Match Report

League Match

Cheltenham Saracens Vs Kingswood

Kingswood's last league game of the year was an away trip to Cheltenham Saracens who Kingswood had beaten just 5 weeks earlier.  The pre match warm up was cut short due to a misunderstanding of the grounds location, so Kingswood took to the field almost upon arrival.

Despite the lack of warm-up, Kingswood made an excellent start to the game and pressurised Cheltenham well, pinning them in their 22.  Kingswood's early possession paid off when on 8 minutes they were awarded a penalty infront the posts.  Ian Kirley converted and Kingswood were 0-3 to the good.

4 minutes later and Kingswood managed to grab their first try.  After great work from the backs, Liam Stinchcombe was forced into touch, however Kingswood stole the resulting Cheltenham lineout.  A maul was formed and Rob Lamb broke before passing to Stan Bailey who flipped the ball to Mike Oakley who then steamrolled his way over the line.  Ian Kirley again converted and the score was now 0-10

Quarter of an hour gone and Kingswood were really starting to get into the flow with some fantastic backs play and strong forward running.  Kingswood should have grabbed another try when they had a four on one overlap but there was a deliberate knock from Cheltenham which ended in only a scrum to Kingswood.

Kingswood did however grab there 3rd try after some excellent forward play.  Stan Bailey made some great ground after an strong hand off before Mike Oakley again crossed the whitewash after some quick hands. 0-15

Cheltenham then started to get back into the game and on 23 minutes were awarded a penalty for offside and they opted to kick for the posts which No. 10 converted. 3-15

2 minutes later however and Kingswood were again pressuring, but Cheltenham managed to clear their lines with a strong downfield kick.  Mike Oakley secured the catch however and powered his way up field with an excellent run before being tackled.  The ball was picked out from the ruck by Ben Phillips who went for it alone by darting through the Cheltenham defence and avoiding several tackles before going over, much to the delight of coach Rich Knight. Ian Kirley converted and Kingswood had a commanding 3-22 lead.

There was time for another Kingswood try before half time when another downfield kick from Cheltenham was caught, this time by Ian Kirley who went on an excellent in-field run.  The ball was recycled quickly and there was some champagne passing in the middle of the park before the ball was spread to Mark Oakley who sent out a long pass to Liam Stinchcombe on the wing who ran over for his 2nd try in as many weeks. 3-27

Half Time: Cheltenham 3 - 27 Kingswood

The 2nd half though was a completely different story.  Despite an impressive first half performance, Kingswood started the 2nd half and were put under pressure from Cheltenham from the outset and didn't look the same team that had finished so strongly in the first half.  Despite this however, Kingswood defended well and kept the line tight and didn't concede during the opening minutes.

Stan Bailey was then replaced by Neil Ward

Despite the early shock, Kingswood couldn't seem to get into gear and if not for an excellent last gasp double tackle from Paul Allen, they could have very well seen some points against them.

Mike Oakley was then replaced by Steve Trevelyan and later Paul Allen was replaced by Rich Francis

Kingswood then suffered a set back when Matt Davies was sinned for an apparent dangerous tackle, before John Bogan was sinned 3 minutes after Matt Davies returned to the field of play.  This meant 20 minutes with 14 men and as a result Kingswood just had to defend well to keep a clean sheet, which they succeeded in doing.

Despite a below standard 2nd half attacking performance, Kingswood defended well when required which meant for the 3rd week running they conceded no tries and they now sit proudly at the top of the league, ready for the 2nd half of the season

  Full Time: Cheltenham 3 - 27 Kingswood

Quote Of The Week: Come On, Get Out Of There Sweetheart - Neil Ward