CRFC U16s vs Dings Crusaders RFC U16s_28 Feb 2010
GRFU U16s County Cup – Group 2
Cinderford RFC U16 15
Dings Crusaders RFC U16 0
Cinderford U16s beat Dings Crusaders by 15-0 on
Sunday, to secure top spot in Group 2 of this year’s County Cup competition, although the score line tells nothing of the significant advantage in territory and possession enjoyed by Cinderford in a match where Dings never really threatened to score. Hampered by the muddy conditions at Cinderford Bridge, this hard fought and often bruising encounter wasn’t the prettiest of games to watch but was certainly a full blooded physical contest up front and not one for the faint hearted.
Dings started well and their sizeable forwards looked to impose a physical presence on the game, competing particularly well at the rucks and mauls and winning turn over ball at the breakdown on several occasions in the opening exchanges. However, having settled into the game, Cinderford’s pack stepped up to the challenge and began to assert themselves at the set pieces and mauls, unsettling the opposition and increasingly taking charge of the game for the home side.
The Cinderford front row of Toby Farrier, Niall Spencer and Jake Drinkwater competed well at the scrums, with Farrier at loose head prop overpowering his opposite number and forcing Dings to swop their props over, whilst hooker and man of the match, Niall “Beannie” Spencer put in a particularly abrasive and destructive man of the match performance, especially in the loose, for Cinderford. In the line outs, the second row pairing of Jake Bonser and Josh Lee also performed well, and Louis Overthrow yet again delivering consistently high work rate at No.6.
Several players across the back line played in unfamiliar positions for Cinderford, including Sam Baker (normally at No.7) playing scrum half, Tom Ward coming in off the left wing to play at inside-centre, Liam Littleton moving to outside-half from inside-centre, and Sam Hatton dropping back from centre to fullback.
The opening score was a long time coming. Cinderford managed to cross the Dings try line in the fifteenth minute, but an excellent last gasp tackle by a Dings defender dislodged the ball from the grasp of Cinderford’s Niall Spencer a split second before he could ground it. In their eagerness to turn possession and territory into points before half time, Cinderford were guilty on a couple of occasions of rushing their decisions at key moments within 10meters of the Dings try line, when clearer thought might have yielded more points.
Cinderford and Dings traded a penalty miss apiece during the next ten minutes and the half looked to be closing out scoreless. But, in the last move of the half, Kyle Frowen broke up the blindside from the back of an attacking 5m meter scrum, drawing in the Dings defence before offloading to Tom Ward, who crashed through to score. Sam Hatton’s conversion attempt rebounded off the upright and the half ended with Cinderford narrowly in front at 5-0.
Cinderford hit the ground running at 
the start of the second half, and soon had Dings under serious pressure. Josh Lee jumped to collect lineout ball on the opposition 22 that set up an excellent 20-meter drive by Cinderford that was brought down just short of the Dings line. The ball was cycled infield but, unfortunately, spilled in contact and cleared. Then, minutes later, a score looked to be on the cards when Tom Ward caught a Dings defensive clearance 30-meters out and immediately cut infield and was motoring through the opposition defence at pace, with a two man overlap on his outside, when the referee surprised everyone in calling play back late for a Dings offside at the earlier clearance kick, when advantage was clearly with Cinderford at the time on the counter attack. To rub salt in, Cinderford’s penalty kick from out wide sailed passed the upright.
But, with Cinderford now starting to open up their passing game and getting the backs more engaged in fluid handling at pace, a score was inevitable and when then next try came it was worth waiting for. Cinderford’s entire back line was engaged in a cross field move that started near half-way on the left touchline and progressed at pace through several hands, including an excellent double interchange between fullback Matt Masters and Liam Littleton, before Littleton flew up the right touchline and over in the corner to score. Jack Hopkins kicked an excellent conversion from the touchline to extend Cinderford’s lead to 12-0.
Cinderford continued to press forward and Matt Masters added three more points for the home side with an outstanding penalty kick from the half way line to make it 15-0.
Seeing the game slipping away from them, and struggling to get out of their own half, Dings became increasingly frustrated and the contest boiled over in places, which broke up the game a little but did nothing to detract from Cinderford’s thoroughly deserved win that means the Forest side finish top of Group 2, earning a home quarter final draw against Dursley, to be played on Sunday 14th March.
Match Report & Photos: Simon Hawkins
March 4, 2010
