St Albans First Team
Match Reports
SAINTS GO DOWN WITH MORE YELLOW PERIL! Saturday 10th of September 2005
St. Albans 7 Chingford 24
Saints hosted Chingford in the first battle of the only two clubs arriving this season as newcomers to Powergen London North 2.Saints, founded in 1970, are promotees from London North West 3 & meet their more senior rivals, Chingford ,founded in 1928,promotees from London North East 3.
warez fla imperator 2.0There have been no previous encounters between the two clubs so it was a journey into the unknown all round.
Conditions were excellent with light cloud,no wind ,firm going & a touchline temperature of 20 C.
Saints kicked off & all was fairly even for the first 8 minutes before No 8 John Sayers snapped up a loose ball on C’s 10 metre line to feed new signing Gareth Day at No 9 for a try under the posts converted by John Andrews.That was the last Saints would score all afternoon.On 14 minutes C kicked a penalty then on 18 minutes their backs ran in a converted try from a good set-piece scrummage move.C then missed a penalty for Saints going in at the side.
On 29 minutes C crucially scored another converted try after Saints bungled a penalty move out of defence on their 22 when they should have kicked for territory & subsequent lineout possession.
Saints battled well but could not put a frisky C side under enough pressure to gain much territorial advantage.
On 34 minutes C missed yet another penalty.
Half time Saints 7 Chingford 17.
There was only one score in the second half on 59 minutes when C broke out on the Saints 22 to put in an inspired grubber kick behind the Saints defence for a converted touchdown.Saints 7 C 24.
However, that was not the end of the contest.On 74 minutes Saints, having been awarded a penalty, had No 8 John Sayers yellow carded & the penalty reversed for an off the ball infringement.
On 77 minutes,a brawl broke out between the two sides on half way spilling over into touch.Even the Touch Judge was caught up in it & driven into the pitchside guard rail by players from both sides who decided Queensbury was now the game not Rugby Union.
The referee did well to stabilise the match as he yellow carded both scrum halves for punching & the game finally fizzled out.
So, for the second week running Saints have collected 2 yellow cards & lost as well- not the history the club is attempting to make!
Final Score St. Albans 7 Chingford 24 .
Saints had been beaten by a settled, well organised Chingford side whose pacy backs, offloading well in the tackle, were the major difference especially counter-attacking from several Saints turnovers. The two packs neutralised each other with Saints recording the one & only strike against the head all game ,the lineouts being fairly even.
Saints will rue poor decision making in not taking territorial or strategic advantage from penalties awarded- one fatally gifting Chingford 7 points.They should now realise that the 3 D’s –discipline, defence & decision making are now issues to be addressed immediately.
Saints coach Tim Andrews was proud of his new team’s ability to stick together in the face of adversity .The rucking had improved considerably but patterns of play in attack & defence would now to be addressed as well as other issues.
Saints Man of the Match was new young north country signing Nick Homan (picture) for his all round performance at prop in his first full match with the Saints.
St.Albans try scorer was new scrum half Gareth Day.
The conversion was a drop goal by full back John Andrews.
St.Albans Team. D.Batchelor, A.Harris, N.Homan, J.Clark, M.Davies, D.Callan,
J.Sayers, D.Stanford, G.Day, M.Alderton(captain), P.Henderson, G.Lane, J.Shaw, E.Coy, J.Andrews, A.Weldon, O Cooper-Millar, N.Lister.
Referee.Mr Steve Johnson of the West Midlands Referees Society.
Next Saturday Saints travel to old Hertfordshire adversaries Fullerians at Watford in the first round of the Intermediate Cup.