I'm writing this on my mobile because my PC has a few 'issues' (ie it is completely unusable), so don't expect a full description of the game.  Instead just a few points.  It was a poor match because both sides made a large number of errors with B**h being marginally more inventive and better able to execute their moves.  The refereeing was unsympathetic to both teams.  B**h's disallowed try in the corner, didn't look a forward pass from my vantage, and Andy Humphries who was dead in line says it was a flat pass. 



Equally Bristol had cause for unhappiness with Joe El Abd ruled, presumably, to have taken the ball before it had gone 15 metres.  It looked to have gone further to me but the referee was a lot closer, although not so high up (incidently I was allocated a seat right up in the Dolman Stand instead of nice roomy one at the front and damn uncomfortable it was too).  The most controversial incident was from David Lemi's chip through.  Not only was he pulled back but he was also tripped.  Yellow for the pull, rightly, but surely a straight red for the trip?  A penalty try?  It was a fair way out but from where the ball landed and the way it bounced we've all seen Lemi score from there.


 
The match winning try from Higgins made me wonder why he hadn't been on from the start although he did fulfill my prediction by not passing.  B**h, in the absence of James (who dominated the match at the Wreck), were unable to put the shape on the game they would have liked and for much of the game it would have been difficult for the Martian observer (who may well have been sitting next to me, although fortunately they have reached the limits of what rectal probing can teach them) to have told which team was challenging at the top of the league and which scrabbling at the bottom(hmm, those Martians again).
 

Bristol looked tired and lacked invention.  Decision making outside the half-backs was poor.  All too often we saw forwards standing out in the backline just waiting to clog up the move.  What Sean Hohneck was thinking when he got the ball shortly befor Lemi's chip I shall never know.  A two man overlap for perhaps the only time in the game and he didn't even look outside him but ran back inside to a huddle of forwards.  Lemi looke sharp as usual,  Anthony Elliott looked like he might have been able to fashion something before he was forced off and David Hill was always able to get between two defenders and get the ball back even if the support was limited.  Other than that a thoroughly disappointing day and we didn't even get close to a full house.  Commercially, of course it makes sense with even 16000 bringing in more than two home games at the Mem (thanks to the thieves at the MSC), but the atmosphere was poor and the facilites shocking as always (how they are going to cope if promoted to the Premiership?).  Lastly, when the '83 cup winning team were announced why were numbers used rather than letters?

I can't make it next week (on tour with Chew Valley) so any volunteers for a report?

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