The A Team continued this seasons unbeaten home record in their first home game of the season.
This despite missing two of their best backs – Matt Johnson who was attending the opening of an envelope & Stan who was recovering from cosmetic surgery. About time too you might think but no, it wasn’t to his nose.
Initial portents were bad with a faultless warm up & a rather fetching team photo –
note the new joint skipper Chris “is it alright if I play again next week please love” Duffy.
Sure enough the first half was very hard going against a robust Crocs pack whose fly half controlled things well, along with the international standard referee. In the second half Crocs tired & our young (ish) backs cut free for us to win by quite a few tries to not very many.
Highlights of the A Team performance were a period just after half time, with the game in the balance, when Crocs were camped on our line chucking everything at us for what felt like about 3 weeks but, gentlemen, the line held. I really don’t know where the spirit & determination in this team comes from sometimes – being the thrown together lot that we are – but it really is magnifique.
The second saw Toby “ Carvery” Walker replace the lively Iain Shelton who announced his departure from Mantown with what looked like a nasty nail varnish flake. On closer inspection his little finger was in fact “ out” only to be promptly but back “in” by Dr Adam Lancaster (BA Hons (Med) Univ of Life) displaying hitherto undiscovered emergency medical skills. Could come in useful on tour.
The third highlight was a notable success for the recent RFU “ Help the Aged Back to Play” initiative as the elderly R Sowerby took to the pitch for the last 20 minutes or so. Sowers reportedly “quite enjoyed it” & is hoping to build up to perhaps touching the ball over the next few weeks.
The skippers persistent nagging saw a welcome return to action this week of not only the new Vice, but also his half back partner Spike, together with Smouty & Sam Mann (both of whom, it transpires, were the ones who ate all the pies).
Finally a big up to club GM Leachy who e-mailed me last week to say “I’m available this Saturday & as always I will play anywhere as I am equally clueless in any position“. Of course we stuck him out of the way on the wing, only for him to get carried away at the sight of our rolling maul trundling towards their line & join in from in front of the back foot. Penalty Crocs.
Backs in mauls – like pineapple on pizza it’s just not right.
