Match Report

League Match

Tetbury Vs Kingswood

Kingswood's 6th league game of the season saw them take a visit northbound to old rivals Tetbury.  Kingswood had a few injuries to contend with but a few call-ups meant Kingswood fielded a relatively strong team.  The weather was blustery with frequent rain which was going to make handling very difficult for both teams.

Kingswood made a perfect start to the game when a solid scrum drove Tetbury back which spoilt the oppositions put-in and Steve Trevelyan was on hand to scoop up the loose ball and make a break up the slope towards the Tetbury 22.  Trevelyan was tackled but Mark McGarrigle was on hand to secure the ruck for Kingswood before the ball was fed through the hands of the backs out wide and Captain Paul Allen continued his impressive scoring form as he crossed the line with only 2 minutes on the clock. Ian Kirley took over kicking duties for an injured Ben Phillips but could not make the tricky conversion. 0-5

Kingswood continued to dominate Tetbury in the scrums and despite driving up hill, Kingswood had the Tetbury pack marching back at a fast pace.

Tetbury had the chance to pull 3 points back when they were awarded a penalty on the 10 minute mark, however the conversion attempt was unsuccessful and the score remained the same.

4 minutes later and Kingswood were controlling the ball well despite the tricky conditions and were rewarded with a penalty in the Tetbury half.  Dean Stephens secured the lineout with a kick to touch and a powerful catch and drive steamrolled towards the Tetbury line and Steve Trevelyan was on hand to get the ball down in the corner to give Kingswood their 2nd try in quarter of an hour.  Ian Kirley stepped up for another conversion attempt out wide but this time his kick sailed between the uprights. 0-12

With the intensity of the rain increasing, both teams were guilty of unforced handling errors which was making the game very stop start.  Tetbury then started using the slope to their advantage by keeping Kingswood in their own half but it wasn't until the 40th minute that Tetbury managed to get into Kingswood's 22.  Kingswood's defence remained solid though and saw out the half strong to keep the score the same going into half time.

 Half Time:  Tetbury 0-12 Kingswood

Kingswood started strong in the 2nd half and were forcefully competing at the breakdowns, so much so that at one stage the Kingswood forwards managed to turn over what was a secured Tetbury ruck.  The Kingswood backs were also doing their bit, most notably with 2 great downfield breaks by Paul Allen and Rob Edwards who both took the ball within a matter of feet of the Tetbury tryline.

With the Kingswood scrum still dominating and being faced with a put-in 5m from the Tetbury whitewash, the game then changed as an injury forced Tetbury to go uncontested which meant Kingswood now had to change their style of play to counter this.

Prop Rob Lamb then made way for Flanker Gareth Pond.

Kingswood continued to dominate despite the uncontested scrums and on 50 minutes they were awarded a penalty and Ian Kirley converted well to make the score 0-15

Kingswood then made another change as Stan Bailey made way for Dan Nicholls.

On the hour mark Kingswood were awarded a scrum which they obviously secured and the ball was sent to the backs.  Paul Allen fed the ball to Ian Kirley who took a sly little side step before popping the ball to his left back to Paul Allen who ran a great line to break deep into the Tetbury 22.  With the Tetbury winger facing a 2 on 1, Paul Allen managed a quick side step to free some space to run into and bag Kingswood's 3rd try. Ian Kirley once again converted from a long distance and Kingswood now held a 0-22 lead.

With the scrums now uncontested, Tetbury were able to see a lot more possession in the areas that counted.  On 68 minutes, Tetbury used a scrum in the Kingswood half to take the ball forward before they were awarded a penalty just short of the Kingswood try line. A quick tap penalty was taken and the ball sent out wide to No. 17 who dived over the line to give Tetbury their first points of the game. 5-22

The rest of the game was then a bit of a rain soaked wash out as both teams struggled to put together any real flowing moves thanks to the weather.  Kingswood did however see the game out in control and at the final whistle had bagged another two points to secure 3rd spot in the league.

Full Time: Tetbury 5-22 Kingswood

Quote of the Week: "I've seen quicker things come out of apples" - Club President Chris Cooper comments on some slow Kingswood ball.