Two disappointing results yesterday, with both the 1st and 2nd XVs throwing away substantial leads to lose by three and four points respectively. On the plus side, fielding 30+ guys for the first time in over a year demonstrated the growing interest in rugby in Egham. In the early kick-off, the 2nd XV made a great start to the game, scoring three quick tries in succession. The immaculate Royal Holloway pitch (probably second only to Twickenham in the country at present) made for some fast paced action, and during the opening exchanges and we were able to take advantage of Readings early defensive frailties. Tim Sudworth showed theres fight in the old dog yet, demonstrating great power and determination to get himself over the try line for the first score. East McBride, returning after a two year rugby absence, showed touches of brilliance, carrying the ball well and making good ground, with his persistence eventually paying off with a try. The final try came from another vetran of the game. When Tapuwa Chabata found himself up against three backs, he managed to break through all three tackles and place over the line to give Egham Hollowegians IIs a 15-0 lead at half time. In the second half, Reading Vs came out fighting, bringing on a few fresh legs. Slowly but surely they clawed back the deficit, and proved to be just a little bit fitter and smarter as the game drew to a close, taking the lead a few minutes before the end of the game. Full time: Egham Hollowegians IIs 15 - Reading Vs 19 After two games, Egham Hollowegians lie 3rd in TVIL B. Next Saturday we face Farnham Royals IIs at home, and will be looking to avenge this weeks defeat and keep within touching distance of early pacesetters High Wycombe IVs. In the second fixture, which took place immediately after, the 1st XV took on Raynes Park, a side which dropped down from Surrey 3. The opposition thought they had scored early on, when their rotund fly-half opted for for a chip and chase collected by the full back, only to be ruled out for offside. An early escape. Egham Hollowegians then switched on, and were able to link a few plays together, hitting the ball up and making good ground. This paid dividends, with two tries coming in quick succession from Sean Davies and Henry Garfield. The third try was somewhat of a gift, when a loose Raynes Park try was intercepted, allowing the backs to shift the ball wide and score with relative ease. Just before half-time, when Raynes Park looked at their most vulnerable, Jack Smale made a rare 10 yard dash having collected a stray ball from a ruck. He linked with fellow front row George Skinner, who went over in front of the posts. With the bonus point secured so early, it looked like we were heading for a famous win. In a similar vein to the 2nd XV game, Raynes Park came out rejuvenated and looking to get themselves back into the game. Gordon Kerins kicked a couple of superb long-range penalties, but unfortunately a few defensive errors resulted in us conceding five tries (with several missed conversions) with the opposition levelling the game with 7 minutes left to play. With three minutes to go, they were awarded a penalty in our 22, which sailed over, giving them a single score score lead and eating up valuable playing time. Egham Hollowegians were unable to collect the restart and Raynes Park were content to allow the ball to go into touch. Full time: Egham Hollowegians 31 - Raynes Park 34 We currently languish 8th in the table and will be looking to change that next week when we face old foes Haslemere away. Hopefully the weather will hold out as we all know what a quagmire it can be down there, but on the flip-side that might actually suit our style of play better in the second-half! An important lesson was learned by both teams today: we need to build upon upwards momentum and not let the opposition have time to recover by keeping the scoreboard ticking and keeping our discipline.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 08:52:55 +0000
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