Nomads battle Hill all the way

A very uncomprimising Chosen Hill side played with the elements in the 1st half and maintained a foothold in the Stroud half for most of the first 40 minutes.

They were restricted to two tries, both the result of missed tackles and giving their wingers a chance to score wide out. Apart from the missed tackles Stroud's defence held firm with flank forward Phil Middlemiss in the thick of everything Stroud did.

The second half was a complete reversal of the first with Stroud forwards driving upfield and looking for a score. Although they were camped on the Chosen Hill line for minutes at a time their defence held firm and a score looked unlikely. A penalty award against Chosen Hill for handling on the ground was punished by fly half Will Clapham with a good kick from around 35 metres.

Further pressure resulted in the ball squirting out from a ruck and centre Jamie Leworthy hacking the ball over the Chosen Hill try line for what appeared to be a good try, the referee thought otherwise and awarded a scrum five.

Another penalty attempt by Will Clapham failed, and soon after a drive by the Stroud forwards looked as if captain Rob Davey had scored, again a scrum was awarded.

A excellent hard fought game with Stroud not able to take the chances that were on offer in the 2nd half.

Next match: Stroud Nomads v Berry Hill 2nd XV (Away) on Saturday 19th January 2013