Sat 8 Mar 2025
On a sunny spring day in March, Stratford welcomed Edwardians RFC to Pearcecroft, for the second home game in a row-but sadly the last of the season! Stratford got the game started and were able to recover the ball straight away with winger George Fox cutting in to take a solid catch. It was a promising opening, though a fumble 5 m from the Edwardians line passed possession back to the visitors for a scrum.
Stratford kept the pressure on, generally maintaining position in the Edwardians 22 and went close on one occasion and, but for a quick latch onto the ball at the ruck on the try line, an opening try would most likely have followed. More well worked phases ended with a Stratford scrum just inside the 22 to the right of the post and from this Stratford launched another attack. Scrumhalf Jake Lowe feeding into a stable scrum and collecting out the back, catching his opposite man off guard, who decided to follow him around the long way and out of the game, a 2-on-1 was created and after selling the dummy, Lowe strolled in near the post to score. Dan Whitby smashed the conversion through the post and Stratford were on the board.
Edwardians hit back next, pretty much mimicking Stratford’s opening 10 minutes, in having most of the possession and ending up with a try near to the posts and a simple conversion to follow. Making use of 4-5 of their larger players, they ran quite a few set moves to make yardage and slowly got closer. A tap penalty followed by a quick tap penalty ended with their hooker bulldozing over the line to score the first of his four tries on the day. Sadly, growing tired and frustrated and trying anything to get the ball back Stratford gave away numerous penalties, after working and attacking scrum to the right, Edwardians went back to the left where they had isolated winger Ollie Pearson one-on-one with their previous try scorer, and being possibly three times his weight, if not his size, despite Pearson’s efforts he could not prevent the score in the corner.
The rest of the first half passed quickly, with both teams having some possession but generally ending due to knock-ons or turnovers. The half-time whistle blew following a fantastic defensive tackle by winger Pearson after a move to the right and a kick back across to the left saw him isolated with two attackers, he tracked his man and tackled him into touch. 7-12 half-time and an open and enjoyable game to this point.
Edwardians got the second half underway, and immediately put the pressure on. After going close in the left corner, they worked the ball back towards the right and that same man again, their X-Factor hooker becoming almost unstoppable from close range, drove over the line from 1 m out to score directly under the posts. With the conversion, Edwardians now led 7-19. With a boisterous crowd and a large contingent of mini and juniors in attendance, Stratford pulled themselves together and looked to play to their strengths, with ball retention a clear, if not somewhat obvious, objective.
With a lead to chase down, a penalty just inside the Edwardians half allowed Stratford a kick to touch 5 m from the Edwardians line. A set move was put into motion and isolated the defender in the 5 m channel with the throw to the front of the lineout and then back to Ben Cole who went in to score in the corner. Stratford then went further ahead five minutes later, with the attack starting from a mistake at an Edwardians lineout which saw substitute Michael Dawes take the overthrow and, as he so often does, steam into the Edwardians half before being brought down.
Desperate to stop the attack, the Edwardians 15 was penalised, and sin binned, for slapping the ball down at the ruck. With the momentum swinging to Stratford, a lineout 10 m out was taken well and driven on for 5 m before the ball was spread right, sucking in the Edwardians defensive line. With this done, centre Whitby stepped into the 10 role and passed the ball out the back to fly half Davis who had two more men on his right and strolled in under the posts with the Edwardians 14 unable to do anything about it. Whitby nailed the conversion, and it was now 19 apiece.
The home crowd were well into the game now, but this was a match with swings both ways and a few minutes later Edwardians pulled ahead again courtesy of an attacking lineout 5 m is from Stratford’s try line. The Edwardians pack gathered and drove over the line for their hooker to get his fourth of the day. The conversion was pulled wide but nonetheless, Stratford were behind 19-24. Stratford hit back just as quickly though, with an attack once again started by an overthrown Edwardians lineout, this time with Jonny Smith taking the ball on. Three phases to the right and then back to the left created an overlap on the wing for Fox to go down the line in under the posts. Whitby did the honours with the conversion, and Stratford now led 26-24!
The game then took on a nervous edge and some sustained Stratford pressure in the Edwardians 22 presented them with a penalty in front of the posts which could not be turned down, as ever, Whitby slotted it between the uprights to put Stratford an unconverted try ahead, 29-24. It was well accepted that this would unlikely be enough to win the match, but being ahead is what counts at the end. Sadly, Stratford’s fears were realised when Edwardians decided to start making proper use of their size advantage on the left-wing after Ethan Cook had replaced scrumhalf Lowe, and Pearson moved into nine.
Edwardians then went ahead following two tries in quick succession, the first shortly after a turnover catching the Stratford backline out of position allowing Edwardians to make the most of an overlap. The second, three phases after the restart (which didn’t make the full 10 yards) gave Edwardians a scrum on halfway. They had taken the ball to the right, then back infield to their hooker before pressing on with a penalty advantage and eventually going in to the right of the posts. Edwardians now led 29-38.
There was time for more scores though and some good attacking play, condensing the Edwardians defence on the left side of their 22, allowed winger Cook to get his own back on his opposite man as he was put in the corner thanks to a flowing backs move giving him just about the space he needed. As the try was so close to the corner, a more difficult conversion was missed by Whitby leaving the scoreline 34-38. Though unlikely, Stratford did have a slim chance of getting another and winning the match, but that would require them to do it from their own 22, a feat they had pulled off a week ago in their nail-biting draw with Shipston.
Having started the task of escaping the 22 and winning the match, a ball was put down when passed out of a ruck gifting Edwardians a scrum, and a couple of phases later Stratford got penalised for hands in the ruck, in their desperate attempts to get the ball back. This penalty was straight in front of the posts, though on the 10 m line, and Edwardians used the rest of the time on the clock to convert the penalty and win the match 34-41. Thankfully, Stratford had scored four tries and still finished within seven points, giving them two bonus points in the table.
Stratford’s man of the match on the day was scrumhalf Jake Lowe, taking the plaudits ahead of an impressive substitute performance by back row Rory White. There were also huge cheers for veteran full-back Jo Cook, playing his final league home match for Stratford at the end of a glittering career.
Stratford: 1. Goeff Dyson* 2. Ben Cole* 3. Tom Stanley* 4. James Walton 5. Zak Amond* 6. Sam James* 7. John Smith* 8. Angus Wightman 9. Jake Lowe 10. Gwilym Davies* 11. George Fox* 12. Dan Whitby 13. Charlie Powell* 14. Ollie Pearson* 15. Jo Cook* Subs: 16. Michael Dawes* 17. Rory White* 18. Ethan Cook*
*Denotes a product of Stratford minis and juniors
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