| Reading lost to the sea-siders because they made too many mistakes
in the first half and failed to get their game right until the last fifteen minutes,
which they dominated. Weston’s first try came after 16 minutes when Reading lost
ball while in attack and failed to deal with a counter-attack led by Weston flanker
Kevin Hobbs and resulting in a try for lock William Tuitopou. |
| The home side’s next score, on 22 minutes, followed a five metre lineout
and Tuitopou was able to stroll over wide out. 12-0 down so soon, Reading began to
work their way back into the game but, under pressure from their opponents, and
lacking Nacamavuto (injured), Alex Blackstock and skipper Alex Wallace, the backs
failed to take their side forward, much of the running being cross-field. |
| Nevertheless, shortly before half time new full back Ceri Cummings kicked
a penalty to make it 12-3. This very soon became 17-3 as the Weston kick off was
dropped and the home team regained the ball and set up Tuitopou for his hat-trick.
Another mistake, another try! |
| More mistakes followed early in the second half after Armstrong’s good
kick had pushed his side to Reading’s 22. Reading tried to run the ball, then a kick
was charged down and finally the pressure told as Number 8 George Sparks went over
for the try (22-3). |
| The Reading pack continued to supply a lot of ball but the backs found it difficult to make progress against their tough-tackling opponents. Fly half Billy Bragg was just wide with a drop goal attempt but generally the threat from the backs was easily snuffed out by the home side. Eventually Weston put together another good move and centre Tom Gillmore, usually a flanker, touched down to put his side out of sight at 27-3 (63 mins). |
| It was at this point that captain and scrum half Simon Dyson went
off injured, replaced by Tom Goodhew, and Ceri Cummings slotted in at fly half,
Bragg moving to full back. The Reading forwards took control and the home side
hung on desperately, giving away a succession of penalties. The classy Cummings,
helped by a good service from Goodhew, got the side moving forward and it was his
clever chip ahead into the in-goal area which
led to a penalty try for obstruction which he converted himself (68 mins). |
| The rest of the match was all Reading as they besieged the home line without quite making another score. The result was scant reward for the efforts of the Reading pack, in which Matt Davies and Ben Hughes were outstanding. |
| Club chairman Alastair McHarg summed things up after the game. “We didn’t defend aggressively enough in the first half and we paid for that. We also ran across the park. We needed to straighten up and use the overlap. We were all over them in the last fifteen minutes,” he said. /td>
|
| But by then it was too late. |
| READING: ACeri Cummings; Andrew Tweedie, Kameli Vuadreu, Andrew Evans, Taniela Ratu; Billy Bragg, Simon Dyson (Tom Goodhew, 63 mins); Axel Rees, Paul Fisher, Andrew Grierson, Ben Hughes, Sean Kenneally, Matt Davies, Ricky Reeves, Ledua Jope. Subs not used: Adam Broster, Gary McLoughlin. |
| FACTFILE: 16 mins Tuitopou try, Armstrong con (7-0), 22 mins Tuitopou try (12-0), 38 mins Cummings pen (12-3), 40 mins Tuitopou try (17-3), 44 mins Sparks try (22-3), 63 mins Gillmore try (27-3), 68 mins penalty try, Cummings con (27-10). |
| Reading scores: Try: Penalty try Con: Cummings Pen: Cummings |
| Ted Goodhew
|