For Whom the Bell Tolls - Dave's Head !

Stroud travelled to Tewkesbury to face a tough game of rugby against a physical team that were desperate to defend their home record. The bells at the Abbey were ringing all morning, but would the Stroud players get their bell rung, or would they silence the locals and escape with a victory?

Forwards: Liam, Orgy, Stoner, Laurie, Mr T, Keyan
Backs: Hilly, Will, Dave, Arthur, Flash, Fin, Alex

Stroud kicked off and a great tackle by Fin stopped the Tewks player in his tracks. Tewks recycled the ball well but Arthur was waiting with a strip tackle and Stroud quickly turned defense into attack. The ball went left but a loose pass to Flash bounced out of play and stopped a promising attack. Tewks took the line-in ball and attacked left but this time Dave was quick to the breakdown and turned over the ball. Stroud attacked the line but good Tewks tackling forced a turnover. They quickly kicked the ball long to relieve the pressure and put in a strong kick chase but Alex had retreated to cover the kick and run it back himself. Good support work from the forwards kept the ball alive. Mr T got the ball and rampaged forward showing great body position to keep forward momentum while dragging 2 players along. Eventually he was felled but Keyan picked up the ball and kept the attack going with a typically forceful run to the right. As he was slowed down he passed to Will who kept running right and did an exquisite dummy pass to freeze the Tewks defenders and then exploited the gap to score in the right corner for a well deserved 5-0 Stroud lead.

Stroud kicked off and more stout defending forced Tewks to run out of play. This time at the line-in Orgy took the ball on but a penalty was awarded to Tewks. They quickly kicked the ball but Alex was waiting to run it back. He was well supported by both Arthur and Orgy that kept the attack going to the right. Keyan took the ball on and went left and this time he saw Alex on the crash ball and he straightened the run. He was hauled down though but it didn’t matter as Stoner was quickly there at the breakdown to keep the move going until he was unlucky to knock on as he looked to pass the ball out wide.

Tewks were in a kicking mood and kicked long but Flash chased back and ran the ball back up the left wing. The locals didn’t like this and a dog ran onto the pitch to try and slow Flash down. As he sidestepped the intruder he was caught by a tackler and at the resultant breakdown Tewks were penalised. It wasn’t the dog that was the offender but hands in the ruck. At the Stroud penalty Keyan took the ball at pace but was eventually tackled but was penalised for not setting the ball back – quite difficult to do when 2 or 3 opponents were lying across him making it impossible to do but that showed the commitment both teams were doing to win the breakdown. Tewks took advantage of the penalty and showed good hands to run the ball left and right a number of times trying to find a gap in the well-disciplined Stroud defence. Fin was having a great game and thwarted a number of promising Tewks runs. Tewks were eventually awarded a penalty on Stroud 5 yard line and ran a good penalty move that sucked a lot of defenders into the centre of pitch while the deftly passed the ball out wide and ran a try into the right corner for a 5-5 tie.

Tewks kicked off and Fin ran the ball back well but was eventually forced out of play. Tewks took the line-in but Laurie showed great technique to force a turnover. Will saw the opportunity and ran right. The ball came back inside to Keyan who ran left and threatened the posts. He was held up short but good forward support from Lucas and Liam kept the momentum going. Play stalled and Stroud were awarded a scrum on 5 yard line. Expert hooking from Orgy won us the ball and Will started to go right but saw Tewks over commit so he deftly changed direction and went left. He saw Flash on the wing and a precision pass put Flash on a great trajectory and he showed great composure to both outrun the dog that was still trying to close him down, and squeeze under the Tewks tackler to score in the left corner and re-establish a 10-5 lead.

Strouds turn to kick off and Keyan did a great kick chase and was there to bring down the kick returner. Stroud won the turnover and Stoner set off on a punishing run. Liam showed great support and picked up a well presented ball to keep the move going. Play was halted mid-run due to a Tewks injury. At the scrum restart Stroud won the ball and it was Arthurs turn to attack. A maul formed and Stroud kept the forward momentum but play was stopped to allow a Stroud scrum on Tewks 22. The forwards were dominating the scrum and more clean ball gave Hilly a chance to set an attack to the right. Dave passed to Fin and then Fin saw a looping Dave and passed the ball back. Expert tackling was all that stopped Dave scoring. Tewks somehow got another turnover at the breakdown and kicked long. Flash was waiting and ran the ball back and as Stoner took the ball on he was caught by a strong tackle and knocked on.

Tewks won their scrum and again took it in turns to attack both left and right. This time Alex was waiting as they broke through the defensive line and he did well to hold up the attacker. Tewks won the ruck and their #10 showed a great step to cut back inside but Dave saw the threat and took him to ground but was rewarded with a game ending head injury. The subs were going to be used a lot today and Archie came on for Flash and Joe replaced the dizzy Dave. That’s Dave with a dizzy head before he takes offence! Jedd also came on to replace Laurie who had covered a lot of ground so far. Tewks won the scrum and attacked right and then back to the left. Lucas did well to stop them on the line but Tewks were not to be denied and they kept the ball alive and ran it left to score in the corner to bring it back to 10-10.

Tewks kicked off and Jedd was immediately into the game with a great catch and run back. Tewks were penalised at the breakdown and Keyan took the penalty and went on a long run to the right. Arthur took the ball on and ran left. The ball went through all the backs hands out to Archie who did well to stay in play and keep the ball alive with a pass back into the right. Another move to the right was rewarded with Keyan taking a straight ball and crashing over the line and a 15-10 Stroud lead.

Stroud kicked off and Tewks ran it back well but Will was on hand to stop the move with a strong tackle that forced a turnover. Stroud were in the ascendency now and Keyan picked up the ball and attacked the Tewks line. Again good defending held him up short and then an infringement gave Tewks a penalty that they kicked long to half way. They took the line-in ball and ran right but Liam was there to push the player out. Another few phases ended with Tewks awarded another line-in ball and this time Lucas was there with a thundering tackle to show Tewks we weren’t to be messed with. Fellow lock Jedd took the ball on but the ball was turned over at the subsequent breakdown. Tewks attacked strongly and got right to the Stroud line but Stroud showed great defense to keep the attacker out. The refs whistle went for half time and just as we thought we had escaped it was actually to indicate a try. Half time was taken and the game was delicately poised at 15-15.

Half Time Score: Tewkesbury 15-15 Stroud

Stroud had played great the first half and were ready to re-establish their authority in the 2nd half. More subs were taken and Jamie, Edgar and Flash came on. Tewks kicked off and again Jedd showed great hands to catch cleanly and run back. Then Stoner took on the attack. Jamie and Orgy combined well to win the breakdown and Flash now at scrum half did a great sniping run and found himself in clean air. He closed on the Tewks 22 but a great tackle from the full back stopped him. Liam was there to keep the attack going but it slowed down and Tewks squirreled away another turnover and kicked long. Joe had moved to full back and was immediately under pressure with the bouncing kick. He did well to pick it up but a quick run chase and tackle forced him to set the ball back and an alerts Tewks player kicked it towards the Stroud line. Just as we thought Tewks were going to score we were rewarded with a Fin pick up and run to give us some breathing space.

The teams took it in turns to trade tackles, turnovers and threatening runs. Highlight for Stroud were Archie’s swerving run and Jamie’s few pick and go’s. Stroud were close to the Tewks 22 and Will managed to charge down a half hearted kick. This gave another attacking platform that Joe made a good run from. More good forward play from Jamie and Liam kept the ball alive but again the black arts won and Tewks got another breakdown turnover and had the confidence to run the ball out from under their posts. Play slowed up and Keyan was waiting with a monster tackle. Stroud attacked back with Archie and Jamie combining well. Another turnover and another Tewks kick and another Joe run back but another breakdown infringement gave Tewks the chance to attack but they were stopped by Fin. Mr T picked up the turnover and went on a great run. The game was whistled dead though as players were strewn over the pitch and injuries needed attending to. Subs were taken and Riley and Callum came on to freshen up the team and add more attacking options.

Stroud won the scrum restart and Arthur ran right. The ball was turned over and Tewks again resorted to the kicking game. Joe ran the ball back well up the left wing but a high tackle denied him a scoring opportunity. At the resultant penalty Jamie ran the ball. He was chopped down but the ball was recycled well and it was Rileys turn to go for a run. A crunching tackle forced a knock-on and Tewks won the resulting scrum but neither team could capitalise on their opportunities and a harem-scarem passage of play took over for the next few minutes with fully committed bodies littering the place and medics (Delia representing both sides!) running on to administer first aid when required.

Stroud were doing well at the breakdown with Jamie, Callum and Mr T winning turnovers and giving Edgar and Archie good platforms to attack from. My favourite passage of play was a Tewks breakdown on Stroud 22 and Callum showed great technique to fight through the breakdown and grab the big #10 and dump him on his backside as they fought for the ball. Callum was not going to be a shrinking violet and he was duly rewarded at the next breakdown with an injury but he bravely got up, sent Liam back to the sideline, and kept his composure to keep playing well disciplined rugby. Stroud were tiring though with the injuries that were mounting and Tewks took advantage and ran out to the left and their speedy winger weaved his magic down the left wing and scored in the corner for Tewks first lead of the game at 20-15.

Jamie came off after an excellent half and Laurie went back on to try and cover the remaining 15 blades of grass he hadn’t covered in the first half! Stroud kicked off and Mr T was ready with a big tackle. Tewks kept the ball alive and ran left but Edgar and Orgy combined well to force the player out of play. At the line-in Callum took the ball on at pace but was stopped with some strong tackling. The game stopped while Callum was glued back together again and this time Delia deemed it to severe to continue so Liam did get to come back on the pitch. At the Tewks restart they attacked right to stretch the defense. They then cut back to the left and again the speedy winger was there to score in the corner. Where is Flashes favourite dog when you need him to deny a try scoring opportunity? Stroud were now losing 25-15.

Flash came off and was asked to go hunt for the dog. Hilly came back on at scrum half. A few more Stroud attacking opportunities could not be fully exploited. The game soon came to an end though when Stroud were again attacking and were winning the ball at the breakdown when an over exuberant Tewks player cleared out Joe to the ground and after Joe had stopped bouncing we waited for the penalty to be awarded but instead play continued. It was only after consulting with the pitch-side Seismometer (the Stroud coaching staff!) that the ref realised their had been an infringement and not a local ground tremor - but it didn't matter as the whistle blew for full time anyway to signal the end of a titanic match.

At this point of the proceedings the worst injury of the game happened and the match reporter while drawing blood by biting his lip managed to snap his pencil in frustration of the way the game had turned against Stroud towards the end with the mounting injuries contributing to the final result. Fortunately the full-time whistle meant the pencil-less reporter wouldn’t have to make any of this report up – an accusation that was levelled at me most weeks by some observant players and parents ;-)

Final Score: Tewkesbury 25-15 Stroud

The players shook hands and then Stroud huddled together and Jo explained how proud he was with the effort of everyone and performance of playing well disciplined rugby – attacking and defensively.

Players then retired to the changing rooms to hear Keyans boom box phone tracks and get changed into shirt and tie and then be rewarded with a hot dog for their efforts. Next week we’ll delete Keyan’s rubbish choice in tunes and replace it with proper music like Metallica. So “For Whom did the Bell Toll” ? It was Dave that got his Bell rung. Its “Sad but True” that “Nothing Else Matters” “Wherever I May Roam” while we “Seek and Destroy” “And Justice For All” will prevail when we win next time.

So next week it’s Dursley at home. We need to get Delia’s magic to patch up 2 centres, a winger, a prop, Will’s leg, Keyans groin, a knackered set of 2nd rows, Jenks voice and a new reporters pencil so we can get back to winning ways. At least errant dogs are banned from Fromehall so Flash will be free to roam the pitch and safely traverse the touch-line while seeking out those tries.