Grimsby 14 Paviors 12
After a recent run of 3 straight defeats in the league, Grimsby faced the daunting task of trying to stop runaway league leaders Paviors, unbeaten in their previous 8 matches. A combination of a strong squad, perfect weather conditions and a lively crowd on the sideline helped the home side record an important victory.
Grimsby started well, and seemed to have the edge in the forwards, with the back row doing a lot of hard work early on. Paviors retained ball well but failed to produce any special threat or penetration. A pleasant surprise was Grimsby 's edge in the scrum, with the addition of Vincent Thornton making a huge impact on the set piece. This was Thornton 's first senior game this season, but after such a strong performance the tight head prop is bound to make more appearances.
Despite Grimsby having the upper hand up front, Paviors still prevented any great headway being made into their own territory, with the vast majority of the game being played in the area around half way. Neither side was able to penetrate, but gradually the Grimsby pack managed to work their way in deep. A series of quick rucks saw Newman take the ball with 10 metres to go, surrounded by the opposition, the wiry wing forward dummied, made space for himself and drove forwards. With a few other Grimsby players giving him a push up the backside, Newman was able to reach the line and touchdown for the opening score. Saunders made light work of the conversion and easily added the extra 2 points.
Grimsby now started to press more and more, putting Paviors under no end of pressure. The visitors tried everything they could to stop quick Grimsby possession, until the referee finally tired of the repeated infringements, and sent the Paviors openside to the sin bin. Unfortunately Grimsby were unable to take advantage of their numerical superiority, and Paviors managed to hold their line intact. The home side continued to press though, and a promising looking move was unlucky not to come off, but a delayed pass saw the ball go to deck before a Paviors boot managed to hack it down the pitch. With all the Grimsby backline up in attack there was nobody back to gather and it turned into a foot race for the touchdown. Unfortunately the Paviors winger was able to get there first and scored the try, which was subsequently converted by their fly half to put the sides back on level terms. The match official blew for half time, with both sides level pegging.
Grimsby used the break to bring on Marc Burke for Nigel Kempthorne in the 2 nd row. From the start of the half, Grimsby were keen to get stuck in and try to regain the lead. However, Paviors were now starting to play some good rugby, stringing together several phases of play to work deep into the Grimsby half. Good defence, especially from Gavin Kempthorne and Andy Thomas in the centres ensured the Blues line remained unbreached. With neither side able to fully impose themselves on the game, it was left to the Grimsby backs to try and penetrate. Outside centre Kempthorne did well, breaking the gainline on several occasions but unfortunately the team couldn't finish off any moves.
However, this stalemate was not to last. A long Paviors kick saw the ball gathered by Stuart Saunders on the try line, who fed onto Brendan Cairns . The canny jock took the ball in, committed his man and fed a neat pass out to the loitering Crispin Pharaoh. The dinky fly half ran up the wing, faked a kick and ran around the nearest tackler to steam away and head for the line. Ignoring his support, the diminutive Pharaoh outpaced the covering Paviors defence and managed to touch down under the posts for the try. Talk about turning defence into attack a full 100 metre counter. Saunders effortlessly bisected the uprights for the extras. Grimsby were stunned, they were playing good open rugby yet with no sign of talisman and local idol Bradley on the side! The only cripple to be seen was James Martin , on crutches since an accident in training. Possibly the home side had mistaken Martin for Bradley due to the similar silhouette, but none the less the team was playing rugby!
As the game progressed it became more and more fraught, with several incidents and skirmishes occurring. Paviors were becoming increasingly desperate for the ball, and an off the ball altercation led to the Paviors prop being banished from the pitch the last thing the visitors wanted due to the pressure the front row of Wilkinson, Edwards and Thornton were subjecting them to. As the game moved into the dying moments, a Paviors move saw the ball shipped along their back line and eventually their fly half was able to touch down in the left hand corner. Not a popular score as many spectators felt that a forward pass had been seen. However, the score stood and Paviors needed to convert the try to stay in the match. The conversion was missed, but due to poor discipline and gobbing off to the ref, Paviors were awarded a penalty from the restart. Opting to run it, the Nottingham side were simply blasted apart as the Grimsby pack drove in like bulldozers. The ball was kicked into touch and Grimsby had won a memorable victory.
The sideline had been bolstered by match sponsers Jewsons, who had helped create a great atmosphere on the side. Jewsons were also able to award a Man Of The Match to Gavin Kempthorne, who had had a big game in both defence and attack. Special mention must also be given to Vincent Thornton, who scrimmaged well, and caused problems in the loose.
This week sees the arrival of Market Bosworth in the 4 th round of the Powergen Intermediate Cup. Grimsby have reached the last 32 nationally, a great achievement especially as they are one of the lowest ranked sides in the tournament. The home draw will help the Blues try and thwart the threat of Midlands 2 side Bosworth, who are having a great season and are presently placed 3 rd in their league. This week the KO is 2.15 and Grimsby would like a packed sideline to help cheer the lads on.
Team from:-
Wilkinson, Edwards, Thornton, Barker, Kempthorne, Newman, Norman, Slosmanis, Knight, Pharaoh, Daly, Thomas, Cairns , West, Saunders, Hartshorn, Burke M, TBA
Meet 1.15
The team would also like to send a Get Well Soon to Kevin Dufton who is presently in hospital after a car accident.