| 1st XV 29 Canterbury 24 |
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| Written by Andrew Baron | |
| Monday, 22 March 2010 | |
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Some fantastic pictures, stats and info in Monday's Cambridge News...here is Mark Taylor's (Cambridge News Rugby Reporter) report... Tovo's young tyros get job done THE best vintages are supposed to mature with age, but it is happening over a season at Shelford as the young guns stepped up to help them beat Canterbury 29-24 in National League 2S. Coach Sam Tovo is seeing his players drop like flies, with seven ruled out before the match and Ed Mills and Aki Lea adding to the injured list during the game. But Shelford's thriving youth set-up is proving invaluable as Miles Anderson, George Perry, Tim Mann, Charlie Baker and debutant Douglas Finlayson rose to the occasion. The youngsters could not have beaten sixth-placed Canterbury on their own and it was some experienced campaigners that helped provide the platform.
Shelford's game management in the first half, with the wind, was the key to their success and Chris Glynn, and to a lesser extent Tom Dann, were fundamental factors. Kicking tactics draw such negative comments, but it does not have to be the aimless ping-pong approach, and Glynn showed that with the way he put his team into position. The full-back dropped balls over the Canterbury back three, switched direction across the pitch to find space and also found touch. And Dann did similarly, with very few kicks into the arms of opponents. Having territory is one thing, using it is another and the hosts' line-out was dominant, with Richard Warmington catching the eye all round. Shelford won 14 out of 14 scrums, while their defensive work in the first half in particular saw them turnover three of Canterbury's seven put-ins. Warmington and Perry led the way in the tackle stakes as Shelford's ruck defence looked impenetrable, however the hosts looked fragile when run at and isolated one-on-one. The forwards must take the plaudits for setting up the win as Shelford's driving mauls constantly put Canterbury on the back foot, and led to three tries. The first came through a catch and drive and hooker Mark Erven was the beneficiary. Try two arrived on 16 minutes as Anderson peeled off the side of a driving maul, Lea carried on the forward momentum before off-loading to Warmington for his first try for the club. However, the fragility of the first-up defence let Shelford down as they stood off in the Canterbury 22m, letting the visitors run clear and Sam Rogers provided the final pass from the break for Ed Roche to touch down. The lack of numbers forced Dane Grey to be named on the bench despite not being fit, and an injury to Lea meant he was called into action, but he performed admirably. The third try was created by darting scrum-half Baker, who popped up the pass for Glynn to cross the line, and Gough's third conversion and a penalty made it 24-5. Just before the break, Mills went off injured to be replaced by teenager Finlayson, who arrived at the Davey Field in the morning expecting to play for the development team. Canterbury started the second half with their tails up, and Pat Sykes' powerful drive earned its reward with Steve Goode going over. The hosts had a 10-minute spell where they lost their composure, struggling to clear their lines, but the introduction of Warwick Anderson and Matt Gregerson perked them up, and it was not long before Erven got his second pushover try. It should have been game over, especially with Canterbury's Jimmy Stanford receiving a yellow card - which produced a comedy strop from the replacement prop - but Shelford's defence went to sleep. Jack Davis evaded a couple of tackles to get a try, and then De Kock did similarly to reduce the arrears to just five points, but fortunately for Shelford the full-time whistle went to confirm their deserved win. Match Details: Scores: |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 March 2010 ) |
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