Page 89 - Phonebox Magazine November 2014

We’re in great shape
Olney Rugby Club
Off the Field
The Clubhouse continues to be a popular choice for parties since the refurbishment, and the feedback from ex-members and new visitors remains very positive.
On Saturday 20th December, the Club plays host to the Annual Mad Mods Xmas Party. Tickets are now on sale at £8 each, and are available from the Club or T.A. Bennett and Sons.
Visit olneytownfc.com for more information.
Olney faced their visitors Wellingborough who were sitting at the top of the league and last season had
defeated them both at home and away. The home team was re-vamped, with eight changes positional and due to injury. The visitors kicked off to start what proved to be a ‘game of two halves’. With the ball in Olney’s half the first exchanges resulted in a scrum to W’boro. between the home side’s 10 and 22. The shape of things to come was evident when Olney’s pack drove the first set piece to win possession. The ball was cleared to touch.
The first opportunity to put points on the board went to the visitor’s by way of a penalty some 30m. out from goal. The kick failed!
The first chance to take advantage was from a scrum inside the visitor’s 22. Olney won the ball on their put in but, Ollie Caplin at scrum half was caught by his opposite number before he could get the ball away. W’boro conceded a knock on and this gave Olney another chance from a similar position. This time, from the scrum, the ball was moved quickly from Caplin to Jack Sutton coming off the back of scrum and fed through Ollie Simons to Will Edwards on the wing who ran a try in the corner. The conversion attempt was just wide but the opening score put the home side in the lead 5-0, after 25 mins. Immediately after the restart W’boro. had a chance to reduce the deficit, when awarded a penalty in almost the identical place as their earlier attempt. This also failed. The 22 drop out was put into touch off a W’boro. player and Olney won the ball from the line out to set up their three’s who took play to just outside the visitor’s 22. From the breakdown Olney were awarded a penalty that was put into touch for a line out inside the W’boro. 22. Olney won the ball and drove a maul towards the visitor’s goal line. W’boro. showed some good defence strategy and managed to steal the ball and put it into touch. Olney won the ball and again drove a maul that was illegally pulled down by the visitor’s forwards, this resulted in a penalty that the home side decided to run. Jonny Munday chipped the ball into the visitor’s in goal area and was able to follow up and touch down for a try that he also converted. This extended Olney’s lead
to 12-0 with 30 mins. on the clock. From the kick off Olney counter attacked and a great carry by Charlie Belcher took the ball to the visitor’s 22. An infringement at the breakdown gave Olney a penalty that was put into touch for a line out 10 m. from the W’boro. goal line. Olney won the line out but lost possession and the visitors pushed the ball into touch. The visitors were awarded a penalty but the kick to clear their lines failed to make touch. Jon Brice received the ball and made a great run down the right hand touch line to evade the W’boro. cover and touchdown in the corner. Munday was just short with the conversion attempt and Olney went further ahead 17 - 0 approaching half time. From the restart Olney were again on the counter attack and again Brice was in the action. Play was taken to the visitor’s 22 and their frustration was evident when they conceded another penalty, for offside. Munday made no mistake with the attempt at goal. The whistle went for half time. Half time: Olney 20, W’bro 0. And now the second half. Olney kicked off but were soon on the back foot W’boro. having a scrum, their put in under Olney’s posts. There followed a period of resolute defending by the home side, with the visitor’s making every effort to break through. Olney’s defending was sound though and their scrummaging eventually was rewarded for turning the opposition to gain the put in. They had been able to effect this ploy in previous scrums but not to the ref’s interpretation. Their effectiveness in the set piece was acknowledged by the opposition when, offered the choice of a scrum or line out following a ‘not straight’ decision, they opted for the latter. The reporting on play consisting of scrums lines out and penalties without any change to the score line is repetitive and no doubt boring to the reader. From an Olney perspective their performance has to be applauded for the all round performance of the pack, particularly the young front row and, the defending of the score line producing ‘nil’ for the opposition. Final score: Olney 22, W’Boro 0.
The added bonus for Olney was lifting the Lewis Wilkinson Cup, the trophy that recognises a former Wellingborough President, played for annually.
Match Sponsors: Desmond Smail.
Olney 20 – Wellingborough 0
Phonebox Magazine 89