National 2 South • 2019/2020 • Round 8

Saturday 24 October 2019 at Chapel Gate. KO: 3PM

Bournemouth 7/tc v 24/3t3cp Esher

Half-time: 0-10/tcp

Match Sponsored by: Fortitudo Developments

Weather dull and overcast with driving rain from the West throughout. Underfoot it was very wet after much recent rain but the pitch stood up to it very well.

Bournemouth Team: Grant Hancox/c, Dan Stewart, Freddie Gleadowe, Scott Chislett, Alex Everett-Bolter, Danny Kirkpatrick, Sam Hardcastle, Michael Davies, Alan Manning, Luca Firetto/t. Ben Roberts, Sam Knott, Toby Kenneally, Alexander Bennett, Joe Rees/C. Subs: Conrad Carkeet, George Cotterell, Liam Driscoll, Harry Leadbeater, Carlos Snell. Man of the Match: Danny Kirkpatrick.

There were a number of changes to the team that met Clifton last weekend. Danny Kirkpatrick, making his first 1st XV start of the season came in at fly-half for the first time to replace Scott Chislett who resumed his usual role as inside centre in place of Carlos Snell who was moved to the bench. In the forwards Michael Davies returned after a two-game absence to replace Tom Napier at loosehead prop. In the second row Sam Knott was preferred to Harry Leadbeater who moved to the bench. In the back row both flankers were replace. Toby Kenneally was preferred to Conrad Carkeet who moved to the bench and Alexander Bennett having not played for the 1st XV since the third game of the season made his return at his customary position of openside flanker in place of Ben Russell who was moved to the twos. On the bench George Cotterell returned to 1st XV duty having missed the last four games. Liam Driscoll was making his third appearance having last played at Old Albanain a fortnight ago. Alan Manning started his 300th League game, the third player to do so and all playing today. Congratulations to Conrad Carkeet who was nominated National 2 South Player of the Week in the Westcliff game a fortnight ago.

Timeline

4m: 0-3 James Chaumeton/10/p. 20m: 0-10 Jack Walsh/9/t, Chaumeton/10/c. 40+8m: 0-10 Half-time. 43m: 0-17 Tom James/13/t, Sam Druce/12/c. 52m: 0-24 Cameron Gentles/4/t, Druce/12/c. 80m: 7-24 Firetto/3/t, Hancox/15/c. 80+7m: 7-24 Full Time.

Bournemouth let their Chances Slip

Bournemouth kicked off left to right as viewed from the stand and to their left. As can perhaps can be deduced by the headline this was a great disappointment and perhaps it could have been better. In addition if you look at the timeline, one can see we kept Esher out for long periods of time. So we had much good possession but a combination of a well-organised defence and Bournemouth losing the ball in the contact we were never ever able to create the scoring chances. When it looked increasing like we were going to be ‘nilled’ the one chance we did create was as a result of a tremendous break by substitute scrum-half, Liam Driscoll, and that was from near the halfway line rather than from a running-passing move. Even then the ball was ‘held up’ but from the resulting scrum tighthead Luca Firetto was driven over for full-back Grant Hancox to kick the goal in a last ‘hurrah’.

Another symptom of a recurring problem is conceding a score soon after the kick-off, either at the start of the game or for the second half or worse both. It was the case in this game when 10-nil down at half-time would appear to be manageable but it becomes a whole different ball game when it’s 17-nil just a minute or two into the half. A drive off a line-out outside the Bournemouth 22m, a release down the short side and the outside centre Tom James is in. Simple stuff really. Lock Cameron Gentles proved too strong less than ten minutes later. However Esher didn’t score again which was a credit to the Bournemouth defence but neither did we, until that solo effort by Driscoll eventually breaching the defensive wall, or at least severely denting it to lead to a score. This was also due to a smothering defence and we found no effective way to break it down and often in our efforts to do so the ball was ‘lost’.

Bournemouth were under pressure right from the start. When Esher cleared right from the Bournemouth kick-off, they ‘stole’ the Bournemouth throw-in on the half-way line and again kicked right for another Bournemouth line-out, this time on their own 22m. Esher almost managed to nick the ball again but scrum-half Sam Hardcastle was there to clear up. Nonetheless Esher won a scrum and when Bournemouth defended as Esher went left they conceded a penalty and fly-half James Chaumeton, from in front of the posts, put the visitors 3-nil ahead after less than five minutes play. For the next fifteen or so minutes it was nip and tuck with a fair number of kicks exchanged. Left wing Alexander Everett-Bolter was much in evidence in either fielding kicks or ‘looking for work’ off his flank. However after a period of Esher pressure, driving off a line-out 15 metres out down the right, forcing the penalty as they swung the ball left, Chaumeton finding a

5m touch further to his left, another drive off the line-out saw the alert scrum-half Jack Walsh over close to the posts. Chaumeton kicked the goal and Esher were 10-nil up with a quarter of the game gone. Bournemouth responded with fly-half Danny Kirkpatrick finding a good long touch to his left on the Esher 22m. Bournemouth earned a bonus when the throw-in was ‘not straight’ and from the scrum they went right where a series of driving mauls forced the penalty. The normally reliable Hancox, from some 15 metres out and to the right of the posts, pushed the ball beyond the far post to leave the score at 0-10 after half-an-hour. With both defences nullifying the opposition’s attempts to score that remained the score until half-time.

Esher soon extended their lead with the aforementioned score just a couple or so minutes after the restart. With the pattern of play much the same as in the first half it was another ten minutes before Bournemouth found themselves defending a line-out just 15 metres out from their line and a remorseless drive by the visitors’ forwards saw them inch forward (now there’s a mixed metaphor in these days of metrication, ‘centimetre forward’ doesn’t have the same ring does it?) for lock Gentles, in a not very gentle fashion, crash over for their third try. Inside centre Druce, who had taken over the kicking duties from the stricken Chaumeton, kicked the goal to conclude the visitors’ scoring efforts for the afternoon and leaving the score at a comfortable 24-nil. However in the thirty or so minutes remaining Bournemouth could only manage that score I have so eloquently described earlier.

As a result of this loss and Westcliff’s win away to Worthing we drop to last and Esher go fourth.

Next week the 1sts are away to thirteenth-placed Barnes in N2S, the kick-off confirmed as 2.30pm.

The twos had yet another ‘no show ‘ by the opposition, making it three so far this season. Most unsatisfactory. Happy for us to travel though. I hope not because of these no shows, Bournemouth are top of the Zoo, Div 2. Next week the twos are away to Richmond Normans in the Zoo. Kick-off not confirmed but probably 2.30pm.

The threes lost 5-20 away to Blandford in D&W1South and lie fifth in the table. Their next game is at home to Weymouth & Portland on the 9th November.

The fourths beat Salisbury IV 58-0 in the D&W Conference, an organisation of games for the lower D&W sides outside the league structure proper. It should be added that the game took place because of the cooperation between the two clubs to make sure manpower shortages were not allowed to interfere with it taking place. Their next game is away to Christchurch on the 9th November.

We wish England well in the Rugby World Cup Final and perhaps we will have the chance to show off the Webb Ellis Trophy at Chapel Gate much as we did last time. Great result though in the semis.

Doug Warren.