Bognor 2s 13 – Alresford 1sts 33
19th October 2024
Alresford travelled to Bognor on another warm, sunny October day keen to continue the improvements shown in our previous match.
Alresford kicked off the first half, with both teams putting in a tremendous shift, but it became apparent that we had learnt from previous weeks, and were prepared to mix a potent combination of a solid defence, and an ability to attack where appropriate, with our blossoming centre partnership being at the heart of that. In spite of this, it took most of the half for the deadlock to be broken, and it was the away team who scored the first try of the afternoon. The resulting conversion made it 0-7 to Alresford, which remained the score at the end of the half.
The home team kicked off the second half in a determined mood and scored their first try within two minutes of the restart; with the conversion, the scores were level at 7-7.
However, in a true reflection of a superb team performance, it was Alresford who were the next to score – although unconverted, the score was now 7-12.
The home team pressed, but had to settle for a penalty, reducing our lead to 10-12.
But we could now sense that a victory was there for the taking, and after a patient buildup, our third try of the afternoon was soon on the board, with our lead now 10-19.
And to the joy of the away support, the fourth, bonus point try, after another superb, incisive move from our backs, duly followed – the resulting conversion made it 10-26 to Alresford.
And despite a Bognor penalty, it was Alresford, using width against a tiring side, who scored the final, converted, try of the afternoon to make the final score;
Bognor 13 – Alresford 33
This was a superb team performance, with backs and forwards linking constantly, a defensive performance that never gave the opposition time to settle, and a ruthless display of attacking which gave us not only the win, but a well deserved try bonus point. We have a settled centre partnership that is now bearing fruit, a pack that will be rightly respected throughout the league, and a positivity that bodes well for the future. Yes, there is always room for improvement, but the boys today put on a show that filled me with pride and optimism – when you consider that we travelled with 16, and our two subs came on early, meaning that the majority of the team played the full 80 minutes (indeed for 10 minutes of the second half, we were down to 14) we got the result that our performances over the past few weeks have been threatening, and can now use this as our stepping stone for the next few games.
Our thanks to Bognor and we look forward to the return fixture later this season.
We return to the Arlebury on 26th October, when we welcome Gosport & Fareham 2’s, and we look forward to seeing you then.