Drybrook R.F.C. 10pts
Bracknell R.F.C. 12pts
When you lose your goal kicker after five minutes, are reduced to fourteen and then thirteen players and have a try disallowed you could be forgiven for thinking that it’s just not going to be your day.
Drybrook started well playing into a stiff breeze towards the clubhouse. They were dealt their first blow when they lost outside half Tim Stevenson with a hand injury after five minutes. Ben Large moved to half-back and Sam Peaper made a welcome return, coming on as replacement on the wing.
A tense opening quarter of an hour saw both teams probing only to be met by resilient defence.
On seventeen minutes a loose kick into midfield by Bracknell was collected by Renton who charged back at the opposition to set up play on the Bracknell twenty-two. After a series of drives from the forwards the ball was released to the backs by Regan Marsh, and it was young fullback Bradley Morgan, making his home debut, who picked the perfect running line. With his arm raised aloft he crossed the Bracknell line close to the posts to score his first try in the green of Drybrook.
With Stevenson off the field and no recognised kicker it was left to Mitch Baldwin to attempt the conversion. Unluckily he saw his kick rebound off the right hand upright and the score was five points to nil in the home team’s favour.
Four minutes later it looked as though Drybrook had doubled their lead when from a scrum on their own ten metre line the ball was given to Peaper who made a good break up the centre of the park. His pass found Olly Moore on the wing who chipped ahead for the supporting Morgan to follow up and touch down. The referee however adjudged the ball to have been knocked on before the grounding and Bracknell were able to clear
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the ball to safety from the resulting scrum.
Drybrook continued to play most of the attacking rugby but through good defence from Bracknell and the majority of penalty decisions going against the attacking team they were unable to make the breakthrough.
The game was in it’s thirty sixth minute when a fairly innocuous flair-up instigated by the Bracknell tight-head prop and involving Sam Peaper led to the young referee making the call that had a devastating effect on Drybrook’s ability to win the game. Despite admitting that he had not seen the incident clearly, he gave Peaper a red card, while the Bracknell prop escaped with a yellow. After reviewing the incident on video, it can only make the point more evident that this level of rugby deserves more experienced referees.
Despite defending well with a man down Drybrook eventually saw their line crossed on forty-four minutes when the visitors full back crossed from close range. The conversion was successful and Bracknell took a somewhat fortuitous seven points to five lead into the break.
Drybrook started the second half defending after Bracknell had kicked long from the restart. They then gradually made their way up the pitch to earn a rare penalty of their own on the Bracknell ten metre line. The ball was taken on by Watts and Large but the move lost momentum when Renton was unable to hold on to the ball five metres out.
Despite being a player down Drybrook played the first twenty minutes of the second half in Bracknell territory but another crucial decision by the ref then changed the game again. He awarded Bracknell a penalty at an attacking Drybrook scrum, then sent the Drybrook prop to the sin bin for swearing.
What was going to be an uphill struggle with fourteen, now looked like an unassailable mountain with thirteen.
Despite the effort being shown by the Drybrook boys left on the pitch it was almost inevitable that with two extra players Drybrook would be forced to concede and sure enough with twenty-three minutes of the second half played Bracknell used their numerical advantage to score an unconverted try to take a twelve points to five lead.
If things looked ominous for the home team you would never have known as the thirteen players ripped into their opponents. A good charge forward by Mitch Hale took play to the visitors five metre line, and when the ball came back replacement prop Ethan Seville was on hand to cross the line. The lack of a regular kicker again thwarted Drybrook as the conversion that would have levelled the scores failed to find its target.
Back up to fourteen Drybrook threw all they had at the opposition but to their credit and with a man advantage Bracknell were able to hold out for a two-point victory.
It was a bitter pill for Drybrook to swallow, but to show great resilience in the face of adversity was something this young team will gain from. Bradley Morgan showed that the Drybrook youth section conveyer belt is still in fine working order and producing quality players.
The remaining games will now take on even greater significance. But I am sure we are up for the fight.
Drive on Dry!
Drybrook Squad: MORGAN, MOORE, PRICE, LARGE, BALDWIN, STEVENSON, MARSH, BOURNE, FROWEN, WATTS, RENTON, GREENWAY, HALE, STRETCH, BEATIE, HOWELLS, PEAPER, SEVILLE.
