Hitchin U15 ‘B’ 24 vs Tring U15 ‘B’ 14 (HML Div 6)
Starting XV: Charlie, Toby, Maitiu, Taylor, James, Christian, Ashley G, George E, George V, Sam R, Matthew, Luke, Conor, Bradley, Jamie
Subs: Dion, Jack F, Will M-W, Will J, Aaron D (H-T for Charlie, Ashley, Conor & Jamie), Nathan
Tries: Maitiu, Conor, Matt
Conversions: Matt (x3)
Penalty: Matt
Hitchin ‘B’ returned to league duty on Sunday when they entertained Tring U15 ‘B’ in a home fixture. The visitors quickly applied pressure to Hitchin from the opening whistle as they asserted themselves high up into the Hitchin half, winning a succession of penalties very close to the Hitchin try line.
Hitchin defended well though and managed to hold up several attempts before eventually winning a turnover scrum which in turn allowed Sam to kick the ball clear into the Tring half. Having weathered the initial Tring onslaught Hitchin then started to mount some attacks of their own with the forwards working hard to make good ground and the backs moving the ball sharply along the line too. This was soon rewarded when Maitiu charged his way over the line under the posts to score the opening try with Matt converting the kick to put Hitchin into an early 7-0 lead.
Hitchin then looked to extend their lead with good runs by Christian and Bradley through the middle but this attacking flurry was soon to be short lived as Tring launched a swift counter attack, with weak tackling from Hitchin gifting the visitors an equalising try. Another successful conversion then followed as Tring pulled the scores back to parity at 7-7.
Undeterred by this Hitchin pressed forward again in search of more points and were duly rewarded when they won a penalty in the middle of the Tring half. Having elected to kick for goal, Matt coolly despatched the ball between the posts to restore Hitchin’s lead to 10-7.
Matt was involved again when Hitchin went further ahead soon after this when his long clearing kick caused problems for the Tring defence as they struggled to collect the ball. A splendid chase by Conor caused the Tring player to fumble and he then took advantage of this by twice kicking the ball clear of his opponents before diving onto the loose ball to claim a well deserved try in the corner. Matt then followed this up with the hardest and best kick of the day to convert and move the score on to 17-7. Hitchin were playing with even more confidence now as attacking runs by Bradley, Sam R, George E and Matt kept the pressure on Tring until the half eventually drew to a close. HT: 17-7
The second half started with more of the same. Following a good Hitchin scrum George E and Taylor both nearly scored but the hosts didn’t have to wait too long to increase their lead. A smart kick up field by Sam was chased down by Matt who then claimed the ball despite pressure from the Tring defence to score a try, which he also converted to move the score on to 24-7 in Hitchin’s favour.
Having established a decent lead Hitchin then found Tring fighting back but good defensive work ensured that they withstood everything that was thrown at them. Eventually though the pressure told as Tring scored their second try from a quickly taken penalty as they swiftly moved the ball into the Hitchin half and took advantage of some weak Hitchin tackling to place the ball down, with the subsequent successful conversion leaving the match finely poised at 24-14.
Aware of this, Hitchin then tried to re-assert themselves on their opponents with several players forcing their way through the Tring defence as they worked the ball towards the try line. A good recycling move then saw Sam pass the ball out to BMW on the wing who came very close to nipping in at the corner before being forced into touch by several Tring players. Hitchin continued to impose from the line out and a strong surge from the pack then saw Dion get the ball down, only for the try to be disallowed.
Finally, as the remainder of the match unfolded Hitchin began to lose a bit of discipline and started to concede lots of unnecessary penalties. This then lead to a tense last ten minutes or so as Tring went in search of more points but despite this Hitchin defended manfully and held their opponents at bay to seal yet another hard fought but ultimately well deserved victory. F-T 24-14
Another week and another great performance by the ‘B’ team then which, despite some poor discipline later on and some areas still needing working on, continues their good start to the season so far.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Toby – yet another great performance.