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Match report24 Nov 07 Ledbury lost their unbeaten home record in a passionate and at times ill tempered encounter against Coventry based opposition on Saturday. A heavy pitch and swirling wind made it difficult for the home team to play their open running game but not so much as the spoiling tactics employed by Old Coventrians from the very start of the match. Determined to slow the pace of the game at every breakdown, they committed so many penalty offences that two yellow cards and one red were shown late on, but by then the pattern of the match had been set and Ledbury’s ambitious tactics had been negated. The first twenty minutes established the course of the match, with play being concentrated within the two ten metre lines and the only scores being two Luke White penalties for Ledbury and one by Old Coventrians. The latter then scored a try on the right following a blind side scrum and the conversion gave them a useful if not convincing lead of 10 points to 6 at half time. When this was increased to 15 to 6 just after the restart when the away team scored in the left hand in their only real attempt to move the ball quickly during the entire match, Ledbury clearly had much to do. However, as has been the case in many games this season, Ledbury grew stronger as the minutes ticked by. Their scrum, led by the front row of Dave Wrightson, Jock Welch and Will Rogers dominated the opposition and every opportunity was taken to run and pass the ball at speed. Ledbury’s frustration mounted as penalty after penalty by Old Coventrians prevented them from exploiting the momentum, the away team happy to concede territory providing it stopped Ledbury being able to move the ball. Two more Luke White penalties and one for the opposition brought the score to 18 to 12 with some ten minutes to go but despite almost constant pressure the converted try which would have sealed victory eluded the home team. Although both players and supporters found the manner of defeat hard to swallow, the lessons learnt will be invaluable when other teams employing such negatives are encountered. |
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