Match report - 1st Feb 2020

Player photo: Sam Grimshaw, who scored the first try on 30 minutes for Sutton 1st XV.

David Daniels
SCRFC 1st XV Team Manager

Newbold upon Avon 11pts v Sutton Coldfield 14pts

With back to back league victories and no notable injuries on consecutive playing weekends for the first time this season, against strong mid-table opponents, moving them out of the relegation zone, surely with a settled team Sutton 1st XV have now reached a turning point in their troubled season and their destiny is now firmly in the own hands after a magnificent, close fought 14-11 victory away to old rivals Newbold.

Prior to last weekend Newbold had held sway over Sutton coming out on top in all their recent engagements including, their various league and Warwickshire Cup encounters, but a strong team performance by the resurgent Sutton team ended this sequence, as described below.

Sutton kicked off with bright sunshine breaking through a cloudy sky on a soft but decent playing surface and they followed the ball into the Newbold half intent on making their presence felt, putting the powerful home side, who claim to have the strongest scrum in the league, under early pressure in the Newbold 22 but the home side responded well to the challenge and resisted the Sutton surge to engineer a break out, which brought play back into the Sutton half in an evenly matched opening to the game. To the delight of their travelling support Sutton set down their challenge at the first scrum when they drove the mighty Newbold pack backwards and with the lineout going well Sutton made a good start to the contest coming close to scoring when Sutton just failed to gather the ball for an interception on the their left wing deep in Newbold half and then unluckily the ball was lost forward as Sutton surged over the Newbold try line. However, in spite of the missed chances Sutton were buoyed by the strength of their play and their dominance in the opening period. Their belief and positive play was rewarded when Newbold tried to launch a counterattack from their own half spinning the ball from right to left across their 10 metre line...but the Sutton defensive line speed put their opponents under pressure and as a result a hasty miss directed pass was gathered smartly by Sutton right wing Sam Grimshaw, who raced down his touchline cutting infield to score under the posts for a fine try giving fly half Ben Morgan an easier conversion and Sutton a 7-0 lead after 30 minutes of play.

True to their code, on falling behind Newbold stepped up to the mark and turned the tables gaining successive penalties against Sutton enabling them to set-up an attacking lineout 5 metres out on their left touchline and taking the ball to the try line following a catch and drive flanker Kyle Furlong squeezed over for an unconverted try closing the score to 7-5 with 3 minutes to go to the break.

Although only holding a narrow two point lead at the break Sutton had enjoyed a good first half against powerful opponents and they entered the break in a good frame of mind, which they carried into the second half as they applied pressure from the restart and regaining possession they drove a driving maul on their left touchline infield for no8 Jack Ward to detach himself from the maul and score an excellent touchdown under the posts. Again fly half Ben Morgan stroked home the conversion to extend the Sutton lead to 14-5 with 10 minutes of the second half played.

There then ensued a dramatic and tense closing period to the game and with the Sutton defence holding strong, Newbold changed their game plan reverting to a kicking game with long range kicks into the Sutton 22 bombarding the visitors fullback Will Smewin with high bombs but the young fullback was more than up to the task proving to be a safe pair of hands under the high ball and on one occasion he raced forward at high speed to take the ball on the full setting up an excellent counterattack to take play back into the Newbold half.

During this closing period however, where the home tactics did work was opting for goal kicks from penalties, when centre Dan O'Brien found his range and direction, first from 22 metres on 70 minutes and then from 40 metres on 74 minutes to close the score to 11-14 with 6 minutes to play setting up a dramatic finale to an enthralling contest.

During this final 6 minutes of intense play Sutton showed great maturity, game craft and discipline with a dogged display not only in defence but also in their wise tactics as from the restart Newbold again kicked deep into Sutton territory. Sutton gathered the ball and then calmly retained possession in their own half with a faultless display of eight man possession rugby recycling the ball time and time again, when a knock-on, fumble or penalty could have turned the ball over to their opponents and who knows what might have happened with just a 3 point margin. In the event Sutton kept the ball and scrumhalf Ollie Green checked with the referee as the seconds ticked by, so when told there was just 1 second to play he took the ball from his magnificent pack and launched it high into the stands to start the well deserved celebrations - a game to remember.

It would be agreed by all present that it was not a pretty game or a thing of beauty, with mistakes and errors by both sides but for sheer drama and intensity it was a classic. Although Sutton left points on the field of play with chances not taken, when it came down to the wire Sutton had the strength and fortitude plus courage and discipline to ride out the final 6 minutes against a respected opposition, who in recent encounters have had the edge over Sutton but on this display it was the visitors who showed their true talent and ability.

Now Sutton only have to do it all over again at the RSG this weekend, when they welcome another old adversary with the visit of longstanding and respected rivals Old Halesonians for their return league fixture, which should prove to be another enthralling contest, Sutton having lost narrowly 12-10 in the away leg last October. KO 2.15 pm.

Match summary report - 1st Feb 2020

Sutton 2nd XV 48pts v Worcester 2nd XV 29pts

Midland Reserve League Division 3 play-off

Sutton 2nd XV produced an outstanding second half performance against the visiting Worcester 2nd XV, in which they extended a 19-17 close fought first half lead, to finish the game with an impressive 48-29 bonus point victory.

In securing the victory Sutton scored 8 tries, with Joe Gregory and Dave Sandford leading the way with a brace each and tries were contributed in turn by Steve Marshall, Tom McNamee, Sam Harris and Mike Clarke. To complete the scoring, four conversions were added, 1 by Tom McNamee and 3 by Raheel Hussain.

Match summary report - 2nd Feb 2020

Sutton Colts 19pts v Hereford Colts 33pts

North Midlands Colts League - Division One

Sutton Colts welcomed a strong Hereford Colts side to the RSG last Sunday and although the visitors raced into an early lead in the first half Sutton fought back with two well worked tries to close to 12-19 at the break but the visitors had the best of the second half completing a 33-19 victory in the Colts League fixture.

Sutton scored 3 tries, by Harvey White, Sam Williams and Ben Wall respectively, with Tom Bishop and Paul O'Toole adding a conversion each.