By Frank Stormont
August 19 2006

Westcountry Warriors come away with a win at their 1st pre season match away to Brixham.  

Warriors net the Fishermen in the 1st pre season match.

Westcountry Warriors field a mainly young side as they travel to Brixham to beat the Fishermen 18 points to 5. A scrappy and sometimes fiery match was a real test in Albion's preparation  for the new season.  A game that saw the referee, who at times had a difficult task, blow up plenty of  times for penalty infringements. Many new faces in the team and points shared among them with tries to Frazer Cliluerd and Joe Skinnard and kicking points to Dan Hawkes. Also Director of Rugby Graham Dawe was forced to make an appearance due to injury.

Before the match started the Fishermen were panicking as the Westcountry Warriors turned up with the new seasons black strip so that Brixham had to change to their red strip.  There was no delay to the start as Albion first team players watched on Brixham kicked off into the setting sun making it very difficult to see the kicked ball.

Within 5 minutes Warriors were awarded a penalty in front of the posts for going in at the side which gave Dan Hawkes a relatively easy 30 metre kick to put his first points on the board. Just ten minutes on a similar but slightly longer kick from Dan took the score to 6 nil after a scrum  infringement on Brixham's ten metre line.

A break out and run by Gareth Evans from his own ten metre line saw him run fifty metres avoiding several Fishermen before passing to Frazer Cliluerd who scored on the left. The try was not converted by Dan, much to his annoyance. Deep into the first half Frazer came off injured which set the bench into turmoil and Graham Dawe quickly warmed up to take the field, but not before Brixham after five minutes of pressure in Warriors 22, finally made it across the line in the right hand corner. The try was awarded despite the ball apparently being dropped and knocked on just two metres out.

When it came time for Warriors to kick off the second half the sun had almost disappeared from view and the flood lights were on.  An early penalty awarded to Brixham for crossing in a kickable position was again kicked for touch.  With Warriors defending deep in their own 22, a play that started with Matt Newman shooting the ball back to Dan Hawkes in his own in goal area who then kicks high and long up to the halfway line was finished with Joe Skinnard running the last 30 metres to score under the posts. Dan wasted no time in adding two points to the score.

Warriors continued to defend their line well with an attempt to score in  the corner ending in a 5 metre throw in, after one of Brixham's backs was pushed onto the corner post trying to ground the ball.

On the hour and with just twenty minutes to play the physical play boiled over starting with Brixham's loose head prop being sin binned for some thing that went on at the ruck, this was not the first time the ref had had the opportunity to talk to him.  The referee several times had to speak severely to members of both teams but resisted going to his pocket to sin bin any further players. With very little time added on in the second half time was called with Warriors victors 18 points to 5.

A match that will give Graham and his coaching team plenty to think about.  Warriors were never in any danger of loosing the match but were fortunate that none of the penalties they gave away were converted into points.

 

WW team: Ben Lovell, Bob Boles, Steve Johns, Ross Allen, Darren Ritchie, Dan Hawkes, Matt Newman, Gareth Evans, Dean Avery, James Tickarse, Ed King, Bryn Jenkins, Frazer Cliluerd, Federico Genoud. Reps Matt Slee, Joe Skinnard, Graham Dawe, D. Coles. (all used)

Scores: Tries F. Cliluerd, J Skinnard. Pens D Hawkes(x2) Con D Hawkes.

 

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