Second week into the season and the focus on maintaining a strong 2XV to support the clubs ambitions for the 1XV continued with a spirited and clinical victory against a very good Harrow side.
The squad travelled to Harrow buoyant from their opening weekend win at King Georges and with the core of the team remaining the spirit was high. Under his new role as Coach/Manager for the 2XV Richard Lucas had called in the old and young to bolster the team with Carwyn Morgan (the old) slotting in to an unfamiliar position at 10 and young Harry Elleston, now 18 and able to play front row getting his shout after great reports from the 3XV on his performance.
As is the Hitchin way we also benefitted from a returning player, for one week only, with the formidable Josh Moss making a start on the wing.
So the scene was set, the team ready and the warm up completed. Very much following the structure put in place at 1XV level it’s no longer a “turn up 5mins before KO…..quick fag and out” this squad was prepared and focused.
The first half was well contested, as was the whole game. Hitchin enjoyed good possession and the forward pack asserted its authority on the game from the off, a series of scrums early on resulted in Hitchin ball….regardless of whose put in it was, so dominant was the scrum it was clearly a weapon to utilise. James Callis, a player bigger than his stature…. controlled the forwards well and ensured Carwyn Morgan received excellent ball with which to attack, which was good it was so often as 1 in 3 he would drop !......... when he did keep hold of the ball the back line clearly had something to offer. It was early days and a couple of times the wrong decisions meant that the end result wasn’t accompanied by any points.
First opportunity for points was an early penalty miss from Morgan, and that’s where the quick lesson into 10 ends as he stepped up his game and from mid-way through the first half he started to control the side and was a clear contributor to the end result.
Joe Benucci and Ed Bellamy were delivering an engine room performance, strong carries….the odd Benucci hand off and together with the rest of the front 5…..Akrill (skipper/swerve), Ditchburn and the already irresistible (better than his brother) Elleston the dominance continued.
In a back row bolstered by new Kiwi signing Evan (clearly a player to watch) Dan Holland and Rob Shaw the pitch was well covered and the Harrow side were always under pressure.
But they were a good side and this years Merit table already looks very well balanced, set piece aside they were more than a match for the Hitchin side and everyone knew that any points on the day were going to be hard earned!........a little against the run of play Harrow took the lead with a well converted try 7-0, Hitchin were down but still looked strong.
Another new signing, Patrick (or Gordon as he has bizarrely become known) was showing his class and alongside the now experienced ‘old head’ of Barnsey even the ref commented (on a brief chat with the sideline management team) that all Hitchin needed to do was keep hitting up those centres.
The referee, as well as his observations on the strength of Hitchins centre duo, was going to have a big say in the game, a series of penalties against Hicthin and he lost patience producing a yellow card for the ever innocent James Ditchburn, this meant a period of uncontested scrums which was probably a relief for Harrow. Good old Rob Shaw never likes to leave a man lonely so joined James for a ten minute ‘rest’ just seconds later after a frustrated pull down on the Harrow lineout jumper. The ref was pulling out more cards than our absent physios postman on valentine’s day !!
So….half time, down in the game at 13 men. Team talk….motivation, water ‘no kicking’ instruction (remember that!)
The game kicks off, Hitchin retain the ball…..Morgan kicks. Next phase….Morgan kicks (some people just don’t take instruction well).
So 13 men v 15 and Hitchin still on top. Clearly the best player on the pitch, Aiken (I can make 80 mins….honest) was playing so well the referee (now with more cards than Clintons) decide he should leave the pitch, the outstretched Harrow player would likely have agreed. But it wasn’t that type of game and sense prevailed.
Hitchin now started to play and the 12 men ably kept Harrow at bay, at some point trys were scored. One from Rob Shaw, Joe Benucci, Paul Marvel and the very gym prepped David Copper. (You may now realise that my recollection of the game is a little sketchy and my train journey is coming close to an end!)…….. Harrow scored again with a few minutes remaining. Morgan (who just loves kicking) converted one of the trys (probably the easy one under the posts).
And that was another win for the 2XV and an early top of the table position. The OX ran all day, but clearly didn’t want to score today (The Ox he scores when he wants!) the boys gave everything and the new players really shone. 1XV shirts up for grabs, or at least a decent bit of pressure applied and we roll on to a local derby vs Weston next week.
With a 100% Managerial / coaching record, ably assisted by Akrill’s 100% captain record there is even a glimpse of hope that Tiddles gauntlet of “Win 7 in a row lads” could be on the cards.
I reckon if Morgan catches a few and kicks a little less we could be on. (the revenge of an aging forward of the clubs nastiest 9 !)
MOM : Harry Elleston (who’s George anyway !)
Team James Akrill, James Ditchburn, Aaron Johnson, Edward Bellamy, Joe Benucci, Daniel Holland, Rob Shaw, Evan Griffiths, James Callis, Carwyn Morgan, Octavio Vinoly, Patrick Simpkin, Daniel Barnes, Josh Moss, Aiken Verschuur
Subs Paul James Marvell, Harry Elleston, David Cooper, Richard Lucas, Adam Naylor
Scores T: Rob Shaw (1), Joe Benucci (1), Paul James Marvell (1), David Cooper (1)
C: Carwyn Morgan (1)
The league: Herts Mddx Merit Table