Back

Login

Don’t have an account?Register
Powered By
Pitchero
1st XV
Matches
Sat 28 Jan 2023  ·  National League 2 West
Stourbridge
28
52
Hinckley Rugby Club
1st XV
Tries: F Sleightholme (2), S Everett, B Pointon (2), J Wilson, H Bower, E BartlettConversions: J Wilson (5), A HeardYellow Carded: C Dacey, A Weaver
Hornets triumph in 12 try points Fest

Hornets triumph in 12 try points Fest

Nick Robinson29 Jan 2023 - 23:27

Stourbridge 28 Hinckley 52

A sizable crowd at Stourton Park on Saturday were treated to a highly entertaining game featuring twelve tries and some spectacular running rugby. Hornets deserved the victory and the five points that kept them in fifth place in the League, scoring a half century of points for the first time this season, but Stourbridge played their part producing some memorable tries of their own. The referee too was to be applauded for his part in proceedings.
It was a wonderful response on the part of the men in black and amber following the disappointment of the defeat to Redruth in their last outing. In truth, Hornets would probably have expected the victory against a struggling Stourbridge side and the artificial playing surface does encourage a fast open game, but it was the manner of that victory that was so pleasing. It was a side transformed from some of the dour performances of last season.
It was not a win without faults - some of the first up tackling was a little lame allowing the lively Stourbridge backs the chance to run in open field, and there was evidence of ‘line fever’ on occasions when cooler heads should have prevailed – but it was a game that will live in the memory for all the right reasons.
After the game DOR Chris Campbell was happy that much of the work put in over recent weeks had paid dividends. ‘Over the last few months we have really been working hard on our attacking game and this week we decided, as a collective, to have a real go and see how far we would push ourselves, and for the most part I was delighted with the results. We scored some sensational tries. It did get a bit loose at times and our transition from attack to defence still needs work but we have some real life examples to now look at after today which will be of great benefit to us. I can’t remember a Hinckley fixture as loose as that for a long time but I hope those that travelled over enjoyed themselves – not every game can be like that and I expect our visit to Lions next week to look very different.’
It was yet another excellent start by Hornets, not dissimilar to that in their last home fixture against Barnstaple. They were 5-0 up after just four minutes when, from a scrum 10m from the Stourbridge line, Mitch Lamb, with a delightful chip, found Frankie Sleightholme alone out wide and it was a simple job for the wingman to run in the try.
Luke Hibberd got the ball down for what could have been a second try a few minutes later but hit the corner flag as he went over and was adjudged out of play.
It was left to Sam Everett to claim the next score. A penalty line-out set up by Joe Wilson 10m out from Stour’s line resulted in Hornets winning another penalty but, with the referee playing advantage, a long pass to Everett out wide allowed him to cut back inside and drive for the line. Wilson converted.
Two minutes later and a penalty saw Wilson set up another 10m line-out. The ball was secured and this time it was Ben Pointon who wriggled over to score from short range. When Wilson converted, Hornets were 19-0 up inside the first quarter, with Stour having hardly set a foot outside their own half. It looked like a massacre was on the cards.
Stour didn’t see it that way and responded immediately with a magnificent piece of end to end running turning defence into attack that saw flanker Jaspar Smith finish off a move that left the Hinckley defence in tatters. Former Hornet Ricky Aley added the extras to make the score 7-19.
Hornets did though secure the bonus point on 33 minutes when, from a scrum 20m from the Stour line, Pointon picked up and fed Wilson at speed and the full back crashed through to the line before converting his own try – 7-26.
That how it stood at half-time, although it would have been more but for a butchered chance after Sleightholme had made a fantastic run from his own half.
The second half started with Stour on top until Mitch Lamb broke the Stour line following a line-out just inside the Hinckley half and off-loaded to Pointon who ran in unchallenged for his second try. Wilson converted and it got even better for Hornets four minutes later when Pointon pounced on a loose ball on halfway and fed Sleightholme to run the 40m to the line for his second, Wilson again converting.
From the kick-off, Joe Gaffan collected and carried the ball to halfway before off-loading to flanker Harry Bower who set off on a run any wing would have been proud of. This time Archie Heard converted and at 7-47 the rout appeared back on.
Again though, Stour had other ideas and responded with three unanswered tries of their own inside ten minutes, all of them wonderful scores in their own right. First, scrum half Heaney collected a neat grubber kick inside the Hinckley 22m to complete a beautifully executed move. From the kick-off Stour worked their way back up the field a little too easily and wing Oli Gittoes grabbed the second. And finally from a Stour scrum on halfway which Hornets looked to have disrupted, the ball found it’s way to Tom Lucas out wide to run in from deep for the score. With Aley converting all three tries, 7-47 had suddenly become 28-47 with 15 to go. The travelling support began to twitch.
In the end, it was unwarranted. A few minutes later, Heard set up a penalty line-out 10m from the Stour line, the ever dependable Andy Weaver secured the ball and the pack drove over in classic Hinckley style for Ewan Bartlett to grab the score and settle the nerves.
There was still time though for Hornets to collect two yellow cards first when Callum Dacey was adjudged to have deliberately knocked on and then a little handbags at the death resulted in Andy Weaver and his Stour opponent both taking an early walk.
It was a great way to set the scene for next week’s clash with local rivals Leicester Lions who are sitting pretty nine points clear at the top of the table. Lions will start as strong favourites but on Saturday’s performance, Hornets could still spring a surprise.
Nick Robinson

Match details

Match date

Sat 28 Jan 2023

Kickoff

15:00

Competition

National League 2 West

League position

5
Hinckley
14
Stourbridge
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Hinckley Rugby Community Partner - Thomas Flavell & Sons