Match Report

League Match

Old Elizabethans Vs Kingswood

After Kingswood's midweek exit from the cup, they had only a 3 day break before facing another of the cups Semi Finalists, Old Elizabethans.  Unfortunately for Kingswood, 5 first team regulars picked up knocks from the cup match and were unavailable for selection which meant a reshuffle of the first team.  Dave Vince was drafted onto the wing and as a result Tim Brain was made Scrum Half, Ben Lambert moved from the centre and played on the wing and J P Toffi was drafted in to the full back position.  Even worse for Kingswood was the news that Old Elizabethans Semi Final match was awarded to Southmead without a ball being kicked so Kingswood knew Old E's would be fresh and ready for battle.

Old Elizabethans won the coin toss and Kingswood were given the arduous task of playing into the extremely blustery wind.  Old E's made a strong start to the game and with the aid of the wind, kept Kingswood pinned in their half.  On 5 minutes, Old E's were awarded a penalty for Kingswood coming in off their feet but No. 10 was unable to convert.  1 minute later however and Old E's grabbed the first try of the game.  A 22m drop out kick for Kingswood sailed into the air but the wind meant no ground was made and Old E's secured the ball deep in the Kingswood half.  E's spread the ball well and Kingswood were guilty of some missed tackles as No. 14 went over in the corner. 5-0

Kingswood did have some territory in the Old E's half but any lose balls were sent deep downfield with the aid of the wind and as a result Kingswood found it very difficult to setup an attacking platform.  On 32 minutes, Kingswood found themselves further behind after another breaking Old E's moved finished with No. 15 going over. 12-0

2 minutes before half time and Kingswood were gaining territory through good recycling and rolling mauls but passing was still difficult and the ball was knocked on just on the halfway line.  Old E's took the scrum but a solid Kingswood pack won the ball against the head. Mark McGarrigle picked the ball up from his No. 8 position and set off up field and incredibly ran the entire length and powered his way over the Old E's tryline to give Kingswood a boost right on half time. 12-5

Half Time: Old Elizabethans 12 - 5 Kingswood

Now with the wind to their advantage, Kingswood made an excellent start to the 2nd half and put Old E's under pressure from the off and it wasn't long before they grabbed themselves another try.  On 44 minutes, Kingswood were awarded a penalty for Old E's not retreating 10m and as they were only 7m out, Kingswood chose to scrum down.  Old E's did however resist the Kingswood drive well and as a result Tim Brain took the decision to release the backs and a fast flowing move ended with Ben Lambert going over in the corner to bring the lead within touching distance. 12-10

Kingswood then suffered a set back as Neil Ward was sinned.  The game then became a centre of the park battle as Kingswood pushed for the win and looked as though they were rushing a bit too much and caused themselves more problems by taking tap penalties too quickly when gaining territory from the boot may have been a wiser option.

Dean Stephens was then replaced as Jon Bogan came on for Kingswood.

Old E's were defending well and this was notably causing Kingswood frustration as they were not capitalising on their possession.  On 69 minutes, Kingswood were awarded a penalty from which they decided to kick at goal and grab the lead but agonisingly the wind took Tim Brains attempt too wide and it drifted agonisingly past the posts.

With Kingswood thinking it would not be there day, there was a breakthrough just 2 minutes later when they stole another Old E's scrum against the head and the ball was fed through the hands of the speedy backs and Rich Francis relieved the pressure on Kingswood as he made his way over the line. 12-15

With the pressure now lifted off Kingswood, they settled down and started playing the kind of rugby that has got them into 2nd place.  On 75 minutes Tim Brain sent a kick downfield and Ben Lambert was on hand to tackle the Old E's fullback into touch.  Kingswood secured the lineout and used their rolling maul to great effect, making some great ground before Tim Brain removed the ball from the back and went on a great cross field run, throwing several dummy passes before eventually popping the ball to Paul Allen who squirmed his way over the line.  Dave Vince stepped up to take the conversion and sent a lovely kick through the uprights. 12-22

3 minutes later and Kingswood sent another long kick downfield which caused confusion in the Old E's backs and the ball was not contained and Ben Lambert ran through to fall on the loose ball to grab his 2nd try and give Kingswood a much healthier score line. 12-27

Rob Lamb was then replaced by James Dicks who came on to see out the rest of the match which Kingswood finished in complete control.  The win saw Kingswood move into 2nd place in the league which setup a promotion decider match against league leaders Dursley on the last game of the season.

  Full Time: Old Elizabethans 12 - 27 Kingswood