Drybrook Rugby Club

Drybrook 38pts
Matson 12pts

Drybrook still head the pack with just one game left to play thanks to this emphatic victory over Gloucester rivals Matson.
The Manning’s was awash with people and the sun was shining for a change as kick – off approached for what was the last home game of the season. Among the crowd it was nice to see Neil (The Rock) Morgan who has been missing the last few weeks while he waited for his beard to grow. Also present were a contingency from Ross R.F.C who were on a scouting mission to see if Vic Jones would re-join them following their success at being promoted this season. Vic said he was very flattered but at the age of sixty three he was going to end his career with the Squirrels.
It was a fitting performance from Drybrook that showed why they are challenging for promotion in what could have been a difficult afternoon.
A frantic start to the game saw Drybrook take the lead on four minutes when a well- rehearsed line-out move ended with Mitch Hale being driven over for the first try.
As usual Tom Treherne converted to make it seven nil to the Foresters.
Play was end to end as both teams were desperate to score points in their bids to achieve different goals. Drybrook looking to keep a two point advantage at the top of the table, while Matson needed five points to keep alive a faint hope of survival at this level.
Matson went close when after a number of penalties kicked to the corner their pack were held up just short of the line. Luke Boon was adjudged to have put himself in the way and was given a yellow as was the Matson player who took it into his hands to try and remove him.
Drybrook next showed their superior class with a scintillating counter attack that was finished by the ever dangerous Charlie Hubert. Treherne added the extras and it looked as if Drybrook were cruising to an easy victory.
Matson though were by no means finished and found a way back when the referee awarded their winger a try after it looked as though Charlie

.
Hubert had touched the ball down first after a speculative kick-ahead from the Matson outside-half. An excellent conversion was added to close the gap to seven points. Drybrook were at times guilty of not keeping hold of the ball in their attempt to build momentum and from one of these errors the Matson side were awarded a penalty which they kicked to the corner and drove over following the line-out to bring the score to within two points.
It was not long though before Drybrook were back on the attack and the excellent Will Greenway led the way with a series of line breaks to take play into the Matson twenty two.
A number of assaults on the Matson line eventually paid dividends when Peaper the poacher was on hand to dive in at the foot of posts. Treherne sent the ball between the uprights for a half time lead of twenty one points to twelve.
Half Time was marked by the official ceremony of Alan Miles being awarded the invitation of the Old Folks Christmas Party by Chairman Chris Rawlings in honour of his sixtieth birthday. He said that Lank could sit on the top table with Gordy and Oscar which a brought a tear to the eye of many in the crowd.
The second half began and in all honesty it was something of a one way affair as Drybrook went in search of the bonus point.
Matson defended well for the first quarter but were pinned for not releasing the tackled player on their twenty two and Treherne put over a penalty to take Drybrook twenty four points to twelve in front.
You could sense the frustration coming into the Matson game as they realised that there would be very little chance of them getting back into the match which unfortunately showed itself in a number of off the ball incidents that Drybrook did well to ignore.
On thirty minutes Drybrook Captain Ben Large was the beneficiary of some good interplay between Tingle and Greenway that set the three

quarter’s free to make space for him to coast in from twenty metres out and leave a straightforward conversion Treherne.
The play was being fragmented by an over-zealous referee and the continual slowing down of the game did nothing to add to the spectacle.
Drybrook continued to attack at every opportunity and were rewarded once again as their powerhouse prop Mitch Hale crashed over for his second try of the game.Treherne completed another one hundred percent afternoon by adding the conversion.
With only minutes left to play a nasty incident involving the Matson centre who first stamped on and then kneed Will Greenway in the side of the head could have turned things ugly. To his credit Will just carried on and the whistle ended a game that Drybrook will look back on as a job well done.
It was not always pretty, but given the gravity of the result for both teams it was well deserved.
Captain Ben Large, centre Danny Price and fullback Charlie Hubert were all in fine form, but the stand out performance of Will Greenway deserves special mention for his tireless effort all afternoon.
It was with bated breath that we all awaited news from Devon of the Exeter v Launceston game. It was some time later when one of Taffy Howells homing pigeons reached the Manning’s with the news that the students had recorded a bonus point win. This leaves Drybrook needing a win from their last game at arch rivals Newent to secure the league title.
It will be an epic finale to what has been an incredible season for this village rugby team and we hope that an army of Drybrook supporters will be there to cheer our boy’s on in what undoubtedly will be a massive final hurdle.

Drybrook 1st XV: C Hubert, M Baldwin D Price, H Howard T Treherne, B Large (Captain), R Marsh, M Hale, A Howells, L Boon, W Greenway, G Nott, S Peaper, J Tingle M Bourne.
Replacements: M Renton, D Jelf, B George.