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Match report 01 Dec 2007 For the second week running Ledbury failed to deal with more streetwise Warwickshire opponents – coming so very close to pulling off a great away victory at league leaders Spartans. On a windswept pitch Spartans took the game to Ledbury from the kick off, and within minutes after a darting attack on the blind side, won clean lineout ball and scored from the subsequent rolling maul. Ledbury settled into the game, and when clean possession was made available, the backs looked dangerous, making valuable ground, but the home pack were particularly adept at turning over ball, and Ledbury soon found themselves in their own 22. The Spartans fly half increased the lead with a well struck drop goal, and kept Ledbury pinned in their half with some great kicking, but Ledbury full back Mike Davies also showed true grit in running the ball out of defence. Spartans pack had one specialty, a particularly effective rolling maul which Ledbury failed to control, and Spartans notched up two further tries in the next ten minutes to take them into an 18-0 lead. With the Ledbury pack under pressure at the set piece, Ledbury scrum half Bruce Jones had to be at his feistiest, to deal with the Spartans back row who seemed to accompany every ball at the base of the scrum or lineout. Ledbury finished the half well, with a 30 metre driving maul of their won, after an initial break by Andy Cooper through Spartan’s line, which resulted in a try. Ledbury were also dominant in the scrummages, and as a result Ledbury spent the last ten minutes of the first half camped in Spartans half, but were unable to rack up any further points. The referee was not helping though, missing persistent infringements by the Spartans, whose backs were continually offside throughout the game. Ledbury began the second half well, with centres Jack Wilesmith and Will Green making some devastating runs, and when Spartans were penalized for an infringement, quick ball from the lineout saw the ball passed quickly to Green, who waltzed through the Spartans defence. At 18-12 down, Ledbury were very much in the hunt, but it was quite apparent that whenever Ledbury were in good attacking positions, Spartans were killing the ball illegally, and when penalties were awarded, their players mysteriously collapsed in agony, holding up the game, disrupting Ledbury’s momentum. Ledbury only had themselves to blame however, when Spartans won quick lineout ball, and from a well rehearsed move their centre crashed over the line from 30 metres. The last ten minutes saw Bruce Jones having to deal with poor quality ball, but when at last the referee decided that the Spartans flanker had infringed just once too often, Ledbury had a great opportunity with a one-man advantage, but despite this Spartans hung on to record a victory. In conclusion, the 3 early tries that Ledbury conceded in the first half were to cost Ledbury dearly, leaving themselves too much to do in difficult conditions. |
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