Lytchett Minister 6 – 15 Marlborough
On Saturday, Marlborough II otherwise affectionately known as the Nomad’s had their last game of the season away to Lychett Minster in the final of the D&W Cup Counties 2 competition.
The journey down on the team coach was relatively stress free, for a change, no dramas other than one of players nearly missing the pickup point due to having to run back home to pick his boots up which he needed for kicking! Spirits were high with the boys and there was a lot of expectation from the Marlborough spectators some of whom were also travelling down on the coach with the boys.
The coach arrived around midday and the club was busy with two youth games happening on the two pitches. After a while the boys went and got changed and those who needed taping kept Craig the physio busy. Then it was out for a warm-up run by Coach Jason. Then out onto the pitch for the final run through’s so the forwards and backs were separated and were put through their paces by the Coaches.
Just before 2:15 pm, the boys game back out changed and ready to go. One final session on the tackle bags and that was it. No more preparation time, everyone had done their homework, it was time to put it into action. The 1st XV had helped in training during the week making sure the boys were at their pinnacle – it was a strong squad.
The referee blew the whistle, and it was game on. Marlborough started the proceedings as the more dominant force with the wind in Marlborough’s favour as it blew slightly cross-field and ensuring much of the play was over on the Clubhouse side.
There was a good contingent of the Marlborough faithful cheering from sidelines and a few Colts who made sure their presence was heard. The noise went up a few decibels whenever Marlborough had the ball in hand and looked to have chances to score but sadly, they couldn’t quite seal the deal but Seb Grew (on the left wing) and Aaron James at fullback had to be on their toes.
Sadly, the team lost outside centre Ben Carvavou with a knee injury quite early on, but his replacement Samu Tamanaivau slotted into the position seamlessly.
Marlborough Hooker Ilisavani Nasemira did touch down following a break from winger Seb Grew but unfortunately had a foot in touch just before the try line so no try and lots of groans from the sidelines.
The deadlock was finally broken after 35 minutes with second row forward Atu Rasouso running a fantastic line, beating two defenders to score under the posts and was duly converted by Aaron James.
Unfortunately, with almost the last play of the first half, Marlborough gave away a penalty then compounded their error by needlessly questioning the referee’s decision resulting in the kick being moved 10 metres closer to the posts and a yellow card. This gifted Lytchett Minister three points with the final kick of the half. Not the boys best move but there was still the second half to go.
Half-Time: Lytchett Minister 21 – 12 Marlborough
Marlborough started the second half with fourteen men on the field. Lytchett Minster came out meaning business. Their flyhalf was pulling the team along with him. The wind had veered slightly so, while still somewhat cross-field, it was more angled into Marlborough. Again, much of the play occurred on the far side of the field. Despite the wind, the Lytchett Minster hooker found their back jumpers in the lineout, and they had some good attacking opportunities that they just didn’t put away, but they managed to claim a penalty, making it 6-7 going into the last quarter of the game. The atmosphere was tense with only one point in it. Then Marlborough received another yellow card, the Marlborough faithful dare not look, good the boys hold Lychett back? This kind of jeopardy makes a final more exciting but is not great for those with weak hearts!
Marlborough stepped up their defence and on the 60th minute Aaron slotted a penalty to give Marlborough some breathing room at 6-10, but they weren’t out of the woods yet as a try would allow Lychett to overtake. The home side was still very much in touch, threatening in attack and snuffing out numerous Marlborough attacks.
Marlborough were still finding it hard to get into their rhythm. They were kicking poorly in defence with not a great kick chase allowing Lytchett to run-in broken-field play. They were also struggling to finish off promising attacking chances. Thankfully Marlborough found another gear and showed some slick hands to give Dylan Davies the opportunity to run one in, which sadly was left unconverted, making it 6-15 with a few minutes left on the clock. Marlborough clung onto the lead with the final score:
Final Score: Lytchett Minister 6 – 15 Marlborough
This was an impressive and memorable win for Marlborough. One of the highlights being the way they defended especially the back row consisting of Keiran Brown (Captain), ‘Man of the Match ‘Guy Kindlon and Number 8 Arthur Allen. Lotu Vunipola had another great game as well as Will Grant (we’ll forget about the enforced ten-minute break) who directed the game and placed the ball where it needed to be.
This was a fantastic result for the boys after losing out on promotion and ensured the season finished on a high. It was a tense game and easily could have gone the other way but thankfully it went Marlborough’s way. It was great to see so many Marlborough supporters there to support the boys. It is a day that will be in the minds for a long time to come and another shield to put on the wall. Enjoy the summer boy’s, pre-season will be here before you know it!