Spalding 5 Stockwood Park 12
The extremely strong winds of Storm Darragh, gusting up to 50mph directly down the pitch at Centenary Park made conditions extremely challenging for both sets of players for their Midlands One East (South) encounter.
The Luton-based visitors arrived by coach and there was some debate whether the game would be on but the players took to the field knowing they would have to adapt their game plans in the howling gale. Luckily the rain held off.
Stockwood kicked off with wind advantage and soon had Spalding under pressure as they camped inside the home 22. Quickly adapting their game, with short passes from the breakdown and their forwards or the centre pairing driving forward, Stockwood opened up Spalding’s defence to touch down an unconverted try.
Shortly afterwards there was a near repeat but as the Stockwood player dived over the line under pressure from Spalding, he lost control of the ball.
Steadily Spalding eased themselves into the game with carries from Jack Grundy, Luke Turner and Will Shields. With a position gained inside Stockwood’s 22 and secured ruck ball, scrum half Jim Wraith passed out to fly half Willis Ingleby. With Stockwood’s defence advancing, he slotted a grubber kick through for Conall Mason to beat the covering defence to score.
The slippery conditions meant scrums were difficult, with feet slipping on the surface and lineouts were particularly challenging in the wind.
Shortly before half-time Stockwood again had Spalding pinned deep back in their 22 and forced a try between the posts to take a seven-point lead.
In the last minutes of the first half Spalding took the game to the visitors and from a ruck close to the try line the ball was worked along the backs with right wing Ben Shields diving over. However, he knocked on while attempting to score.
Turning round with the wind at their backs, it should have been the turn of Spalding to pin back the visitors but Stockwood played a simple game of keeping the ball tight in the forwards, retaining procession and using either strong running forwards to gain territory or the centres close to the forwards to bash up.
Spalding struggled to get into the game with their scrum weakening as the game progressed. Stockwood became the dominant force with Spalding rarely threatening to enter the visitors’ 22.
There was no addition to the score with a disappointing performance costing Spalding a win against a side lying in the bottom half of the table, although they did pick up a losing bonus point.
This Saturday sees a local derby at home to Bourne, 2.15pm.
Spalding: Parker, Cowell, Turner, Douglas, Templer, Brett, W Shields, Grundy, Wraith, Ingleby, B Shields, Mason, Firth, Sharman, Duce. Subs: Schrauwers, Christie, Sutcliffe.
