BRUFC Bletchley Rugby Club, Manor Fields, Bletchley MK2 2HX

Saturday 15 October 2011: Bletchley 1st XV 13 – 22 Salisbury 1st XV

It was all change for Bletchley this week as another round of illness and injury took its toll on the squad.  Late changes to the front row had the biggest impact and these forced changes through Bletchley’s 2^nd and 3^rd teams, also playing fixtures this weekend.

At the beginning of the match Salisbury were placed just above Bletchley in the league and a home win would see the positions reversed.

Read more: Saturday 15 October 2011: Bletchley 1st XV 13 – 22 Salisbury 1st XV

Saturday 08 October 2011: Marlow 1st XV 34 – 34 Bletchley 1st XV(South West 1 East)

Bletchley travelled to the south of the county for a thrilling 9 try match in much cooler and windier weather conditions than the previous week.  With 14 of their league points this season amassed against Bucks county opposition, Bletchley were hoping to maximise the points on offer this weekend to move into the top half of the table.  Meanwhile, Marlow were hoping to move up into second spot.

Read more: Saturday 08 October 2011: Marlow 1st XV 34 – 34 Bletchley 1st XV(South West 1 East)

Saturday 01 October 2011: Buckingham 1st XV 19–34 Bletchley 1st XV (South West 1 East)

On a sunny afternoon more conducive to beach volleyball than rugby, Bletchley travelled the short distance to Buckingham for their 5th match in this league campaign. With a good win over Olney the previous week, Bletchley travelled with confidence, hoping to add to their points tally and secure their mid table position in the league.

Read more: Saturday 01 October 2011: Buckingham 1st XV 19–34 Bletchley 1st XV (South West 1 East)

Saturday 24 September 2011: Bletchley 1st XV 28–12 Olney 1st XV (South West 1 East)

Bletchley welcomed Olney and their supporters to a sunny Manor Fields last weekend for the first local derby meeting in this league campaign. Well over a 100 supporters lined the pitch to cheer on their team which gave a good atmosphere for the match.
 

Olney started the match but knocked on, giving Bletchley the put in at the scrum. The visitors were clearly not happy at the mistake made at the start and their forwards wheeled the scrum to gain their own put in. An unfortunate knock on for Olney gave Bletchley time to break out of their 22 and centres Tim Stobbs and Simon Pitfield set the tone for the afternoon’s match with good runs into Olney territory. Several knock ons and scrums later, but still deep in the visitor’s half Bletchley were awarded a penalty. The kick to the posts from 40 yards out drifted left of the uprights, but with only 7 minutes of the match played Bletchley were showing determination to put the previous match’s woes behind them.

Bletchley knocked on the 22 drop-out kick and Olney made some territory into Bletchley’s half, but the visitors were turned over at a ruck and then conceded a penalty. The resulting lineout throw from the kick to touch was not straight and Bletchley had to concede the scrum. The referee was not happy with the binding of the Bletchley prop and awarded a penalty to Olney who wasted the chance to ease the pressure by missing touch. Bletchley once again moved the ball into Olney’s half, piling on the pressure at the breakdown. Olney infringed and when the penalty was given for not rolling away, flyhalf Phil Harman chose to go for the posts, punishing the visitors for their indiscipline by putting Bletchley 3 – 0 up with 13 minutes played.

The restart was claimed well by 6ft 8ins lock Dave Coleman and when the ball reached full back Will Garrett he took advantage, making a good break up the left wing before chipping ahead and chasing. The Olney full back read the bounce of the ball well, taking the opportunity to set his backs on their way. Unfortunately for the visitors they could not make the most of their limited possession before conceding a knock on in a tackle allowing Bletchley to come away with the ball and yet another penalty. This time Harman could not increase the lead, but with the drop out kick by Olney going straight into touch, Bletchley were awarded a scrum and 4 phases of play later Coleman touched down under the posts. Harman added the extras and after 17 minutes of the match played the home side were 10 – 0 up.

Once again Bletchley claimed the restart well, but a poor pass between the backs allowed Olney to get their hands on the ball. This time there was a little more urgency to their play and they were unlucky not to make the most of their chance, but Bletchley’s defence held firm and Stobbs cleared up, running out of the 22 with the ball and relieving the pressure.

Both sides shared possession and territory for a spell, with Olney trying hard to get into the match and make their mark on the scoreboard. Both sides traded penalty kicks as the breakdown became fiercely contested. Olney opted for the quick tap on a couple of occasions and this strategy got them into Bletchley’s 22 before a good tackle by Harman was rewarded with a penalty kick for holding on. Harman kicked the ball clear of the danger zone and the forwards secured good lineout ball. The home side were then awarded another penalty and a repeat performance was seen by the spectators - kick to touch and good lineout ball. This time Bletchley were in Olney’s 22 and good interplay between backs and forwards was finished off by Matt Nobes with a try after 33 minutes. With the conversion kick missed the scoreboard moved to 15 – 0 to Bletchley.

Olney’s restart kick was inch perfect and claimed well on the wing, but possession was kicked away and claimed by flanker Matt Nobes who kicked and chased the ball along with fellow flanker Josh Peters. The Olney full back was put under pressure and bundled unceremoniously into touch. However, they won the ball against the throw and then enjoyed their first real possession and territory of the half. Olney came as close to the try line as they had all game after 40 minutes of play, but excellent Bletchley defending again by the forwards allowed Bletchley to clear their lines.

Bletchley had two more opportunities to increase their lead with penalty kicks at goal, but on both occasions the ball drifted past the posts and the score at half time remained at 15 – 0.

Bletchley kicked off the second half and Olney knocked on. Bletchley secured the ball at the scrum followed by good play from the backs but a penalty was awarded to Olney for holding on after the tackle was made. Once again Olney employed the quick tap strategy and were rewarded with a second penalty just outside Bletchley’s 22 which they kicked to touch. The lineout was set up nicely for Olney and Cameron McClean ran straight through to score for the visitors and with the extra two points added, Olney were finally on the scoreboard with 6 minutes of the second half played. 15 – 7

The restart kick went straight to touch and Olney had the put in at the scrum. Bletchley applied the pressure when Olney’s backs were released, forcing a forward pass. Bletchley’s binding at the scrum was deemed illegal and Olney had a penalty kick to touch. They then had another penalty awarded at the lineout. Olney opted for the posts, but the kick drifted to the right of the posts and after 11 minutes of play the score remained at 15 – 7.

Olney secured the drop out kick and went searching for the try line. An excellent tackle by Stobbs allowed Bletchley to slow down the visitors and force a knock on. The referee then spotted the lack of binding by an Olney prop and gave Bletchley a penalty which allowed them to clear their 22.

Once again both sides shared territory and possession, but neither troubled the scoreboard. After 20 minutes, lock Nick Coussell came off after a good game to be replaced by Stu van Rooyan. Van Rooyan getting into the game straight away with a strong hand off on his opposite number.

With the frenetic pace of the game, handling errors crept in and when a Bletchley attempt at a drop goal went wide, Olney made the most of their chance by offloading the ball to Ritchie Cowan who sprinted 80 yards down the right wing to score. The conversion kick went wide, but the visitors had narrowed the score to 15 – 12 with 26 minutes of the second half played.

Bletchley knocked on at the restart and Olney took possession from the resulting scrum. A good tackle from Josh Peters led to a Bletchley penalty for holding on and Harman extended Bletchley’s lead to 18 – 12 with a kick to the posts with 28 minutes played.

Prop Reggie Njovana was rested and replaced by Josh Sprules as the game was restarted. Bletchley were awarded a penalty at the restart and the kick went to touch. Unfortunately Bletchley lost their own lineout and Olney were given their own penalty. Once again the quick tap gave Olney a few yards of territory and when Bletchley tackled high the visitors were rewarded with another penalty. The quick tap did not work as well this time and Bletchley got the ball back into their own hands with Stobbs making a real nuisance of himself in midfield, with a great break before kicking ahead and chasing. He was supported well by Garrett and Pitfield, but Olney defended well before another break from Bletchley, this time from hooker Brett Staniford. The pressure was relentless and eventually Olney conceded the penalty. Harman slotted the ball between the uprights to extend Bletchley’s lead to 21 – 12 after 33 minutes.

Bletchley enjoyed a good spell of possession after the restart and after 41 minutes on the clock Stobbs found a gap in the Olney defence to run in Bletchley’s 3rd try. Harman converted and Bletchley held a 28 – 12 lead over their local rivals.

With only a few minutes left to play, Bletchley went in search of their bonus point try, but it was not to be and the final score remained 28 – 12. Four league points secured and no losing bonus point for Olney.

Next week Bletchley 1st & 2nd XV play away at local rivals Buckingham who have yet to secure their first league win of the season. Hopefully Bletchley can win two on the bounce.

Squad: Will Garrett, Ryan Cane, Simon Pitfield, Tim Stobbs, Jamie Parker, Phil Harman, Kev Turnbull, Tom Hannel, Brett Staniford, Reggie Njovana, Nick Coussell, Dave Coleman, Matt Nobes, Josh Parker, Dagan Probert, Stu van Rooyan, Adam Griffiths, Josh Sprules

Saturday 17 September 2011: Witney 1st XV 22–16 Bletchley 1st XV (South West 1 East)

Bletchley made the trip to Witney at the weekend, hoping to show some of the form seen on the opening weekend of the campaign. Despite the blustery conditions, the sun was shining and as the team went through their warm-up the travelling supporters did likewise, enjoying the hospitality offered by their hosts.

Bletchley kicked off the first half with the wind at their backs, but they went offside as the ball was collected and Witney had a penalty awarded which they kicked to touch. The home side collected the ball well at the resulting lineout and when a ruck was set up, Bletchley did not roll away quickly enough for the referee and Witney had another penalty which was taken quickly. Bletchley’s defence worked well forcing a knock on in the tackle. A firm scrum allowed Bletchley fly half Phil Harman to make a good clearance kick deep into Witney’s 22. The ball was collected well by the Witney full back before he passed to the winger. However, before any territory could be made, the winger was forced into touch, giving Bletchley a lineout. Hooker Brett Staniford found his mark well and Bletchley set up the ball and went through 3 phases of play before holding on to the ball too long in the tackle and giving a penalty to Witney. The kick missed touch, but good chasing by the Witney backs allowed them to secure possession until another knock on in the tackle. Bletchley secured good ball at the scrum and again the backs could benefit, moving the ball quickly away from the set piece area. Full back Will Garrett was the main beneficiary making good yards into Witney territory before passing to flanker Josh Peters who almost scored a try in the corner; Witney’s scrambling defence working well, forcing Bletchley into conceding yet another penalty for holding on. The kick to touch did not clear the 22 and despite Bletchley pressurising the lineout, Witney were able to set up a maul and eventually clear to touch. Bletchley’s lineout was working well and again quick ball for the backs set up another opportunity for a try, centres Simon Pitfield and George Harman combining well. This time Bletchley were denied by a double movement and Witney were able to relieve the pressure with a penalty kick to touch. Once again Bletchley made life difficult for the lineout jumpers and Brett Staniford disrupted the resulting maul well forcing a scrum to be called by the referee. However, possession was lost and Witney made their way into the Bletchley 22 for the first time in the match before good defence forced the turnover. The clearance kick was collected by the home side and Bletchley were forced to defend as the ball was run back at them and the forwards were rewarded with another turnover, this time the clearance kick made touch. Both teams enjoyed possession for a spell, but were not able to make the most of it, good defence forcing turnovers. Eventually Bletchley were awarded a penalty which Phil Harman kicked to touch. However, the wind was making it difficult for the throwers at the lineout and Witney were given a scrum as Bletchley knocked on. This turned into a penalty when the referee saw a Bletchley infringement at the scrum. The Witney fly half found touch with his kick and a good lineout gave Witney a great opportunity to open the scoring, but a loose pass to the winger let Bletchley off the hook.

It was hard to believe that the score remained at 0 – 0 when both teams had come close to scoring and the game was being played at such a ferocious rate. Both teams were tackling well and forcing turnovers. Just before the half hour mark centre George Harman made a hard tackle on his counter part and when Witney questioned the legitimacy of his technique, the referee gave Bletchley a penalty. Once again Bletchley moved into the Witney 22, but loose play gave Witney the chance to counter attack and they moved the ball through the hands well taking play up into Bletchley’s 22. Yet another turnover was forced and Bletchley scampered back over the half way line. Props Josh Sprules and Reggie Njovana showed the backs how it should be done when they combined well to take the ball into Witney’s 22, forcing Witney to concede the penalty. Flyhalf Phil Harman stepped up to take the kick at the posts and after 28 minutes the scorers on the side of the pitch had to do some work and change the scoreboard to 0 – 3 to the visitors.

Bletchley secured the restart well, but the clearance kick was fielded well by Witney who ran straight back at their opposition. The chip ahead from Witney was collected by Garrett who kicked to touch. Witney then showed the supporters lining the pitch how a lineout should function. Good ball off the back of the lineout was quickly passed out through the backs and a try was scored under the posts by home centre Carl Strutt. Witney full back Eddie Mitcham added the extras and Witney were in the lead 7 – 3 after 32 minutes of play.

Bletchley conceded a penalty at the restart as Witney tried to secure the ball. A quick tap set up several pick and drives before Bletchley conceded yet another penalty at the breakdown. The clearance kick found touch in Bletchley’s half. The lineout was not straight and Bletchley made the most of possession from the resulting scrum. An excellent break by scrum half Kevin Turnbull was followed up by a good delayed pass to Garrett who was forced into touch, but not before he had made it into the Witney 22. Again the wind was playing havoc with the lineout throwing and Bletchley were awarded another scrum for a crooked throw. This time Witney infringed at the scrum and Bletchley were given a penalty. On the 40 minute mark, Phil Harman reduced the arrears to 7 – 6 with a good kick in the windy conditions.

There was only just time for the restart in injury time, but the kick went straight to touch. Bletchley took the scrum, but could not make inroads into Witney territory and a knock on saw the half time whistle blown by the referee, both teams grateful for the chance to catch their breath after a frenetic first half.

Substitution – Brett Staniford off with an injured ankle and Chris Cousell came on.

Witney kicked off the second half, but the wind was playing a big part in the game and once again the ball went straight into touch. Bletchley’s forwards shunted the scrum back 10 yards with No 8 Dagan Probert controlling the ball well at the back before releasing Turnbull who in turn set his backs off and running. Witney defended well forcing a knock on. Young winger Tom Stainsby came off with a shoulder injury with Ryan Cane substituting. Bletchley turned over the Witney scrum and were then awarded a penalty as Njovana took the ball towards the try line. Phil Harman kicked Bletchley into a 7 – 9 lead with 5 minutes of the second half played.

Once again the Witney restart kick went straight into touch and once again Bletchley’s pack shunted the ball into the Witney half. This time the ball was released to Garrett on the right wing who was making life difficult for the Witney tacklers. Unfortunately Bletchley could not capitalise on the possession and a knock on was forced as the ball came back inside. Witney’s full back made the most of the wind with an excellent clearance kick that was touched by a Bletchley hand, setting up a lineout in Bletchley’s half of the pitch. The Witney lineout was functioning well and the ball was moved away quickly into the hands of their backs. A forward pass was spotted by the referee and the home side were called back for the scrum. Phil Harman made a quick break from the set piece, setting up Garrett on the left wing this time. Witney were having to use the touchline as an extra player to cope with the youngster and Garrett was forced into touch, but good territory had been made. Bletchley tried to disrupt the Witney lineout and the referee deemed their attempts as illegal, awarding not only a penalty, but also a yellow card, thereby reducing Bletchley to 14 men for 10 minutes.

Bletchley defended the lineout well from the kick to touch. Witney only had slow ball to use and resorted to a kick ahead which found touch rather than the chasing backs. Bletchley used the opportunity to clear their lines with good ball from their lineout. Both teams were getting a lot of practice at the lineout set piece and Witney appeared to just have the edge over the visitors. As they set up their backs from good lineout ball, Bletchley were adjudged to have failed to release the tackled player in the 22 and a yellow card accompanied the penalty. Bletchley were now down to 13 players for 5 minutes and Witney were in the lead 10 - 7 with the successful penalty kick at the posts after only 15 minutes of second half play.

Witney secured the restart and despite good defence by Turnbull and lock John Kirwan, the home side were determined to make Bletchley pay for their indiscipline. As the ball was passed quickly through the Witney backs Bletchley scrambled their defence, flanker Matt Nobes making a good contribution to the tackle count. However, with 2 players down, there were gaps in the Bletchley line and inevitably a score was going to come and it did from Witney centre Joe Collins. Mitcham converted the try from out wide and Witney were holding onto a 17 – 9 lead with 20 minutes played.

Bletchley were back up to 14 players and were determined to reduce the arrears. Several scrums and turnovers later, they were rewarded for their efforts. A scrag tackle on a Witney player led to a knock on which was mopped up by Nobes who made a good break into the Witney half. The ball then passed through the backs as George Harman released Josh Peters to score just wide of the posts. Phil Harman converted to take the score to 17 – 16 with 26 minutes played.

Bletchley were back up to a full complement of players for the restart. This was not fielded well by the visitors and Witney had a lineout in the Bletchley half. However, Bletchley were not to be outdone and Simon Pitfield and Phil Harman combined to rip the ball away and release George Harman who set out on the left wing. With Garrett with him Witney’s defence were caught in two minds. A great dummy pass by Harman and Bletchley were deep into Witney territory. Unfortunately Bletchley could not make the most of the ball and were turned over at a ruck. Bletchley were then deemed to have infringed at the resulting scrum and Witney made the most of the wind with the penalty kick to touch right back in Bletchley’s 22.

There then followed 10 minutes of play where Bletchley tried to get in front and Witney tried to secure their lead. Both sides tackled hard and tried to slow the ball down at rucks, lock Dave Coleman and hooker Chris Coussel making a real nuisance of themselves in this department. Inevitably a penalty was going to be awarded and Witney were the team to benefit from this. With two minutes of normal play remaining they took a kick to the posts. The wind took the ball wide and with Bletchley keen to secure a win they tried running the ball out of their 22. Despite making some progress, Witney were not going to make it easy for them and the home side forced the turnover. Bletchley’s supporters breathed a sigh of relief as the ball was passed into touch rather than the winger’s hands in front of the try line. However, Witney were not to be denied and they turned over Bletchley’s possession from the lineout to score their third try – scrum half Gareth Campbell on the end of the pass. With the score at 22 – 16 and 42 minutes played, a successful conversion would deny Bletchley a losing bonus point. This time the kick was unsuccessful, the final whistle went and Bletchley came away with at least a league bonus point to show for their efforts, although disappointed with the end result.

Final score 22 – 16.

This Saturday, Bletchley play host to Olney at Manor Fields with a 3.00pm kick off.

Squad: Will Garrett, Tom Stainsby, George Harman, Simon Pitfield, Adam Griffiths, Phil Harman, Kev Turnbull, Reggie Njovana, Brett Staniford, Josh Sprules, John Kirwan, Dave Coleman, Josh Peters, Matt Nobes, Dagan Probert, Ryan Cane, Chris Coussel, Ty Stockil.