Sutton 2s Come Close in Defeat

Following on from last week’s high scoring victory, Sutton 2s turned up to another afternoon of fine weather at the Roger Smoldon Ground to play hosts to a Kenilworth A side boasting several first team players. Unfortunately the similarities to last week’s game ended with the sunshine and rather than another fast running tryfest, the game played out as a hard fought battle for possession.

Kenilworth’s pack made their first team presence count in the first half, making life difficult as Sutton struggled to secure their own ball at rucks and in the line-out, with their weight also proving advantageous at scrum time. When Sutton’s backs were in possession however they showed themselves to be lethal, making several line breaks but were ultimately held to a converted Tom Lucas try and a penalty slotted by Al Rowlands.

The introduction of fresh legs at half time stabilised Sutton’s set piece and with a powerful drive from the lineout Sutton steered into the depths of Kenilworth’s 22. The ball was recycled leading to Lucas snaking his way through the Kenilworth defence with some sharp footwork before stretching over to plant the ball for his second try, once again Rowlands was accurate with his conversion.

Sutton found themselves defending for long periods and frustrated, began to give away penalties around the breakdown. After repeat infringements the referee reduced Sutton to fourteen men; despite being a man down, the home side’s forwards dug deep and started to improve their ball retention, before one too many pick and gos allowed Kenilworth to retrieve the ball and kick their way out of their own half.

The 2s were soon on the attack again when a chip kick - which fullback Alex Morgan was inches from collecting for what would have been a certain try-instead bounced into the hands of the away team who following some swift hands and several offloads down the flank bundled their way over Sutton’s line. Minutes later Morgan was let loose by a Rowlands miss pass and raced away from the defence to pull Sutton back to just a point behind. With the score 23 – 22 and just minutes left to play, Sutton again found themselves defending their line from the kick off. A series of committed tackles ultimately led to a turnover on Sutton’s tryline, however an impatient clearance found its way back into Kenilworth hands allowing them in for an easy try to end the match.

Scorers:
Tries: Lucas (2), Morgan
Cons: Rowlands (2)
Pen: Rowlands