MERIT TABLE
02/02/08
KCS OLD BOYS 3s v LONDON CORNISH 3s

KCS Old Boys 3s 16 - London Cornish 3s 13

Cornish produced a performance of character and grit but ultimately were outgunned by a powerful KCS unit who on this showing would make worthy winners of the merit table. It could have been all different if the exiles had not eschewed several kickable penalties, but the fact remains that this was a magnificent game of a quality far beyond anything seen at third team level for Cornish.

KCS started strongly and threatened to break through in the first few minutes before several crunching Neutrino tackles allowed Cornish to clear their line and get a foothold on the game. Crashing play in the centres by Charlie Nicoll and Dave Morris gained ground for the exiles, and the pressure eventually paid off as Quentin Peri slotted a penalty to put the exiles three points up. It soon became apparent that the home team’s set scrum was causing Cornish major problems, but scrambling work in the loose supplied enough ball to launch several attacks. Morris continued to show some deft touches, and a break by Crawford Henderson gave James Baylis a little space on the 22, which he took advantage of before being stopped just short of the line. And then heartbreak: Cornish’s defence was magnificent all day, with only three missed tackles obvious. Unfortunately these were all attempts on the KCS blind side flanker, who fended off several attempts to power over from the half way. Cornish were now 4 points down, but rallied by skipper Kieron Joy and inspired by half backs John Feltham and Peri they returned to the opposition half to continue the pressure. Eventually it told, Feltham’s quick thinking and sharp tap penalty releasing Nicoll to dive over in the corner. Conversion missed but Cornish saw the half time break in with a one point lead.

The high tempo of the opening forty clearly took their toll on Cornish, with KCS the brighter team for the third quarter, their back row in particular a threat with the ball in hand. The relentless pressure at scrum time took its toll on the exiles‘ props, with first Giles Morse and then Ali Herring succumbing to injuries. With only diminutive hooker Jason Parkin on the bench Cornish had no choice but to move to uncontested scrums. Despite the negation of this advantage the power of the KCS forwards still came through, ruthlessly punishing any untidy Cornish ball and driving the away team back at the breakdown. The whole exiles team showed their character in this period, with the tackling of Tim Hayton and sheer defiance of Alex Clough particularly noteworthy. KCS pressed their advantage through a penalty before Cornish, given impetus by the fresh legs of Parkin, Andy Wise and Tom Pashley, came back at them, applying pressure on pressure. Peri went close with a couple of penalty attempts and further kicks at goal were spurned before Neutrino (his name is Mark Osei-Tutu - Ed) was finally sent over in the corner for an unconverted try. A dazzling run by Micky Bickford-Smith nearly sealed the game for Cornish but was disallowed for an earlier knock on. KCS cleared their lines and then promptly won a penalty, converted to bring the scores level. The ball was then driven back into the exiles’ half, and out of the chaos the home team fly half produced a moment of individual brilliance with a snap drop goal to give his team the win. On the balance of play Cornish perhaps deserved to win the game, but didn’t take their chances, and this shouldn’t take away from the fact that this really was a great game for the handful of spectators. Good luck to KCS for the rest of the season.

Man of the match: full of contenders, with no weak performances. James Baylis had a busy and powerful game on the wing, and Charlie Nicoll and Dave Morris were powerful yet deft in the centres. The top three though were (3) Alex Clough, who stood up to be counted in difficult conditions for the front five, (2) Ed Shield, who combined an all action game in the loose with impeccable throwing in, and (1) Tim Hayton, who constantly put his body on the line in the breakdown and made an extraordinary number of tackles to secure the award. Tw*t of the match: again, many contenders. The award was sailing towards Kieron for his attempted charge down of a penalty kick before Charlie Nicoll demonstrated the JD Pequinot technique to referee relations, narrowly avoiding a red card for dissent after the final whistle. Old enough to know better.

LCRFC – Team: Crawford Henderson; James Baylis, Dave Morris, Charlie Nicoll, Ben Hufton (Micky Bickford-Smith); Quentin Peri, John Feltham; Ali Herring (Tom Pashley), Ed Shield, Giles Morse (Jason Parkin); Jamie Halliday, Alex Clough; Kieron Joy (capt) (Andy Wise), Tim Hayton, Mark Osei-Tutu


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