Sat 5 Feb 2022
And so the selection merry-go-round to get 18 players to represent Kingsbridge continues. This week the task of getting the required numbers was made easier by the cancellation of the Colts’ fixture. Called up for their first, of what one hopes will be many, games representing Kingsbridge 1st XV were Jack Winzer, who played in the back row, Dave Stephens’ son Rhys on the wing and Max Goodwin who came on in the second half.
Tiverton at home are a particularly hard team to beat. They possess a few wily old players who maybe past their best but who still know their way around a rugby pitch. The pitch itself looked soft but it was hard going for both sides.
Kingsbridge started playing up the slope and the initial few minutes of the game belonged to them and it wasn’t long before George Banfield broke through to give Kingsbridge a five point lead. Tiverton kicked off and within a few minutes of the restart had levelled the score with an unconverted try.
The home side were using the slope and the conditions well and it was only some determined tackling from Kingsbridge that kept them out. As usual desperate defending leads to chances being taken with the referee and some over zealous breakdown work resulted in a Tiverton penalty, which was converted to give the home side an 8-5 lead.
Kingsbridge went straight back up field and now it was the home side’s turn to do some desperate defending. Gaps started to appear in their defence and it was through one of these that Toby Baldry darted through to touch down. Ben Newman’s conversion was good so the score at half time read 8-12 to Kingsbridge.
With the slope in their favour it was expected that Kingsbridge would find it easier going but Tiverton were not to be pushed around and an indiscretion by Kingsbridge led to a simple penalty for Tiverton making it 11-12. Whether they eased off a bit or Tiverton stepped up the pace Kingsbridge started to give away too many penalties and from one Tiverton found the target to give them 14-12 lead.
This seemed to stir Kingsbridge into action and from some good work near the home side’s line Jon Merrin emerged with the ball, capping a good afternoon’s work for him and his fellow back rowers Jack Cope and young Jack Winzer. Newman’s conversion seemed to have settled matters at 14-19 but the referee and Tiverton had other ideas. With the clock deep in the red the final effort by the home side saw their winger scramble over in the corner. Luckily for Kingsbridge the conversion was missed so the game ended with honours even.
A good game for the blue and whites with old hands Skipper Jake Vincent, Michael Powell and James Palmer getting through a vast amount of work.
With the, hopefully short term, demise of the 2nd XV Kingsbridge are lucky they have some outstanding Colts to call upon in times of need. Hopefully regulars will be back for the trip to Burnham-on-Sea next week.
