| Reading 12 V Old Patesians 51 |
| If rugby is, at least in part, about enjoyment then the Reading players had a mixed experience in their South West Division One clash with Cheltenham-based Old Patesians. The first half was all grind as Pats used the wind and slope well to dominate the game and score six tries and lead 46-0. In the second half, however, with conditions now in their favour, Reading came back strongly and were a shade unlucky not to score more. |
| What they did do was play with a great deal of spirit and the backs ran the ball with confidence to take the two tries. |
| The first three minutes set the tone for the rest of the first half. Patesians kicked long and Andrew Tweedie, under pressure, could only clear to five yards out. Pats won the lineout but Reading did well to hold them up and won a scrum. However, the ball fizzed out from the scrum without control, Pats took the ball and prop King touched down for fly half Nock to convert from wide out. |
| Reading were from then on always under pressure, particularly as, with usual lock Sean Kenneally not playing, they were unable to win their own lineouts. It took 16 minutes for Reading to get out of their own half when some good running in the backs set up an attacking lineout position only for the ball to be lost and it was back to defending. |
| Tries for the home side came at regular intervals from skipper Pettigrew, Strickland, Howell, Potter and Keen. These last two, plus an early second half try by Pettigrew, were scored when Reading were down to 13 men as the over-fussy referee Kevin Warwick, dished out yellow cards to Scott Heirene and Andy Tweedie. |
| 51-0 down, therefore, shortly after the start of the second half, Reading responded in style. With some lineout ball beginning to come and the scrum performing solidly in the tight, the Reading backs began to look dangerous. |
| This time it was Reading who had some assistance from the referee as he yellow carded home centre Stuart Taylor. While he was off a well-organised backs movement resulted in Tweedie racing through for a fine try which he converted himself. |
| Fly half Billy Bragg was by now enjoying himself setting up some good moves with his long passes and another try might have come if full back Alex Blackstock had gone for the line himself rather than pass to Duncan Mollison who was well marked on the wing. |
| Another try seemed inevitable, however, and it came just before the final whistle after yellow card number four had been dished out to Pats prop Chris Downes. Another good backs move saw winger Duncan Mollison come in from the blind side wing and outpace the home defence for the final score of the game. |
| READING: Alex Blackstock; Greg Clarke (Dai Birkby, 74 mins), Alex Wallace (capt), Andrew Tweedie, Duncan Mollison; Billy Bragg, Tom Goodhew; Richard Pryor, Paul Fisher, Andrew Grierson, Gary McLaughlin, Tim Laverye (Dan Phillips, 45 mins)’ Matt davies, Dave carey, Scott Hereine. Sub not used: Axel Rees |
| How the scoring went 3 mins James King try, Ron Nock con 7-0 9 mins Nock pen 10-0 14 mins Pettigrew try 15-0 16 mins Reading in Pats half for the first time! But lost their own lineout 24 mins James Stickland try, Nock con 22-0 27 mins Chris Howell try, Nock con 29-0 34 mins Heirene yellow card 35 mins Tweedie yellow card Nock pen 32-0 38 mins Giles Potter try, Nock con 39-0 39 mins Joel Keen try, Nock con 46-0 45 mins Pettigrew try 51-0 50 mins Laverye off, Dan Phillips on 52 mins Stuart Taylor yellow 56 mins Andrew Tweedie try and conversion 51-7 74 mins Birkby on, Clarke off 78 mins Chris Downes yellow 80 mins Duncan Mollison try 51-12 |
| Ted Goodhew |