Saturday 17th October 2009
Coventrians 18 - 11 Atherstone Mids 5 West (S East)Our all time league record v Atherstone is P27 W10 L17. Our first ever league encounter was on 10th Sept 1988 and we won 19-3 at home with tries from Paul Barrow 2, Tim Bycroft & John Kenny. Clayton Flick kicked a penalty. On the 12th Dec 1998 we lost at home 0-66 but on the 8th March 2008 we won away 45-14 with tries from M Kiburi, C Thornton, K Walters, R Aitken & C Simons 2 each & 5 conversions to Deadeye Douglas. Perversely that season, we found ourselves cheering Atherstone on in a rearranged fixture at OC's ground under lights as they went down to Old Wheats and we went into a play-off by virtue of 1 point eventually being promoted.
Atherstone Brawn 'Busted' by Slick Covents Backs
Covents, in the role of David, slew Goliath as The Black Pad resembled the Land of the Giants on Saturday. From the kick off (missing at least two of their more rotund pack members) Covents were soon struggling up front giving away height, weight and ground and this was underlined by Rohan Aitkin in our 22 having to make three big hits in as many minutes. On 8 minutes, with our pack going backwards, we were awarded a penalty which was marched forward ten due to Atherstone yap. From the lineout, Dougie hoisted into their 22 and Paul Brindley, sprinting in only just failed to gather as their full-back fumbled. Lawrence (Midas touch) Goddard popped up and dotted down but the referee brought it back. So it came to naught but Covents had glimpsed the Promised Land. Kick behind them and use our pace? Sounded like a plan . . .
For the next few minutes, the game see sawed end to end as Simon or Dougie kicked up field and Atherstone would run back, only to be stopped by solid tackling by Rohan or Paul Brindley. At one point one of Simon Needles kicks was caught by Geoff Capes who galloped forward but Simon stopped him with a cruncher. For number 8 Dick Potter and scrum-half Tom Gough it was a case of hot potato in the scrum as we were under pressure in the tight five. The pressure showed when Rohan took a great catch in his 22 and bellowed out, Body-arc! Answers on a postcard please but we think he meant mark.
In the 23rd minute an Atherstone penalty was kicked from way out (and I mean from The Brico) for 0-3 but one could not help feeling that after all that pressure and supremacy Atherstone would have expected more. A minute later, Paul Brindley took a catch on the touchline and sprinted up field beating four defenders; they just did not look happy when we ran at them. Covents forwards were fighting back too when Dick Potter cleaned out at altitude on 27 minutes and D J went on a surge that ended in a ruck from which Deadeye kicked and Atherstone messed up. Simon saw his chance, kicked on, picked up and dropped down to score for 5-3. Unusually, Deadeye missed his kick from very close, the ball going under the bar. Later, Dougie confided that he was just trying to emulate his kicking hero, Chris Potter . . .
Straight away, we Garryowened again and their full-back nearly messed up again. Then Paul Brindley went on another run which came to nothing and seconds later their full-back had to take again with big Simon breathing down his neck. So it seemed our backs mantra was have ball will travel, and as Churchill once famously said to President Roosevelt, Give us the tools and we will finish the job. The pressure told on 32 minutes as Goughie tapped and went on their 22 and as they were not ten, we took the kick instead. Deadeye, having removed his flipflops sent over a good one and we were 8-3. Two minutes later, Atherstone pegged us back to 8-6 with their own kick but in the 38th minute Tom Gough collected the pill, sprinted forward and put hooker Danny Pearson in on the right touch. Danny, throwing off the Ernie Wise tag skated up the wing and made 30 yards before being stopped.
The stroke of half-time saw Covents camped on their line after more good work from Dick in the lineout but the gnarled old street-fighters wheeled our eight and came away with the ball to leave the match nicely poised at the break, 8-6.
Trevor Roberts came on for Dick at Number 8 and in the 43rd minute Deadeye showed good soccer skills as he volleyed out in a dangerous situation. From the lineout Atherstone surged forward but again, solid defence from Jon Field and Rohan stopped them in their tracks. At this point prop Harry came off, Dave Bailey went on and Mr Versatile (D J) moved to the front row. On 45 minutes we managed to engineer the worst situation possible i.e. an Atherstone scrum on our line and guess what? Yeah, they scored a pushover but hit the post with the conversion leaving the score, 8-11. This prompted their packleader to shout, Right lads, we ll bust these now! (still early though old pal)
On 50 minutes Jon Field cut an Atherstone back in half and from the resulting lineout Deadeye ran a great angle before slipping to Rohan who at his mercurial best, produced one of his Specials by beating three attackers and dotting down under the sticks for 13-11. Deadeye slotted and things looked rosy again at 15-11. (To hear some hysterical idiot commentate on the score click here) The next 10 minutes and it was game on as both sides attacked and counter attacked. Rohan caught in his own 22 and throwing an outrageous dummy (those two Atherstone players had to pay to get back in) sprinted to half-way before being bundled in. The pack started to rumble after a quiet time of it in the first 40 and once again, Covents superior fitness told as Trevor broke free but was pulled back by a whistle.
On the hour it was our forwards putting the pressure on and a series of moves through the back row saw us camped in their 22 but the giants held firm against the pygmies. We were fired up and having won a penalty maybe got too excited and tapped. Luckily they were penalized again and with Steve Springate hysterically exhorting us to kick for goal we did just that, but Deadeye missed. This did not quench the Covents forward fire though and Ryan Gilbert had a trundle, supported by Jon Field and the ubiquitous Captain Cozzy. In the 68th minute we experienced deja vu as we won a penalty in their 22 and opted to tap, luckily winning another penalty which Deadeye kicked true for 18-11.
In the 70th minute, Deadeye sent another penalty into the corner and from the lineout Sam got a terrible cramp at 1500 feet but teak tough flanker that he is, took the pain like a man. So much so that when Monkey (love you and sneaker!) massaged it he screamed, Ooh it hurts, ooh it hurts. In the 75th minute it was hard, niggly but clean in the middle of the park and a series of mauls produced a run for Rohan via Lawrence and Jon Field which ended in a high tackle and our possession. Atherstone won it back and in the 78th minute got a slow drive on, inching our forwards back inexorably but a knock on put paid to their efforts.
Simon kicked away but a Covents player was offside and Atherstone opted for 3 points with a couple of minutes left plus any injury time. Break out the beer and big Cuban cigars here because surely Covents were home and hosed? You reckon??? Read on.
The kick fell short and Simon Needles, looking more relaxed than a cat in front of a roaring log fire who had eaten all the cream managed to somehow create a cliff hanging bombshell of an ending by farting about with the pick up and then knocking on resulting in a scrum on our line to the hairy monsters. So with Woz screaming hit him Ryan, lock out Ryan and other daft front row ramblings we scrummaged for our lives and solid it was too. They could not move us so opted to run it and tidal waves of relief swept over everyone in blue and white as their No 10 knocked on giving us the put in. Ball was won, kicked away and the curtain brought down on a thrilling game of rugby. Simon was off the hook and that lynching rope hurriedly taken down from the rafters inside the clubhouse.
So played three won two and a big win it was too as Atherstone had two out of two under their belts already before today. So many times on here I have paid deserved respect to our forwards over the last two seasons and there was no lack of effort today either against a bigger, heavier more experienced pack but this time the plaudits go to the backs who were tenacious in the tackle on the back foot and when the time was right, turned on the pace and skills to ensure the lads enjoyed a great win. My thanks to the Atherstone players and supporters who stayed for a good hour plus, ate some more pies and sank some more ale. Big Bear Burdett, great to see you again mate bring Clarky with you on the 14th November. Also a mention to the ref here who was virtually anonymous; this must mean he a had a good game then.
For the next few minutes, the game see sawed end to end as Simon or Dougie kicked up field and Atherstone would run back, only to be stopped by solid tackling by Rohan or Paul Brindley. At one point one of Simon Needles kicks was caught by Geoff Capes who galloped forward but Simon stopped him with a cruncher. For number 8 Dick Potter and scrum-half Tom Gough it was a case of hot potato in the scrum as we were under pressure in the tight five. The pressure showed when Rohan took a great catch in his 22 and bellowed out, Body-arc! Answers on a postcard please but we think he meant mark.
In the 23rd minute an Atherstone penalty was kicked from way out (and I mean from The Brico) for 0-3 but one could not help feeling that after all that pressure and supremacy Atherstone would have expected more. A minute later, Paul Brindley took a catch on the touchline and sprinted up field beating four defenders; they just did not look happy when we ran at them. Covents forwards were fighting back too when Dick Potter cleaned out at altitude on 27 minutes and D J went on a surge that ended in a ruck from which Deadeye kicked and Atherstone messed up. Simon saw his chance, kicked on, picked up and dropped down to score for 5-3. Unusually, Deadeye missed his kick from very close, the ball going under the bar. Later, Dougie confided that he was just trying to emulate his kicking hero, Chris Potter . . .
Straight away, we Garryowened again and their full-back nearly messed up again. Then Paul Brindley went on another run which came to nothing and seconds later their full-back had to take again with big Simon breathing down his neck. So it seemed our backs mantra was have ball will travel, and as Churchill once famously said to President Roosevelt, Give us the tools and we will finish the job. The pressure told on 32 minutes as Goughie tapped and went on their 22 and as they were not ten, we took the kick instead. Deadeye, having removed his flipflops sent over a good one and we were 8-3. Two minutes later, Atherstone pegged us back to 8-6 with their own kick but in the 38th minute Tom Gough collected the pill, sprinted forward and put hooker Danny Pearson in on the right touch. Danny, throwing off the Ernie Wise tag skated up the wing and made 30 yards before being stopped.
The stroke of half-time saw Covents camped on their line after more good work from Dick in the lineout but the gnarled old street-fighters wheeled our eight and came away with the ball to leave the match nicely poised at the break, 8-6.
Trevor Roberts came on for Dick at Number 8 and in the 43rd minute Deadeye showed good soccer skills as he volleyed out in a dangerous situation. From the lineout Atherstone surged forward but again, solid defence from Jon Field and Rohan stopped them in their tracks. At this point prop Harry came off, Dave Bailey went on and Mr Versatile (D J) moved to the front row. On 45 minutes we managed to engineer the worst situation possible i.e. an Atherstone scrum on our line and guess what? Yeah, they scored a pushover but hit the post with the conversion leaving the score, 8-11. This prompted their packleader to shout, Right lads, we ll bust these now! (still early though old pal)
On 50 minutes Jon Field cut an Atherstone back in half and from the resulting lineout Deadeye ran a great angle before slipping to Rohan who at his mercurial best, produced one of his Specials by beating three attackers and dotting down under the sticks for 13-11. Deadeye slotted and things looked rosy again at 15-11. (To hear some hysterical idiot commentate on the score click here) The next 10 minutes and it was game on as both sides attacked and counter attacked. Rohan caught in his own 22 and throwing an outrageous dummy (those two Atherstone players had to pay to get back in) sprinted to half-way before being bundled in. The pack started to rumble after a quiet time of it in the first 40 and once again, Covents superior fitness told as Trevor broke free but was pulled back by a whistle.
On the hour it was our forwards putting the pressure on and a series of moves through the back row saw us camped in their 22 but the giants held firm against the pygmies. We were fired up and having won a penalty maybe got too excited and tapped. Luckily they were penalized again and with Steve Springate hysterically exhorting us to kick for goal we did just that, but Deadeye missed. This did not quench the Covents forward fire though and Ryan Gilbert had a trundle, supported by Jon Field and the ubiquitous Captain Cozzy. In the 68th minute we experienced deja vu as we won a penalty in their 22 and opted to tap, luckily winning another penalty which Deadeye kicked true for 18-11.
In the 70th minute, Deadeye sent another penalty into the corner and from the lineout Sam got a terrible cramp at 1500 feet but teak tough flanker that he is, took the pain like a man. So much so that when Monkey (love you and sneaker!) massaged it he screamed, Ooh it hurts, ooh it hurts. In the 75th minute it was hard, niggly but clean in the middle of the park and a series of mauls produced a run for Rohan via Lawrence and Jon Field which ended in a high tackle and our possession. Atherstone won it back and in the 78th minute got a slow drive on, inching our forwards back inexorably but a knock on put paid to their efforts.
Simon kicked away but a Covents player was offside and Atherstone opted for 3 points with a couple of minutes left plus any injury time. Break out the beer and big Cuban cigars here because surely Covents were home and hosed? You reckon??? Read on.
The kick fell short and Simon Needles, looking more relaxed than a cat in front of a roaring log fire who had eaten all the cream managed to somehow create a cliff hanging bombshell of an ending by farting about with the pick up and then knocking on resulting in a scrum on our line to the hairy monsters. So with Woz screaming hit him Ryan, lock out Ryan and other daft front row ramblings we scrummaged for our lives and solid it was too. They could not move us so opted to run it and tidal waves of relief swept over everyone in blue and white as their No 10 knocked on giving us the put in. Ball was won, kicked away and the curtain brought down on a thrilling game of rugby. Simon was off the hook and that lynching rope hurriedly taken down from the rafters inside the clubhouse.
So played three won two and a big win it was too as Atherstone had two out of two under their belts already before today. So many times on here I have paid deserved respect to our forwards over the last two seasons and there was no lack of effort today either against a bigger, heavier more experienced pack but this time the plaudits go to the backs who were tenacious in the tackle on the back foot and when the time was right, turned on the pace and skills to ensure the lads enjoyed a great win. My thanks to the Atherstone players and supporters who stayed for a good hour plus, ate some more pies and sank some more ale. Big Bear Burdett, great to see you again mate bring Clarky with you on the 14th November. Also a mention to the ref here who was virtually anonymous; this must mean he a had a good game then.
Old Covents 3rds 63 - 17 Covents 2nds Warks 3
All hail the seconds who travelled with 12 and seeking revenge for last years 60-0 thraping, OCs decided not to lend us players and even the sides up. So with Silver Fox Deano at prop and Terry (dodgy mags) Mosey on the flank a combined age of 101 played 80 minutes each. Deano himself told me that the credit goes to the younger boys who never gave up, kept running and tackled nearly everything. Big Sam Collinson scored a try, a penalty and two conversions and Alan Bedfords mate Ryan got the other try. Well done lads!
VP's & Old Boy's Day ~ Sat Nov 14th 1-00pm v Cov Saracens
VP's & Old Boy's Day ~ Sat Nov 14th 1-00pm v Cov Saracens
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