Match Report

League Match

Cainscross Vs Kingswood

Kingswood travelled to bottom of the league Cainscross this week in search of their 6^th league win of the season.  Kingswood had a few selection issues to contend with, top try scorer Paul Allen was unavailable along with pack regulars Damien Crosswell and Stan Bailey who were also out.  Kingswood had heard rumours about the Cainscross sloping pitch and it didn’t disappoint, and with a few divots chucked in for good measure, it was going to make the game unpredictable in certain phases meaning Kingswood would have to be on the ball.

Playing with the slope in the first half, Kingswood showed their intent from the start with everyone committing 100% from the kick off which drove Cainscross instantly back into their 22.  Kingswood made a few attempts to break the Cainscross defence but with 6 minutes on the clock, Kingswood settled for 3 points when Cainscross were penalised for holding on and Ben Phillips kicked the conversion to give Kingswood a 0-3 lead

For the next 10 minutes, Cainscross battled back and had a good spell of pressure but Kingswood’s defence was equal to it.  Kingswood then showed their awesome potential with a lovely breakaway try covering all of 60 yards as Mark Oakley, Ian Kirley and Rich Francis broke free on a counter attack and with devastating passing took the Cainscross defence apart and Rich Francis finished off the slick move to score Kingswood’s first try. Ben Phillips was unable to add the conversion and Kingswood now held a 0-8 lead

There was more of the same 8 minutes later when two solid Kingswood scrums turned over Cainscross put-ins and from the latter some fast hands lead to a break by Ian Kirley who was tackled just short of the line.  In their haste to defend the Kingswood attack, Cainscross were penalised for offside and Kingswood opted for the safety of 3 more points and Ben Phillips again kicked the penalty conversion, giving Kingswood a 0-11 lead

Cainscross then had the chance to pull 3 points back from a penalty but No. 15’s penalty kick struck the upright and some quick thinking from Kingswood saw Rich Francis secure the loose ball and clear Kingswood’s lines.

Kingswood continued to pressurise for the remainder of the half and made several damaging runs but the slope seemed to make the pace of the game a bit too quick at times and Kingswood were guilty of missed final passes and handling errors and the score remained 0-11 at half time.

 Half Time:  Cainscross 0-11 Kingswood

Cainscross started a lot brighter in the 2^nd half and with the slope now in their favour, they moved with a lot of momentum and Kingswood were forced to give everything to defend their try-line.

Kingswood made an early 2^nd half substitution with Alex Green coming off and Dan Nicholls coming on.

With 50 minutes on the clock, Cainscross then got their first points of the game after Kingswood were adjudged to have strayed offside and No. 15 converted to make the score 3-11

It only took Kingswood 4 minutes to respond to the Cainscross points when they were awarded a penalty in the Cainscross half. Dean Stephens kicked to touch and Kingswood secured the resulting lineout.  A rolling maul drove its way up hill before Mark Oakley broke from the back to dive over the line and increase Kingswood lead. Ben Phillips was unable to add the extra 2 points and Kingswood now led 3-16

With the slope, Cainscross were able to gain more territorial advantage than the first half but Kingswood’s defence was still resisting any attacks well and as a result, Cainscross rarely threatened to grab a try.  On 59 minutes, Cainscross were however awarded another penalty for offside and despite the tricky cross field wind, No. 15 sent a lovely kick through the posts to pull the score back to 6-16

In a repeat of the first Cainscross penalty, Kingswood hit back straight from the restart.  An up field kick by Kingswood gave Cainscross a lineout deep in their half.  Kingswood competed well against the Cainscross lineout which had not been functioning well all game and it paid off as the ball was spilt onto the Cainscross side.  A quick pass attempt to clear the spillage was missed and the ball ran loose from which Kingswood managed to secure the loose ball and form a ruck. Steve Trevelyan was on hand to scoop the ball up and despite two Cainscross defenders holding him up, Trevelyan managed to power his way over the line before elegantly spinning around and sitting down on the floor and placing the ball in-between his legs to grab Kingswood’s 3^rd try. 6-21

Kingswood then brought on James Thorne in place of Rob Lamb

The game then turned into a scrummaging session for both teams as numerous scrums were awarded in the centre of the park.  Kingswood had another chance to increase their lead as flowing backs move found Rich Francis out wide and a dummy pass took him to within inches of the Cainscross line but a strong tackle meant he could not quite get the ball over the line and Cainscross stayed firm to keep the scores the same.

Kingswood also managed to resist any Cainscross attacks well and Mike Oakley emphasised this well with two crunching tackles in the centre of the park.

Kingswood saw out the rest of the game in the Cainscross half but could not capitalise on their possession and the game ended with the score at 6-21.  The result sees Kingswood remain 4^th in the league but with a game in hand that could see them go 2^nd and in to that crucial 2^nd promotion place.

Full Time: Cainscross 6-21 Kingswood