1st XV 7 v Bedford Swifts 8
Wellingborough OG's entertained Bedford Swifts in what was always likely to be a close fought encounter. In the early exchanges, the visiting team had the share of the possession largely due to their forwards being quicker to the breakdown and turning over OG's ball. The visitors eventually turned the possession into points with a try in the corner, which was unconverted.
The Old Boys responded well with, with the forwards gradually hauling them back into the game and getting some ball for the OG's backs to use. During one of the Old Boys attacks on the Swifts defence, skipper Richard Armitage made a break and fed veteran prop Nigel Ogden who after juggling the ball, secured possession 10m from the line only for centre Alex Friend to be penalised for "over zealous" rucking and after telling the official that he wasn't a dirty player was subsequently sin binned for 10 minutes. Being down to 14 men for the remainder of the half, the Old Boys did remarkably well in pinning the visitors in their own half to go to the break 5-0 down.
The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, with Swifts starting the better and the Old Boys picking up the pace later on. The visitors handling constantly let them down, which kept the Old Boys in the game and as the game wore on the Old Boys picked up the tempo and were several times camped inside the Swifts 22, only to be penalised by the referee. From a line-out inside the Swifts half, hooker Andrew Weatherill missed his jumper and the ball fell to No8 Brian King who popped the ball to Ogden peeling around the back of the line, who in turn fed replacement James Hinde, the ball was quickly recycled to the left before centre Gavin James cut back right and scored under the posts. Armitage added the conversion to make the score 7-5 with five minutes to go.
Swifts came straight at the Old Boys from the re-start and good defence was keeping the visitors at bay, until the referee inexplicably awarded Swifts a penalty, in front of the posts and 15m out, for the home side diving over the top when they had 3 players there to the visitors one. The Swifts fly-half kicked the penalty and with only a minute left on the clock there was no way back for the Old Boys and the final score was 8-7 to the visitors.
Pro Digital Man of the Match: Jez Armitage
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