1st XV Match Report - 26th Nov 2022

David Daniels 1st XV Manager

Match Report - 26th Nov 2022

Sutton Coldfield 31pts v Melbourne 38pts

Regional 2 North Midlands

A highly entertaining game of rugby unfolded at the Roger Smoldon Ground, Walmley last Saturday, when 2nd placed Sutton 1st XV faced 3rd place Melbourne in a high-octane contest, which went right down to the wire as, going into the final 10 minutes of a classic top of the table clash, Sutton were leading 31-24 but in the closing minutes Melbourne scored a dramatic converted try to draw level at 31-31, with 2 minutes to play...and then straight from the restart kick Melbourne squeezed over for an even more dramatic try in the left corner to steel the win deep into injury time and then added the touchline conversion to inflict a 38-31 cut wrenching defeat for the home support but credit to the visitors for staying in the game and alive to the chances that came their way in the closing minutes.

However, lessons can be learned from every game and at the halfway point in the season Sutton have played 11, won 7, lost 3, drawn 1 and they sit in fourth place just 4 points behind the league leaders Leek, who they play on 10th Dec in the first away game of the return leg of fixtures. Reflecting on the season so far Sutton can feel pleased with their league position at this point and based on the previous good performances that have taken them to fourth in the league they know they are good enough and they have the second half of the season to prove it.

The visitors kicked off on a dull overcast day with a gusting breeze but good playing conditions, however the ball did not travel the requisite 10 metre and Sutton were handed the first scrum, which they won comfortably against a formidable rival pack and for the opening period the game ebbed and flowed until on 9 minutes Sutton's outside centre for the day Matt Smith, charged down a Mels punt ahead on the halfway line, gathered the ball cleanly on the bounce on the visitors 10 metre line and raced in to score a fine opening try to the left of the posts. The centre then converted his own try to give Sutton a handsome 7-0 early lead and then on 15 minutes he raced in again for a second try, this time wide out in the left corner making the conversion difficult and the ball drifted wide of the posts but Sutton had extended their lead to 12-0 with their overall play looking good.

However, Melbourne responded to the increased deficit and stepped up their forward play driving a ruck & maul towards the Sutton try line in the far corner for hooker Harry Stephenson to scramble over for the visitors opening score. The wide conversion was missed so the score closed to 12-5 after 19 minutes of play but although the Sutton lineout was not as effective as normal the scrums held up well and Sutton continued to dominate much of the action, with the Sutton backs looking particularly sharp as the ball was fed to flyhalf Laurie Harries, who made a half-break before passing to his centres Matt Smith and Tom McNamee, who carried the play up to the Mels try line, where play was stopped short of the line but winger Chris Duckworth was in support and he pick-up to score a well worked try by the posts. Matt Smith added the conversion to take Sutton into a 19-5 lead 10 minutes before the break but the visitors struck back 4 minutes before the break when Mels kicked a penalty into the left corner and winning the ball from the lineout they proceeded to drive successive forays towards the Sutton try line and although Sutton defended well the Melbourne no8 Ed Saunders eventually forced his way over the try line to score to the left of the posts and centre Ben Trinham added the conversion points to bring the halftime score to 19-12.

It was game on in the second half and Sutton made a great start as they were awarded a penalty on the edge of the Melbourne 22 left side but the referee played advantage as the Sutton fly half Laurie Harries, standing left field, sent an accurate cross-field kick high into the right corner and right-wing Chris Duckworth leapt high to catch the ball before crossing for an excellent try to the right of the posts. Matt Smith kicked the conversion to stretch the Sutton lead to 26-12 with just 5 minutes of the second half played. Although things were looking good for Sutton, Mels were not done yet and with 15 minutes of the second half gone, centre Sam Smith scored to the right of the posts after the visitors developed an attack on the left before switching to the right, finding space for the centre to score an unconverted try, which brought the score back to 26-17. However, Sutton were still on a roll and they won a 5-metre lineout on the right side of the field with no8 Jack Wells going high to take the ball in the line then slipping the ball to skipper and second row George Ord, who was driven over to claim an excellent try and with Matt Smith again accurate with the conversion Sutton took an impressive 31-17 lead into the final 13 minutes of play.

Unfortunately, the final 13 minutes belonged to the visitors as first centre Sam Smith scored by the posts, converted by no10 Ollie Page to close to 31-24 with 10 minutes to play then second row Mackenzie Welsh scored to the left of the posts after a forward drive, converted by no11 Lewis Quinn to bring the scores level at 31-31 with 2 minutes left to play and then from the restart and deep into injury time, Melbourne forced play into the left corner on the Sutton try line and hooker Harry Stephenson squeezed over for his second score of the day and the all-important winning try, which was converted by winger Lewis Quinn for the winning margin of 38-31.

On reflection Sutton will be disappointed with the final result having been in a winning position for 67 minutes of a compelling contest and in particular the last 13 minutes of a game they had been controlling from a winning position but they still sit in a respectable fourth place in the league and in close contention in a fiercely competitive table.

Apart from the loss, the final passage of play also brought an injury to one of Sutton's outstanding players on the day and that was winger/backrow player Chris Duckworth, who scored two important tries including the all-important 4th try after the interval to earn a bonus point and Chris also made a number of key tackles to keep the opponents at bay and it was in one such brave tackle on the Sutton try line, when Chris took a heavy knock to the head causing concussion and concern for a head injury. Chris walked off the pitch but went straight to hospital and we wish him well with a speedy recovery.

This coming weekend the league teams start the return leg of fixtures and Sutton welcome Moseley Oak to the RSG, Walmley Road to see if they can go one better than the drawn game experienced in the away fixture. All support welcome for what should be a keen contest noting that Sutton skipper George Ord will be making his 100th league appearance for Sutton 1st XV. An event not to be missed. KO 2.15 pm.

In addition to the 1st XV fixture this Saturday the RSG will also feature the Sutton Ladies Team taking on the Moseley Oak Ladies in a League & Cup double header kicking off at 12 pm ahead of the men's game, which kicks off at 2.15, so make an early start and take in both games - the best of both worlds. 

Sutton other team results:

Last week was a full weekend of fixtures for the Sutton teams at their home ground with;

Sutton U15's taking on Melbourne U15's under floodlights on the World Cup Pitch Friday evening 25th Nov 2022. 

Proudly securing an impressive victory:

Sutton U15's 42pts v Melbourne U15's 10pts.

Sutton Casuals also played Handsworth 2's on the World Cup Pitch on Saturday afternoon 26th Nov 2022.

Again, securing a proud and impressive victory: