Spalding RFC 23
Bugbrooke RFC 39
Winless Spalding RFC put in a much-improved performance in their final Midlands One East game of 2014 – but still couldn’t break their duck for the season.
The last Saturday before Christmas marked the start of the second half of the season, with Town entertaining a Bugbrooke side that hammered them 62-3 in the early weeks of the season.
Since that opening match the visitors’ form has continued to be good, with them currently in a comfortable position of sixth in the league.
With the loss of Alex Ioannou to Peterborough Lions, vice captain Sam Cooke reverted to the front row alongside Jacob Hutson and Josh Caley.
Making a welcome return to the team were Ash Piccaver and Charlie Seconde, who had accidentally clashed heads four weeks ago and both required 20 stitches.
Making his first team debut was Matt Heinze, having had some good performances in the second team.
In ideal conditions for rugby at the Memorial Field and with a nip in the air, the early exchanges were encouraging for Spalding, with Harry Brown making numerous breaks from the scrum.
However, Bugbrooke were the first to score when a neat offload opened the Town defence for an unconverted try.
Spalding’s Josh Broome, at fly-half, was kicking well from hand to gain territory – and after 17 minutes had the opportunity to slot over a penalty from 25 metres to open Spalding’s account. But the home team were again undone by another offload with Bugbrooke’s centre scoring.
The conversion looked a relatively simple affair, but young Will Moore remarkably charged down the attempt.
That roused Spalding, as Broome sent a towering penalty kick to touch for a lineout. The ball was won at the tail by Brown, who spun out of a tackle and was over from five metres and with Broome successfully kicking the conversion to level the scores on 35 minutes.
Under pressure, Bugbrooke infringed again at the breakdown by not releasing in the tackle and from 40 metres Broome sent over a wonderful penalty kick to edge Spalding into the lead.
But, with the home team’s defence caught out of position, a good move allowed Bugbrooke to put their left winger into space to score in the corner on the stroke of half time for a lead of 15-13.
On resumption, some early pressure by Spalding resulted in a penalty being awarded and Broome stepped up for a successful kick. This seemed to stir Bugbrooke, though, as they stepped up their intensity and for the next 20 minutes they dominated the match.
Firstly, a lineout on the five metre line resulted in a well-executed catch and drive move by the visitors forwards for an unconverted try. Ten minutes later, after a good rumble by the visitors forwards, the ball was spread out to their right winger to run down his second try of the match.
This was then followed by the Bugbrooke forwards picking and driving towards the line – only for the maul to be illegally stopped by Spalding and a penalty try.
Bugbrooke’s final try was again created by the visitors’ forwards pulling in Town’s defence, which allowed space out wide for their left winger to score.
Late on Spalding hit back as Cooke stepped up with his forwards in a drive towards the corner to dive over the line for a late try. Broome kicked a difficult conversion to complete the scoring.
Spalding RFC: Hutson, Cooke, Caley, Piccaver, Waltham, Richardson, Duerden, Brown, Shields, Broome, Moore, Chappell (captain), Heinze, Browne, Lucas, Osborne, Seconde and Bailey.
MOTM: Harry Brown.
Next: Derby v Town (January 3)
