Hinckley 36 Huddersfield 33

For the neutral, this was a superb game of rugby to watch but for those of a more partisan nature, the afternoon proved an ordeal.
This was drama more suited to the West End stage than the rugby field - ten tries, five to each side, with the lead changing hands no less than seven times, chances innumerable, ten minutes with Hornets reduced to 13 men, and finally Hinckley snatching the win from a despondent Huddersfield with the last play of the game. It doesn’t get better than this for entertainment.

The win saw Hornets drag themselves into the top half of the table for the first time this season. They now sit in eighth position, ten points clear of the relegation zone and 10 points behind third placed Sedgley Park, but it could have been so different but for a superb final minute of play which eventually saw Callum Dacey take advantage of an overlap out wide to go over for the final score. Tom Wheatcroft put the icing on the cake with the conversion to cap a great afternoon’s work for the fly-half.

There was still a sense though that Hornets made heavy weather of the win. They looked the better side overall, dominating the scrum and moving the ball with a confidence and precision that should have reaped greater reward. Once more though, Hornets conceded too many penalties (the penalty count was massively in favour of Field) and made too many mistakes at crucial moments. They also struggled to defend a very effective Field rolling maul which brought them four of their five tries, but it has to be said that numerous penalties conceded in the middle of the field gave Field avoidable opportunities to set up those rolling mauls.

DOR Scott Hamilton was a relieved man after the game. ‘That must have been a great game for the neutrals but it definitely took a few years off my life. It was good to get the win but you can’t concede five tries and expect to win every week. We still have a lot to work on. I was disappointed with our line-out defence. We knew what to expect and had been working on defending the five man line-out in training but we struggled with the referee’s interpretation of the Law around ‘truck and trailer’. After last week’s disappointment though, it was good to get the win. It would have been really hard on the players to lose twice in two weeks having looked the better side.’

In contrast to much of the season, Hornets got away to a flier. Ben Pointon grabbed the first try after only 4 minutes. Hornets had knocked on just metres short of the Field line but took the ball against the head from the ensuing scrum and Pointon was able to dart in for the score. Tom Wheatcroft converted.

With Hornets having the better of the game throughout the first quarter, it was no surprise when Dale Bowyer grabbed a second after 19 minutes. Mitch Lamb took the ball around the Hinckley 22m line and carried deep into Field territory. The forwards took it on and a neat pass from Matt Fearne opened up the Field defence for Bowyer to romp over the line with Field appealing in vain for a forward pass. Wheatcroft again converted and at 14-0, Hornets were looking comfortable.

But then it all started to unravel. Field set up a penalty line-out 10m from the Hinckley line. Initially, the catch and drive was well defended and Hornets won a scrum but were then penalised for holding on. Field set up a second line-out and Steve Harvey was yellow carded for pulling down the maul but a third attempt from Field resulted in the referee going under the posts for the penalty try and Matt Fearne being invited to join Harvey in the dug-out.

With Hinckley down to 13, Alex Salt made his first appearance of the season from the bench to bolster the pack. Hornets continued to take the game to Field but numbers eventually told when Field No. 8 Dickie Piper, who was excellent throughout, found himself in acres of space 30m from the Hinckley line and romped through to score under the posts. Joel Hinchliffe’s conversion tied the scores.

Tom Wheatcroft though restored the Hinckley lead just before half time with a penalty from 25m and Hornets were able to retire at the break with a slender 3 point lead.

There was a sense from the home crowd that Hinckley had weathered the storm and would be able to kick on when play resumed.

But Field had other ideas. They re-took the lead on 53 minutes when from yet another penalty line-out in the Hinckley 22m the pack drove over for the score.

Hornets got over the Field line a few minutes later but the referee adjudged the ball was held up. From the scrum, Ollie Ashworth picked up and looked likely to score but managed to drop the ball driving for the line and Field escaped.

Hornets were in the ascendant, however, and retook the lead as the game entered the final quarter. Some lovely controlled rugby with the ball passing from side to side through multiple pairs of hands took Hinckley within 10m and the defence eventually opened up for Salt to drive over for the score which Wheatcroft converted.

Again it looked as if Hornets might pull away but again Field responded. Yet another catch and drive attempt went close but as the ball was recycled it was the backs who claimed the score, going over under the posts and giving Hinchliffe an easy conversion.

Hornets responded. Another lovely flowing move, saw Dacey go close but the ball was quickly recycled and fed across to the opposite wing where Ashworth forced himself over for the bonus point score – 29-26 with 10 minutes remaining.

Field snatched the lead back again with time running out from yet another penalty lineout, Hinchliffe the scorer this time, and with only four minutes remaining, the crowd sensed that this time it might be terminal for Hinckley.

But a penalty for a tip tackle on the Field 22m gave Hornets what seemed like a last chance. It looked as if they had blown it though when a knock-on allowed Field to clear their lines but, with the referee preparing to blow for time, a brilliant steal from Fearne 30m out set up one final attack. It proved to be perhaps the best play of the game and when Dacey dotted down out wide, the home support erupted. Spare a thought for Field though; it was perhaps a game neither side deserve to lose.

Nick Robinson