This Hinckley side is getting better week by week as they not only win games, but show improvements in every facet of the game to give performances that just weren’t there at the start of this campaign. Today they were completely dominant and overwhelmed a decent Old Hales side that, lets remember, would have moved into second place in the league had they won today.

Ben Avent had been ill all week so Steve Morfill came into the pack with Tom Sanderson, Dylan Weddle and Sam Masserella (taking his turn on the front row rota) making up the bench.
The collective group skills of the front five, the back row, the half backs and the vastly improved back line were on display throughout the game. They were ably backed up by the bench players who fitted in seamlessly when called on. Defensively the squad have now gone four games without conceding a try which is always a sound basis for confidence and trust of your team mates.The only flaw was the line out which misfired in the first quarter, but finished strongly, especially when the oppositions heads went down around the hour mark.

Old Hales kicked off going down the slope with the low sun in the eyes of the home side on a crisp, cold winters afternoon with no wind to affect the proceedings.
Initially the visitors put some pressure on the Hinckley line out as you would expect from a team unbeaten in the last six games. However, Hinckley put the squeeze on in the scrummage enabling Mark Lord to convert a penalty goal for the opening score immediately cancelled out by Hooper as the home backs were caught offside. Lord stepped up again to add his second penalty to give Hinckley a 6-3 lead. Old Hales tried to move the ball wide at every opportunity, but the home defence held firm. After 20 minutes Dave Weston turned the ball over, the visitors were penalised and Joe Glover kicked for the corner. From the lineout a rolling maul was formed which carried the Old Hales pack over their own line for Tom Morris to touch down. Lord converted.
Hooper replied with a penalty for the visitors to make the score 13-6 then further dynamic forward play enabled Alex Salt to go over for Hinckley’s second try. Lord again converted.
Lord hit a post with a long range penalty attempt, but the pressure was kept on the visitors with some great chasing work from Sam Greasley and Matt Loveday pinning the visitors in their own 22 metre area.
The aforementioned Loveday chose a great line to break clean through the Old Hales defence for Hinckley’s third try although Lord was narrowly wide with the conversion.

The half time score of 25-6 in Hinckley’s favour with three tries in the bag confirmed Hinckley’s dominance.

The pressure continued almost immediately after the restart as Luke Coltman was on the end of another rolling maul to add Hinckley’s fourth and bonus point gaining try. Lord’s conversion went wide.
Old Hales probably had their best spell in the game with Williams and Hooper prompting several attacks. However, a probing kick behind the visitors defensive line by Mitch Culpin and some great combined play with Mark Deaville, Steve Morfill and Matt Fearn through the middle turned the tables back in Hinckley’s favour. Slick hands from Weston, Josh Smith and Lord enabled Culpin to weave his way through for home try number five, probably the best of the game, routinely converted by Lord.
From then on it was all Hinckley as Old Hales heads went down, handbags between Burrows and Coltman resulted in yellowcards for frustrated retaliation - why does the initial perpetrator of an offence tend to get off scott free?
Morris added try number six as the visitors pack, not for the first time, disintegrated, Lord adding the conversion to take the score out to 44-6. Loveday was yellowcarded for an attempted interception interpreted by the referee as illegal and all the bench got a run out with coach Chris Campbell trying out some different combinations.
The game was completed as the pack rumbled Old Hales back over their own line again for Dylan Weddle to touchdown. Josh Smith added the final conversion to complete the scoring for a very satisfying Hinckley victory by 51 points to 6.
The old adage that forwards win a game and the backs decide by how many didn't quite come to fruition as the try count was 4-3 in favour of the forwards - irrelevant really in the context of this game - what counted was the performance from everybody and the transition into a complete team with options all over the field. A welcome bonus point and a team on the up!

A tough away trip to Sandbach next week to conclude the games before christmas. Next home game versus Scunthorpe on January 3rd still a 2.15 kick off.

Happy Christmas to all and well done Hinckley 1st XV.