Garstang maintained their long winning run in Miller Homes Four North as they won a hard fought game against a big, experienced Fylde outfit. The two teams were very evenly balanced but Garstang had a slight edge in pace and a superior kicking game which proved to be the difference on the day.
Garstang had the better of the early skirmishes but they came up against resolute Fylde defence and could not convert the territory or chances into points. The first opportunity of the day came to Fylde when they were awarded a kickable penalty. Fortunately, for the Blues, the opposition marksman missed his target and the scores remained locked at nil all.
The scrummage was proving to be an intriguing contest as Garstang’s powerful and experienced prop forwards of Bert Cross and Nick Smith had a battle royale against the experienced Fylde front row.
After a period of sustained pressure the Blues were awarded a penalty on the ten metre line, Andy Blackley went for goal and he made no mistake to give the team a 3-0 lead. The rest of the half followed a similar pattern with the defences of both teams dominating. Just before the break Garstang were awarded another kickable penalty which Andy Blackley slotted to double the lead to 6-0.
At the break the talk was just to carry on playing in the same manner as the previous forty minutes and the game was there for the taking. The team did this in the second half but they were getting increasingly frustrated at the breakdown and were conceding penalties which allowed Fylde to relieve the pressure. Despite this the Blues were awarded three further penalties within range of goal and Blackers despatched two of them to give the side a 12-0 lead which, in a game so short on clear cut chances, was starting to look like it may be enough.
With the direct route failing Andy Blackley put up a high, wide kick for his winger, Bhagat-Lowe leapt like a salmon and plucked the ball out of the air but unfortunately he landed on his back and had to have a period of treatment. Luckily no serious damage was sustained and he was withdrawn as a precaution to be replaced by Andy Riley. At the same time Pendlebury and Adrian Bosson came on for Outram and Lambert.
Fylde had also rung the changes throughout the second half and towards the end of the game they started to pose a real threat. Their kicking game improved with the changes but on one kick they got it badly wrong when they kicked it directly to Roddy Bettaney at Full Back. He got the ball in his own twenty two and then went on a mazy run through the awestruck defence (his own team mates were pretty surprised too!), his run continued all the way to within a few metres of the opposition line were he was tackled. It would have been a spectacular try but the yardage gained was a decent result in itself.
With less than five minutes on the clock the game burst back into life. Fylde applied some pressure and won a turnover ball in the Garstang half, they got the ball out wide and their young flanker went over in the corner. From the restart Garstang then lost a man as Graham Raby was despatched to the sin bin for handling in the ruck. Fylde put the resultant kick to within five metres of the Garstang line. They won the line out and then drove forward to within an inch of the line only to be held up by desperate defence. The referee had already called last play and Garstang gave away a penalty which was under the posts. Fylde tapped and went but were again held up just short, they kept going for the line but eventually they lost the ball in contact. The final whistle was then blown with Garstang a very relieved team to have hung on for a win.
Team: Smith, Outram, Cross, Raby, Parkinson, Lambert, Rigby, Walton, Whittingham, Blackley, Taylor, Bunn, Chaplin, Bhagat-Lowe, Bettaney. Replacements: Riley, Pendlebury, Palmer, A.Bosson.
On Saturday 30th January the 1st XV are at home against Bury, K.O. 14:00, the Blues are away against Preston Grasshoppers 5ths and the Lions are away against Orrell 2nds.
2010-03-13 Miller Homes Leagues Div. 1
Lymm 2nd XV 6 points v 12 points Vale of Lune 2nd XV
A great game at Lymm between two of the top sides in Division 1 !!
2010-03-13 Bateman BMW Premier League
Sedgely Park 2nd XV 21 points v 0 Birkenhead Park 2nd XV
Sedgely find Birkenhead Park a tough nut to crack !!!
2010-03-09 Miller Homes Leagues Div. 5 South
Wilmslow 3rd XV 59 points v 0 points Sandbach 4th XV
Our 1st Floodlit game of the season. More to come as we strive to get Fixtures played !!!
2010-03-06 Miller Homes leagues Div. 5 North
garstang 3rd XV 46 points v 10 points Bolton 4th XV
Going for the burn ............
2010-03-06 Miller Homes Leagues Div. 4 North
Garstang 2nd XV 55 points v 0 points Fleetwood 3rd XV
"Walton the Destroyer"
| Home (Garstang 2) |
Away (Fylde 5) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Points | 12 | 5 |
| League Position | 1 | 5 |
