Drybrook 29ptsConey Hill 13pts
The weather was dreadful once again but Drybrook did well to record their fourth win on the trot, this time against bottom placed ConeyHill.
The visitors were a lot better than their league position suggests and had they not been reduced to 14 men after 30 minutes the game would have been a lot tighter.
Drybrook had the first chance for points when live wire scrum half Jack Combes dribbled the ball forward but was pulled back by his opponent as he chased the touch down,
Not even a penalty resulted for Drybrook and moments later ConeyHill took the lead with a penalty from 35 metres.
Tom Treherne responded immediately for Drybrook when he leveled the scores with his first penalty goal.
With 20 minutes gone Treherne put Drybrook into the lead with a second penalty but afterwards the home side began to make mistakes by trying to play too expansive a game in the wet conditions.
Indeed it was ConeyHill who grabbed the first try when a period of pressure sucked in the home defence to allow space outside for a simple run in to put them in front.
A few minutes later the visitor’s outside half Ryan Barnett was shown red after he kicked a Drybrook player in a ruck.
The momentum slowly swung Drybrook’s way and Treherne cut the deficit to one point with another successful penalty on the stroke of half time.
Half Time:
Drybrook 9pts
ConeyHill 10pts
Drybrook hit the ground running in the second half but Treherne was just off target with an early penalty attempt.
Two minutes later he put over a great kick to give Drybrook the lead and from this moment the home side did not look back.
Playing the conditions much better in the second half Drybrook put a lot of pressure on the visitors but a few forward passes and the occasional knock on meant they missed a few scoring opportunities.
A score eventually came when flanker Joe Tingle charged down a clearance kick from a ConeyHill scrum and Combes was on the loose ball in a flash and gathered before diving over in the corner for the try.
ConeyHill responded with a penalty goal but Drybrook soon hit back with another well worked try. This time No 8 Mitch Renton combined with winger Ben George down the blind side of a scrum to send that man Combes scampering over for his second try in the corner.
With 10 minutes to go Drybrook grabbed a third try when skipper Ben Large switched the ball inside to Sam Peaper and the powerful winger stormed through the gap to race 30 metres to touch down under the posts.
Treherne converted and in the dying minutes Drybrook searched in vain for the bonus point try but ConeyHill had other ideas and even came close to grabbing the last score themselves as the game came to an end.
Jack Combes was deservedly Drybrook’s man of the match but there were a lot of other good performances given the appalling conditions.
In particular Mitch Renton stood out in a strong back row unit and new winger Ben George also looked sharp when he came on in the second half.
Drybrook; Tom Treherne, Sam Peaper, Kristian Taft, Ben Large (capt), Mitch Baldwin,Jack Coombs, Mitch Hale, Luke Fisher, Alex Gibson, Will Greenway, Glen Nott, Joe Tingle, Mitch Bourne, Mitch Renton
Replacements; Ben George, Aaron Ryder, Joe James
Footnote
Did anybody notice linesman Alan Miles’ trendy deer skin loafers or were they slippers?.
With everyone else slipping and sliding about Big Al made light of the muddy conditions and looked positively gazelle like as he patrolled the bottom touchline.
Talking of trendy wet weather gear Oscar Rawlings also cut a fine figure with his bright yellow wet suit complete with flared 1970’s style bottoms.
Hardwick & Quedgeley Harlequins 10pts