Brackley 5 Wellingborough OG’s 6

The OG’s put down markers to the rest of the league with an excellent win over some good opposition, it is also the first time the Wellingborough based team has won in Brackley for several years. The conditions were equal for both teams with the wind blowing straight across the pitch. The OG’s uncharacteristically started well and applied loads of pressure in the first 10 minutes of the game, this led to a penalty under the Brackley posts a quick tap was taken and the OG’s seemed to have scored but the referee pulled the OG’s back and gave them another penalty?, This should have been put over but the OG’s went for the line again and came up short.

The first half was dominated by the OG’s who spent along time in the oppositions half, but some excellent defensive work kept the OG’s out. The conditions worsened and the heavy rain led to blunders from both sides, making the game far more even, the OG’s pack were slipping off their game slightly which ultimately led to Brackleys only score, a collapsed scrum saw the Brackley scrum half dive over, the conversion was missed and half time soon followed with the game being played from at a frantic pace going from one twenty two to the other.

The second half was going to be a test of the OG’s ‘bouncebackability’ and saw the OG’s dominate for 25 minutes and Brackley were simply not in the game, the OG’s went close on several occasions. But all the pressure was bound to resulting penalties and within five minutes skipper Richard Armitage landed a simply penalty, this inspired the old boys and they set up camp deep in Brackley territory. Again the pressure told and Richard Armitage landed another penalty. This put the Wellingborough team into the lead for the first time, but there was still twenty minutes on the clock. The Brackley team were still heavily under the cosh and produced an excellent display in defence and cleared their lines well but the ball was soon carried back into there territory with 15 minutes left in the game Brackley stepped up a gear. Now it was the OG’s who were under the cosh and the whole team defended superbly making big tackles all over the park.

The Brackley team now got on top and had a couple of difficult penalties that both missed this gave the OG’s a wake up call who now got back in the game some excellent chasing of kicks saw them back in the Brackley half and the danger of conceding a penalty subsided, but the Brackley team had one more chance to clinch the game a dubious off side decision led to what looked an easy kick but much to the old boys relieve the Brackley effort hit the post. The OG’s were no longer in a generous mood and played the rest of the game in Brackley territory. A hard fought but deserved win sees the old boys on top of the league with another tough fixture coming up at the weekend against Northampton BBOB.

OG's 2nds 15      Brackley 2nds 0

In a completely one-sided affair, Old Boys dominated their opposition and scored 3 tries to 0. None were converted. Try scorers were Jamie Raines, Nik Brown and Martin SNOW. A few words for the forwards who were absolutely magnificent, particularly at scrum time.