College champions limp over first hurdle
Teddy Hall’s Rob Yates forced to give his all in defence against new pretenders.
Rugby First Division
Teddy Hall.................27
LMH/Trinity................18
Teddy Hall found themselves dangerously close to a massive upset on Tuesday as they came head-to-head with newly promoted Second Division winners LMH/Trinity. In a game the reigning champions were expected to walk away with, Hall trailed by 13 points until just before half time. It was only a try in the last ten minutes of the match which finally silenced the valiant underdogs as Hall ran out eventual winners by 27-18.
Knowing they were facing possibly the toughest test possible in the top division, LMH came into the first half all guns blazing. Big tackles, good lineout work and generally sharp passing ensured they took immediate control of the game. Teddy Hall, on the other hand, looked tired and feeling the effect of a post title winning hangover. With only three minutes gone, the first scoring opportunity came the way of LMH/Trinity in the form of a penalty 30 yards out.
Unfortunately, Jack Wallace pulled the kick just wide of the posts and squandered the opportunity of an early lead. All was reconciled, however, when his ingenious cross field kick found Chris Copplestone free on the right wing. Despite missing the catch, Wright fumbled the ball into the path of team mate Sean Collins who promptly dived over the line. One may have been forgiven for presuming this to be just the wake up call Teddy Hall needed.
However, the reality was very different as the division’s veterans appeared to shrink further back into their shell. Good tactical play from LMH saw the Hall play-maker Rob Yates tackled out of the game, and without him all creativity seemed drained from the back line. Sustained pressure was to bear yet more fruit mid way through the first half.
Another inspired chip, this time from the LMH captain Jonny Wright, picked out Tom Markham on the right, who charged over the try line for the underdog’s second of the day. Wallace added a penalty to take the score to 13-0, and Hall looked visibly shaken. The half time team talk may have been far more desperate though, had Peter Cay not sprinted 50 yards down the left wing to help pull Hall back to within six of the opposition.
Ten minutes in to the second forty, Markham found Harris on the overlap to seal LMH’s third try of the game. The conversion was again missed, leaving the score at 18-7 in the visitors’ favour. Finally, however, Hall began to find life. Yates found more space, and the First Division champions started to look more like their real selves. Paul Harris was driven over from a Hall lineout to begin the comeback, whilst Peter Cay touched down his second soon after.
Some nice kicking from Yates saw the score finally move in St Edmund’s favour, 19-18. As the game went on, the superior stamina of the Hall side began to tell. LMH could do little to stop the onslaught, and eventually conceded another 8 points, with the final try coming in bizarre circumstances as LMH player George Robinson hurled the ball across his own try line. David Saleh was on hand to collect the easiest try he will ever score.
Following the match, Hall captain Rob Newman claimed he was pleased his side “dug deep and won even when we didn’t play perfectly”. He also drew attention to the depleted team that had to be fielded after all the injuries picked up last week. LMH skipper Jonny Wright described his side’s performance as promising, but ruefully admitted that this was, “probably the best chance we will get of beating Teddy Hall."
17th Nov 2005