phase to the right towards the posts, the ball went back to the blindside to the hands of Ethan Cook, who put in a grubber kick before the defender could get to him and allowed Houlahan to accelerate around the turning Whitchurch defender and dive on the ball metres from the corner. The conversion was missed, and the game ended with a much-needed Stratford victory 29-7.
This last try assist will be a great memory for Stratford’s Ethan Cook, making his first-team debut, having been brought on for the last 25-30 minutes. There was more positive news too with the reintroduction of Zak Amond for periods of the second half following various foot injuries. Player of the Match went to full-back Jo Cook, who continues to put good performances week after week, making the most of all his experience.
Stratford: 1. Michael Dawes, 2. Ben Cole, 3. Tom Stanley (C), 4. James Walton, 5. Angus Wightman, 6. Sam James, 7. Zak Hamersley, 8. Jack Young, 9. Jake Lowe, 10. Nathan Geekie, 11. Tom Houlahan, 12. Gwilym Davis, 13. Dan Whitby (VC), 14. Andy Oliver, 15. Jo Cook. Subs: 16. Zak Amond, 17. Will Dobbin, 18. Ethan Cook
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