Uttoxeter RFC

The home side will be left pondering how they let this game slip through their fingers. Three tries in 6 second-half minutes was enough to kill the game, despite Uttoxeter having all the territory and possession in the fixture. 

Coach Donald Hayes started with Nathan Fletcher and Sam Woolley at prop, with captain Jake Cabrera at hooker. Gregor Hayes and Tom Hayes started in the second row with Aaron Lakin and Joel Walkaden on the flanks and Callum Shaw at number 8. Daz Banton and Joe Gorman made up the halves, Lewis Bain and Tom Sherratt played centre with Luke Bebbington and Tom Gallimore on the wings, and Ben Marshall at full back. On the bench, Tom Conlon, Taine Goddard and George White offered size and experience.

Kick off was delayed by 15 minutes as the visitors struggled in traffic on the way to a pristine Oldfields pitch. This didn't seem to deter the home side who started off like a house on fire. The scrum pushed hard, Moseley Oak couldn't get a foothold in the game at set piece or in the open, and it didn't seem long until Uttoxeter opened the scoring. Gorman missed the chance with a shot at the sticks from 45 yards, and in fact it was Moseley Oak who opened the scoring. Marshall tried to find space behind the defensive line with a chip that was expertly caught by the winger who ran unimpeded to the try line. The conversion was good and Moseley Oak were 0-7 up. 

Uttoxeter took the blow well and continued to dominate the game and that pressure finally told. A penalty was given for hands in at the ruck and the home side opted to kick for touch. The ensuing lineout was won and a maul was set up. As it trundled forward, Banton passed the ball to Gorman, the fly half hit a charging Sherratt who drew three defenders to him before he popped the ball to a supporting Shaw, who was running a brutal line that Moseley Oak had no answer for. Shaw touched down under the sticks, Marshall converted easily and the score was 7-7, and Uttoxeter were looking good. 

But, yet again this season, just before half time Uttoxeter slipped up in defence to concede a try. Uttoxeter spilled the ball in their opponents 22 and fast hands across the back line led to the winger running in unopposed as the scrambling defence failed to stop the tide of Moseley Oak players coming forward. The conversion was scored and the half time whistle blew at 7-14.

Uttoxeter's substitutes rolled on as White and Conlon replaced Lakin and Fletcher to begin the second half. The momentum continued in the home team's favour, leading to a 56th minute penalty from Gorman that sailed over the posts from the half way line to make it 10-14, which was unfortunately as good as it got for Uttoxeter. Goddard replaced Gregor Hayes, but was powerless to stop the onslaught that was to come. 

On the 61st minute Marshall missed a penalty as it rebounded off the post and 7 minutes later Moseley Oak had scored 3 more tries to kill the game as a contest. 

At 62 minutes a mistake at the lineout led to a free kick for the away team, and after a quick tap and some missed tackles the winger squeezed into the corner. The shot at the posts was missed, 10-19. On the 64th minute, shortly after the restart, Moseley Oak again went the length of the field as they exposed Uttoxeter's outside edge with ease to pop and sprint their way to the try line, and with the conversion good, the score made 10-26. And the worst was to come, as Uttoxeter pushed hard but gave up another intercepted ball. The opposition player basically walked to the try line as another Uttoxeter implosion was complete. 10-33.

A 71st minute sin binning for a high shot on Goddard handed Uttoxeter the impetus to drive forward once more, but despite camping in the Moseley Oak 22 for the remainder of the game, Uttoxeter failed to capitalise and the match finally ended. Lessons need to be learned from the 1st team as they again had enough to compete but not to win, allowing a short period of awful game management to define the outcome of the fixture. 

Elsewhere, Uttoxeter 2nd XV won away against St Leonard's of Stafford with a 10-19 victory. Fixture adversity has not stopped the 2nd team from remaining unbeaten this season, but hopefully they can concentrate on the league rather than scrabbling for games over the next few weeks. 

Next week Uttoxeter 1st XV play away to local rivals Newcastle (Staffs), whilst the 2nd XV host Eccleshall 2nd XV at Oldfields.