Amateurs beat Old Millhillians

By Hilary Carr
February 25 2004

After the disappointment of the resounding loss against Chess Valley two weeks previously and a scrappy but convincing win against London Irish last week.

The Amateurs approached this game having done a lot of preparation on the training pitch facing a must-win game, and with every intention of finishing our fixtures in the league with 5 wins. So imagine our exasperation when we arrived at the College pitch to find it marked for football and neither posts nor goals in place!

A hastily rearranged venue saw 2 nervous teams confront each other at Staines RFC. The first ten minutes, was typified by Quins exerting most of the pressure but regularly being penalised. The teams traded penalties and tested each other’s defence so that two thirds of the way though the first half the score was 6 – 6, when scrum half Coyle stole over the OM’s line after some sweeping phases across the park to touch down in the corner for the first try which was superbly converted by Wootton (13-6).

OM’s were visibly rattled by this score and immediately reapplied the pressure on Quins, resulting in another successful OM’s penalty. Quins strength and defensive resolve was becoming much more evident as the half wore on. Despite leading by only 4 points at half-time, the pattern of play was now established with OMs giving away penalties more frequently than Quins, and the Amateurs dominating every phase of scrum, lineout and open play.

At half time, Robinson replaced for Bamfield in the scrum, Evans at scrum half and Fretwell came on to the wing to replace van der Westhuizen, with Dewar moving to outside centre.

A scare following the restart when a dropped catch led to OMs closing the score to within a point through a dropped goal, but Quins then began to control the game comfortably. The forwards were rampant across the park. The backs were always dominant, Webster again determining the play well and Grundelingh at centre had another strong game and burst through to score two tries, one of which was converted. OM’s game plan dissolved into spoiling Quins drive and they constantly gave away penalties, two of which were converted by Wootton to leave Quins victors by 31-12 at the final whistle.

Team: 15. Ah-Sun, 14. Dewar, 13. van der Westhuizen (Fretwell), 12. Grundelingh, 11. Dewar, 10.Webster, 9. Coyle, 1. Lawrence, 2. Blackmore, 3. Cooper, 4. Richards, 5. Sterck, 6. Bamfield (Robinson), 7. Thompson, 8. Stevens.

Harlequins: Tries: Coyle, Grundelingh (2); Conversions: Wootton (2); Penalties: Wootton (4)

Old Millhillians: Penalties (3); Drop goal.