Sat 2 Nov 2002
Uttoxeter – 11
Tamworth – 24
Uttoxeter may have failed to take the points in their match with visiting Tamworth on a rain-swept Oldfields, but they were never overawed by their more illustrious opponents.
A battling performance in diabolical conditions meant that almost until the final whistle the pendulum could have swung either way.
The home side’s hard working pack had the visitors rattled in the set-pieces, and unable to release their potentially dangerous back division.
Uttoxeter’s Gareth Davies and the Hayes brothers for the second week in succession were as solid as a rock in the front row, despite facing beefy Tamworth opponents.
Hodgkinson and Gorman once again kept the scrum locked from the second row, although the latter had to be replaced by 'Spike’ Moult following the break, due to a back injury sustained earlier in the match.
The tireless Mike Ball kept the narrow side runners bottled up around the set-scrums as a good flanker should.
With Pete Whitworth moving from No 8 to replace the injured Jason Cabrera on the open side, enabling Nick Smith to return to the No Eight Jersey.
Chris Bassett was like a little terrier around the set pieces at scrum-half, with Matt Williams his No 10.
Although unable to show his blistering speed from fly half, he has improved his kicking out of hand, making some superb relieving touch finders during this game.
Showing how much he has been missed behind the scrum, skipper Tony Ball once again marshalled his trooops in fine style from inside centre, his powerful running combined well with the elegant Andy Gagie outside him.
Ian Bould and Lee Hudson had their work cut out occupying the wing spots, with Matt Thomas in his natural position at full-back.
Tamworth obviously thought that they would be out for an afternoon stroll, being well established and highly placed in Midlands Four North West.
The town side, having just been promoted, langusih at the botto9m still looking for their first points.
So when the visitors kicked off the match towards the Springfield Road end, and promptly swept into the Uttoxeter 22, winning a penalty which full-back Mark Render popped over with barely five minutes on the clock, it looked as if they might indeed outclass the home side.
But not a bit of it! Had the Tamworth threequarters been given good enough quick possession to run the ball, they certainly did look a yard faster overall than their hosts, who were stretched on several occasions.
So after being forced to soak up early pressure, the home side battled their way upfield, and a concerted shove at a five-metre scrummage sent the visitors back-pedalling at an alarming rate.
Dean Hayes stole the ball against the head of the Uttoxeter eight and once again sent the visitors sliding backwards, scrum-half Chris Bassett plucking up the ball to swoop over and gain his first try for the club, which also gave the town the lead.
Although Tony Ball missed the conversion, the Uttoxeter skipper found the target with a well-struck penalty shortly afterwards to extend the home team's lead to five points.
Render, however, cancelled it out with another Tamworth penalty goal, as errors came in abundance by both sides.
And it was a blow to the town side, when the visitors snatched the lead just prior to the change round, after spinning the ball away from a ruck in the town’s 22.
Possession was moved swiftly along the line to the right, and with Render up into the attack from full-back, it left Ian Bould facing a two-man overlap, resulting in winger Gary Crook having a clear run into the corner for the visitors’ first try, to which Render added the difficult conversion, which gave Tamworth a 13-8 lead going into the break.
Render extended the advantage to 16 points shortly into the second half.
Indeed it was the visiting full-back’s lethal boot which punished Uttoxeter errors, and kept the visitors tantalisingly just out of reach of their hosts throughout the second period.
The Oldfields lads gallantly withstood immense pressure, defending resolutely, until a quickly taken tap penalty enabled Dave Hodgkinson to go charging downfield, flicking possession to Matt Williams who went wriggling through to cover.
Although the fly-half was brought to ground, Tamworth were penalised at the breakdown, and Ball put his kick in between the uprights to pull back three points.
With only one score in it, the proceedings were finely poised, and there for the taking.
But the end came in cruel fashion with the merciless boot of Render slotting over yet another penalty goal before the visitors won a lineout in the corner, from where No 8 Paul Williams powered over for a five-pointer close to the flag.
It was Renders’ only failure of the afternoon when the conversion sailed wide but the visitors had the game sewn up.
Uttoxeter travel to Coventry to meet Marconi in the third Round of the Powergen Junior Vase on Saturday.
