MATCH REPORT: BREDON STAR RFC VS STROUD RUGBY

REPORT BY MARK SAMAK

Stroud made the trip up the M5 to face Bredon, looking to maintain their winning run. Hopes were high as despite a strong breeze, the rain was holding off - allowing another opportunity for Stroud to show their expansive game along with their more recent set piece development.

1 Jason Richings 2 Sam Davies 3 Tom Allen 4 Chase Stokes 5 Will Tidey 6 Zinzan Cremins 7 Tom Flanagan 8 Kieran Rodway 9 Joe Ashenford 10 Joe Hoyle 11 Elliott Bonham 12 Sam Leworthy (Capt) 13 Ben Wilkes 14 Peter Sykes 15 Sam Hester Reps: 16 Phil Fruin 17 Ben Baldwin 18 Will Mapletoft

An untidy start (in front of the kicker) gave Bredon an early opportunity for possession. The Stroud scrum again gained some early ascendancy but Bredon were able to scramble the ball away to their backs. Leworthy and Wilkes pressed up in defence and stopped any gain in ground however the Bredon fly-half intelligently pushed Stroud back until excellent work from Bonham allowed Hester to clear. Stroud continued to make a number of early errors and were eventually penalised allowing Bredon to slot a penalty from the 10m line to open the scoring. 3-0.

This opening setback seemed to galvanise Stroud into action. An excellent tackle from Tidey gave the forwards some momentum and despite suffering a heavy knock in the process, the young second row was soon back on his feet to lead the response. Davies and Flanagan as ever were chopping well in the tackle and Stroud’s defence in general stopped any real Bredon gains, regularly resulting in their Fly Half kicking for territory. Hester, as always, was keen to exploit space and a searing outside break took him away from the kick chase and allowed him to link well with Leworthy, who surged up the left. Unfortunately, the final pass went to ground but again Bredon were forced to kick to clear their lines. This time, Hoyle was in the back field and he linked with Sykes, who beat the first tackler and pushed towards the 22. Structure was found for the first time in the game as Ashenford orchestrated some forward carries with Tidey and Cremins carrying well. With play close to the 5m line, Leworthy picked from the base of the ruck, powered down the blindside before offloading inside to the supporting Hester, who ran around to score by the posts. Hester Converted. 3-7.

With Richings, Davies and Allen once again dominating the scrum and with Davies finding Stokes effectively at the front of the line out Stroud began to dominate possession. Tidey and Rodway were showing well in the carry, whilst Leworthy was, as ever, a handful for the opposition defence with his abrasive running lines, which gave supporting forwards an excellent target for the clear-out. Quick ball caught Bredon offside and Hester calmly slotted the penalty from wide out. 3-10.

A solid take from Rodway at the restart and another surge from Tidey instantly gave Stroud further momentum. Ashenford and Hoyle spread play right and Sykes made ground before Hoyle turned the defence with an astute kick through. A great kick chase from Sykes and Leworthy forced a turnover. Ashenford distributed, before good hands from Hoyle and Wilkes released Hester to cross in the corner. 3-15.

Stroud were now beginning to hit their stride. A turnover from Cremins allowed Hester to work the touchline. Although, the lineout did not always function to maximum efficiency, the Davies – Stokes link at the front continued to supply clean ball. Flanagan initiated the forward surge as the pack drove up towards the Bredon 22. Ashenford found Leworthy on another powerful line before the recycled ball allowed Hoyle to release Wilkes, who showed power and balance to blast his way through the defensive line and cross over out wide. 3-20.

The try of the game followed soon after. Ironically, it was initiated by some loose ball from the scrum, which was capitalised upon by the Bredon scrumhalf. However, as they looked to spread the ball wider an excellent defensive press from Leworthy and Wilkes forced a loose pass that was snapped up by Hoyle. Breaking from his own 22, he recognised he would not run in from his own 10m so put in a beautifully weighted cross kick for his supporting backline to chase. A fortunate bounce of the ball was well collected by Hester, whose overhead pass found Leworthy in support. Quick hands from the skipper and his centre partner Wilkes found Ashenford racing up from deep to sprint in under the posts to complete a fantastic team try filled with improvisation. Hester Converted. 3-27.

Tidey this time athletically secured the kick off and set off on a powerful burst up the middle. Stroud were controversially penalised at the breakdown but compounded their disappointment with some backchat, costing them a further 10m. Bredon’s kick to the corner found a fortuitous bounce, which gave them a lineout 5m out. A well-executed catch and drive saw the home side cross in the corner before an excellent conversion ended the first half. 10-27.

(Baldwin replaced Tidey). The second half was a real stop start affair – early errors from both sides were followed by a long stoppage as a Bredon front row player received treatment after suffering a neck injury from yet another powerful surge from the Stroud pack. Richings, Davies and Allen are proving a formidable triumvirate in the front row but the whole pack continue to impress within the scrummage area. Fortunately, the Bredon forward was eventually able to leave the field safely and the game could resume.

Both sides defences held firm until from yet another strong scrum, Rodway and Ashenford combined to release Hoyle, whose outside break released Leworthy, who again found Hester ghosting into the outside channel to cruise in at the corner for his hat-trick. 10-32. (Fruin replaced Richings while Mapletoft entered the fray for his last appearance before setting off on his travelling adventures).

Sykes moved into Fly-Half and showed his all-round skills with some excellent distribution and a tremendous cross field kick deep into Bredon territory. Despite being well behind, Bredon heads did not drop and they continued to prove extremely competitive at the breakdown forcing a number of penalties, which gave them another opportunity to show the efficiency of their driving line out to score in the corner. Try Converted. 17-32.

Bredon continued to use the kicking option to gain ground however excellent takes from Mapletoft and determined carries from Bonham, who had switched to Full Back relieved any further pressure.
Tidey and Leworthy continued their willingness to carry however errors in continuity prevented any further scoring.

Full Time Bredon Star RFC 17 Stroud Rugby 32

Although this was not a complete 80-minute performance there were glimpses of the massive improvements Stroud have made within their nine games this season. The backs, as ever, look full of invention – showing pace, power and excellent handling and appear capable of scoring from any area of the pitch. The structure of play and lineout continue to be a work in progress but the scrum is now proving to be a real weapon in the Stroud armoury. Coming away from Bredon with 5 points should not be underestimated – credit should be given to all players for a performance that enabled Stroud to remain top of Counties 3 North. With the unfortunate withdrawal of Cheltenham Civil Service from the league, Stroud are without a game next week however the coaching team will no doubt be pushing the lads to focus on those areas for development including the continuity that was absent in the second half in the upcoming training sessions, as they build towards the next league game away to Fairford (26/11/22).