Mitch Lamb was able to celebrate his 200th appearance for Hinckley with a try and another bonus point win as Hornets leapfrogged Redruth in the table to go fourth. Ben Pointon too will remember the match fondly after scoring a magnificent solo try, picking up at the base of a ruck on his own 5m line and running the length of the pitch, evading four would be tacklers enroute, to touch down for the score. It will undoubtedly be a contender for the try of the season.
That aside, it was not the most memorable of games for the Hornets, although the last ten minutes were not short of drama as the Students pressed for the winning score and there was a collective sigh of relief amongst the faithful when the ball was finally booted dead with time up. It was, much as expected, a complete contrast in styles with the bigger Hinckley pack seeking to bully their opponents, and the Students anxious to play a much looser open game to take advantage of their greater mobility, and it did produced a fascinating game but one where neither side was able to execute to the level they would have liked.
In the case of the Hornets, this was not perhaps surprising given that the coaching staff had to pick from a squad with 30 senior players unavailable, and it was a credit to the Club that the three teams fielded on Saturday all left the field victorious. Against Exeter, it was apparent that some of the on-field partnerships were not as embedded as they might have been. It was a workmanlike victory and, in the circumstances, a creditable one.
DOR Chris Campbell recognised this is his post-match comments. ‘On the face of it, for the Club as a whole, this wasn’t a particularly ground breaking week, but to get three wins out of three with the depleted squad we had available demonstrates where we are as a club. Of course, I would have preferred we didn’t have to play the ‘get out of jail free card’ with the forward pass in the final 10 minutes but sometimes you get a bit of luck on your side.’
‘Earlier, we had chances to put the game away – we missed two 2-on-1 opportunities which is very disappointing, and we need to look at our first half lineout to see why we didn’t take better advantage of our dominant maul as well, but there will be a lot of learning for a number of players from this game – six of the match day squad have less than ten National League appearances to their name and it shows the potential we have in the club in the long term.’
When the match got underway, the first quarter was all Hinckley and in particular the Hinckley scrum as the pack marched their opposite numbers back several times, but problems in the line-out meant that the opportunities generated as a result were wasted.
That said, the first score did come as a direct result of a scrum penalty in the Exeter 22m. Kristian Powell kicked to the corner, the line-out was thrown to the front and the pack drove the maul over the line for Dale Bowyer to touch down on his return to the side.
The second score came just a few minutes later in not dissimilar circumstances. Powell kicked yet another Hinckley penalty, this time on halfway, to the corner, the maul was set but halted and the pack had to work the ball to the line before Pointon released the ball to the backs and Mitch Lamb was able to cut through for the score. 10-0 after fifteen minutes, and a healthy victory looked on the cards.
There was an immediate response though as the Students recovered the ball from the kick-off and with some slick play worked their way up field to the line. The ball went wide to wing Toby Ferguson who crossed for the score. The Students were right back in it.
Hornets continued to dominate possession throughout the second quarter but failed to take advantage on the scoreboard, and the Students were looking increasingly dangerous on the break with the little ball they did enjoy.
It was no surprise when Exeter grabbed the next score with half-time approaching. Hinckley were penalised for not releasing on halfway and Sam Walker kicked the Students into the Hinckley 22m. The line-out was taken and the ball worked towards the line and it was prop Jacob Morris who eventually crossed for the score. When Walker nailed the conversion Exeter were in front, leaving Hinckley to go in at the break frustrated by their missed opportunities.
The resumption saw more of the same with Hornets creating opportunities but a lack of composure and some dubious decision making thwarted their ambition. They did though grab the next score and once more it was through the forwards. Two penalties in quick succession saw Powell set up a line-out five meters out, and the pack did the rest with Sam Greening claiming the score.
Then came the Pointon ‘wonder try’ which was all the more incredible as it came from nowhere. Exeter had stretched the Hinckley defence and a clearing kick to relieve the pressure seemed odds-on. Instead, Pointon took off to run the length of the field. It was difficult to say who was more surprised, the Students or the home support. There was little doubt who was the more delighted though. When Powell kicked the conversion to take the score to 22-12, there was clear water between the sides and a feeling that Hornets would now go on to consolidate the victory in the final quarter.
It didn’t quite work out that way and it was the Students who perhaps had the better of the rest of the game. They went close when it took a try saving tackle in the corner to force Elliot Young into touch as he went over the line and with ten minutes left on the clock they did get a score when quick ball from a succession of phases inside the Hinckley 22m eventually saw Hornets run out of defenders and back-rower Ronan Kelly found the gap. When Walker converted, the Students were within three.
The final ten minutes were a tense affair with Students dominating as they sought the winning score. The Hornets defence was under significant pressure and when centre Ed Volley went over it looked like they had got their reward… until the referee called the final pass forward, much to the frustration of the Students. Andy Weaver was carded when it seemed the Exeter man had simply run into him to add to Hinckley’s problems but the Hornets did hold on to the end. It was a game either side could have won, but with the win in the bag, Hinckley will not be concerned by that.
Nick Robinson