Spalding 29 Keyworth 24
This was a roller coaster of a game against visitors Keyworth, with the lead changing hands five times.
With 15 minutes remaining Colts Finlay Roy, who had come off the bench, sealed a win for Spalding.
Fellow Colt Jack Bowser, playing at outside centre, with his powerful running and strong tackles, was Spalding’s man of the match.
Earlier in the season it had been a tough away win for Spalding with victory being sealed with nearly the last play of the game, so another tight game was expected.
In at prop was Connor Broome with Zian Berg ill and Will Shields back at flanker replacing Ryan Firth with an ankle strapped from training.
With Jack Patrick unavailable, Bowser made a very successful debut at outside centre.
Spalding started impressively, drawing a couple of penalties.
The first was kicked to touch, which Keyworth defended successfully, whilst the next penalty kick was slotted between the posts by Willis Ingleby for a three-point lead after eight minutes.
There was a good competition between the forwards with perhaps Keyworth having the edge in the scrums, whilst a combination of George Douglas and Henry Hobson would see good lineout possession throughout the game.
Keyworth equalised with a penalty kick, then had their lock yellow carded, followed immediately by then scoring a breakaway try under the posts to take a seven-point advantage.
Spalding’s Lachlan Summers followed to the side lines with a yellow card and two minutes later Keyworth’s number eight was off the park for ten minutes.
With field position near Keyworth’s try line and a man advantage Spalding with a tap penalty, edged forward, but wasted the opportunity with poor discipline from Hobson conceding a penalty.
However in the ten minutes leading up to half time Spalding produced two tries as they built pressure and momentum.
Inside centre Sam Booth sliced through Keyworth’s defence twice but the last tackle brought him down.
However the pressure brought rewards as the forwards, with flanker Will Shields carrying well, left winger Charlie Beecham finished off to level the scores.
Then Spalding’s number eight Jack Grundy burst through an initial tackle and his power and strength took him through two further tackles to go 20m and score next to the posts. The simple conversion gave Spalding a seven-point, 17-10 lead at half time
The early part of the second half saw Keyworth stun Spalding with two converted tries within ten minutes.
They caught Spalding’s defence asleep, scoring under the posts and then a long kick chase into the in goal area was won by the visitors to make it 24-17.
Ash Anker replaced prop Broome, followed by scrum half Ben Shields interfering with his opposite number too early at the breakdown leading to a yellow card.
Broome then came back on for fellow prop Tom Parker.
Left wing Alexander Creak was put into space and as Keyworth’s defence closed in, a kick forward into the in goal area was followed in by Bowser winning the race to the touch down and with the conversion the scores were level at 24-24.
Full back Gav Sharman suffered an injury and was replaced by Cameron Roy.
Spalding were hunting for another score and with a good penalty kick to touch and lineout possession secured, a driving maul advanced towards the touch line.
As it stalled a pass out to Roy on the left saw him touch down to secure the bonus point win taking Spalding back up to fourth in the league.
Team: Tom Parker, Elliot Humphreys, Connor Broome, George Douglas, Henry Hobson, Lachlan Summers, Will Shields, Jack Grundy, Ben Shields, Willis Ingleby, Alexander Creak, Sam Booth, Jack Bowser, Charlie Beecham, Gav Sharman. Subs: Ash Anker, Ollie Sorrell, and Finlay Roy.
Pictures by Adrian Smith.
