A slightly changed 2nd team made the short but confusing journey to Uttoxeter. No longer trusting Sat Nav, we were all presented with a set of incorrect instructions that meant we were all lost. 

Match Report

The team was bolstered by the newly fit Steve Bell and the return of Parko, Darren Grant joined at Flyhalf and large police chap in the 2nd row,

After an hour long warm up the uttoxeter team came out, they looked a bit younger than us and quite hefty but watching there pre match drills they did not look to well organized. They also only had 14 players.

Nigel Breakwell is convinced that we are self starters and opted for a low key pre match speech, from the start Melbourne tore into Uttoxeter recycling ball time and time again and gaining lots of territory, we pressed for the first 10 minutes and eventually scored when the ball was recyled quickly by the forwards and the ball went out to Matt Brown who used an overlap to run in a try 5-0,

In the line outs Melbourne were easily winning there own ball and messing up the Uttoxeter ball at will and in the scrums pushing Uttoxeter off their own ball and generally making the Uttoxeter front row make odd noises.

The relentless rucking and support continued and next to score was bompie who drove over after taking a quick free kick. 10-0. Next another solo effort from Parko, picking up the ball at the back of a scrum and running in under the posts 17-0. (This try was hotly disputed and Parko was about to concede that he had knocked on until the ref gave it)

Knock on of the day by veteran prop when put clean through by Dodgie followed.

Melbourne then started to dick around for the next 20 minutes, all the forwards started to hang out and not support at the breakdown, the backs started to behave slightly oddly taking quick throws and trying to run out of our 22. We also decided to stop jumping in the middle of the line allowing Uttoxeter to win their first clean ball of the game. Finally just before half time series of cockups by Melbourne saw Uttoxeter run in a try 17-5 at half time.

After 5 minutes of mutual recrimination and back biting at half time, the 2nd half got underway with a renewed sense of purpose and within a minute Bopmpie had scored again in the corner 22-5.

Uttoxeter then mounted their first spell of pressure, and the ref did seem to be trying to even things up a bit, they had a series of penalties 5 meters out all of which were defended well, but in the end they crossed the line after a very long spell of advantage being played to make the score 22-10.

at this point Melbourne sorted out the line out and really started to destroy the Uttoxeter scum. Melbourne spent most of the remaining 30 minutes deep in Uttoxeter territory and scored a hatfull of tries, unfortunately 3 of theses were disallowed by the ref, the best being Dodgie clearly putting the ball down whilst suspended by his legs by 3 Uttoxeter players.

I am not sure we were playing much better but Uttoxeter were clearly running out of steam.Paul Thwaites was making good ground in the centre and Parko made break after break, and we did score 3 more tires, the first a classic by Chas Bennet following a line out on the opposite side of the pitch the ball flying out to Chas through all the backs hands.

The next by Dodgie where he ran from just about the half way line off the back of a scum and the last again by Chas was a copy of his previous try.

Gary Yates had to leave the field with a sore ankle and Darren Grant received a good blow from one of his own players and had to be intelligence tested before he was allowed to continue.

With a minute or so to go, what had been a clean game was marred by a random act of violence by a Uttoxeter back on Chris Whiteman (ruining his model good looks), he claimed Chris had hit him, but as all of us who know Chris would say this was a bit unlikely. The final score was 41-10 but the ref made it 46-10.

All in all this is game we won comfortably and always going to, if we had continued as we had played in the first 20 we would have won by a lot more, and maybe if the backs had been a bit sharper out wide we would have seen a few more tries with the overlap but all in all good result and really good pies in the Uttoxeter club house. Nice Shortcrust pastry (not flaky) and a rich filling.

Team

1. Lowson
2. Lakin
3. James
4. Breakwell
5. Big Police Man
6. Bompie
7. Bell
8. Sutheran
9. Parkinson
10. Grant
11. Bennett
12. Thwaites
13. Whiteman
14. Yates
15. Brown
16. Ridges