Southwell RFC 66
Spalding RFC 10
Spirited Spalding RFC suffered another heavy defeat on Saturday – but they did show their mettle in the second half to stop high-flying Southwell running riot.
Town, who are already relegated having only won once all season, were beaten 66-10 by their second-placed hosts in Midlands Two East (North).
It looked like the Elephants were on course for their heaviest defeat of the season, but they rallied to only concede one try in the final 30 minutes in Nottinghamshire.
After an absence of three weeks, captain Harry Brown was back in the side at lock with Jacob Greaves also making his first start in the front row. Another change saw Ben Shields start on the right wing, with Gav Sharman unavailable.
With ideal conditions on Saturday, it did not take Southwell long to kick-start their scoring.
With their player manager, ex-Nottingham ace Dan Montagu controlling affairs at the base of the scrum and linking well with his scrum-half, they quickly exploited their passing ability in the backs and creating overlaps out wide.
Indeed, after just 11 minutes they were three tries to the good. After a further ten minutes some poor defensive tackling by Spalding allowed Southwell to add a further try and extend their lead to 26 points.
At this point, the omens for the afternoon were not looking bright for Town.
However, Spalding were looking good in spells – especially with ball in hand, with Tom Duerden leading by example. Sadly, a shoulder injury resulted in an early departure and he was replaced by Harry Cole.
Town’s scrum was going well and, from a good field position, Ash Piccaver picked up at number eight and used his strength to open their account with a good try.
Southwell’s pace around the park was causing problems as they searched for further tries and three more were added by half time to leave Town in perilous position.
After the restart Spalding – in spells – were in control, led by their forwards and the centre pairing of Jason Steels and George Brown, which was proving effective.
Steels carried the ball deep in Southwell’s half and gained a scrum for Town. Good pickup and pass from the scrum saw George Douglas, from full-back, taking the ball at pace to score Spalding’s second try.
Now battling away, with Richard Cooke at scrum-half leading by example and fly-half Will Shields not afraid to tackle the home team’s back row, they tried to make headway around the fringes.
Southwell only scored a solitary try in the last 30 minutes, which speaks volumes for the spirit and commitment that has developed within the team over recent weeks.
The signs are positive that next season in a lower league confidence can be rebuilt and Spalding can get back to winning ways
Spalding RFC: Jacob Greaves, Josh Caley, John Barrett, Harry Brown (captain), Kev Hudson, Kieran Bailey, Ash Piccaver, Tom Duerden, Richard Cooke, Will Shields, Brian Browne, Jason Steels, George Brown, Ben Shields, George Douglas. Subs: Harry Cole and Bruno Figueirido.
