Hope Valley RUFC

Date: 23 January 2010
Venue: Home
Result: Win
Final Score: Hope Valley 43 – Spartans 0

Tries:
Dave Ryder x 1
Steve Boundy x 1
Ric Spencer x 1
Tom Hodgson x 1
Dave Warren x 1
Dean Ancell x 1
Tommy McGuigan x 1

Conversions:
Ric Spencer x 4

Match Report:
Following a lengthy break due to the bad weather, Valley started the game with a full complement of replacements eager to play their first game of 2010. They attacked downhill in the first half, but initially Spartans soaked up the pressure and kicked clear. The flow of the game was hampered by early errors after such a long break, but the stalemate was eventually broken following a kick through by Boundy. Hudson went at Spartans with a jinking run, passing to Ryder who score out wide to make it 5-0, with the conversion going just wide. Valley continued to pressurise downhill, but the Spartans defence held up and stopped our runners getting through. Hodgson was sent to the sin bin, and Spartans attacked uphill with their one man advantage, the move breaking down when they passed forward.

They continued to pressurise close to the Valley line, but the ball fell loose and was passed to Boundy, who ran like an express train almost the full length of the pitch to score out wide 10-0, again unconverted. Valley applied further pressure from the kick off, this time from Johnson. Valley won a scrum five yards out, with Ric Spencer at scrum half darting down the blind side to score to make it 15-0, again narrowly missing the conversion.  More downhill pressure was weathered by the well organised Spartan defence, keeping it to 15-0 at half time in an extremely competitive game.

From the Valley kick off the ball was fumbled by Spartans, and Hodgson, back on the field of play, powered over between the posts, with Spencer converting to make it 22-0. The game remained frenetic, with Valley attacks being repulsed time and time again. A Spartans lineout ten yards out was stolen by Valley and kicked clear only to the visitors back line. However this attack was broken up following an interception by Cornes, who then fed the ball to vice captain Warren who scored under the posts to make it 29-0 with the conversion. With the game now won Valley piled on the uphill pressure through Williams, McGuigan and Hudson.

A strong run from Ancell brought him a try, which was again converted by Spencer to make it 36-0, the relentless Valley pressure now bearing fruits. A Spartans counterattack was halted by a crunching tackle from Shires, on as a replacement for his Valley debut. Another Valley replacement was ex captain Nigel Winder, coming on at second row for his first game in many years. The Valley team attacked again through Cornes, and the ball was passed to McGuigan who scored close to the posts, with Spencer converting with the last kick of the game to make it 43-0 against a good side near the top of the league. Another clean sheet sees Valley remain unbeaten and top of the Miller 5 East table.

Man of the Match:
Nigel Winder
Mike Shires

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