WEST NORFOLK 2NDS 20 NORWICH UNION 1STS 17

WITH FIVE WEEKS REST FROM RUGBY AND THE BAD TASTE OF NARROWLY LOSING BY TWO POINTS FROM THEIR PREVIOUS ENCOUNTER WEST TRAVELLED TO NORWICH UNION LOOKING FORWARD TO A TOUGH ENCOUNTER.WITH THE LOSS OF DAVENPORT, MOORE, SAVAGE AND RORY TO THE 1ST TEAM, WEST TWOS WELCOMED BIG UN, PACKWOOD, LOUIS KITSON AND FINCHAM INTO THE FORWARDS AND DR STU AND ROSS IN THE BACK LINE UP.

WEST HAD THE MORE POSITIVE START AND HARD WORK FROM CAPTAIN NIMMO, BLAKMUR AND DAVE EVANS IN THE BACK ROW PREVENTED UNION FROM SECURING ANY LOOSE BALL AND ALLOWED WEST TO WORK INTO UNION’S 22 WHERE DESPERATION FROM UNIONS FORWARDS RESULTED IN A PENALTY WHICH TOM CALOW (RECENTLY BACK FROM RETIREMENT) SLOTTED OVER TO GIVE WEST THE LEAD.

BRIDGES, OPERATING FROM SECOND ROW ASSERTED HIS SUPERIORITY OVER UNIONS FORWARDS BY TAKING FINELY TUNED BALL FROM SCRUM HALF ALI SMITH AT THE BREAK DOWNS TO WEAKEN THEIR DEFENCE TIME AND AGAIN. WITH WEST THE DOMINANT SIDE CALOW, BEING A BIT RUSTY DECIDED, TO TRY A CLEARANCE KICK WHICH WAS GATHERED BY UNIONS FULL BACK TO LAUNCH A MASSIVE KICK OF HIS OWN INTO WESTS TWENTY TWO AND GAVE CHASE. A CRUEL BOUNCE SAW THE BALL AGONISINGLY PROPELL ITSELF AWAY FROM FULL BACK BAILEY AND INTO THE PATH OF UNIONS FULL BACK WHO COLLECTED, SCORED AND CONVERTED. 7-3 TO UNION.

INSPIRED BY NIMMO WEST BOUNCED STRAIGHT BACK WHEN THEIR DYNAMIC CAPTAIN TACKLED AND TURNED THE UNION FORWARD WHO CAUGHT THE BALL FROM THE DROP OUT. WEST FORWARDS OF HART, BLAKMUR AND EVANS CLEARED AWAY THE RUCK WITH EASE AND SMITH FLOATED A PASS OUT TO CALOW. CALOW PLACED A BEAUTIFULLY POSITIONED KICK INTO TOUCH JUST INSIDE UNIONS TWENTY TWO.
BLAKMUR SECURED UNIONS LINEOUT BALL AND SUPPORTED FROM ALL OF HIS FORWARDS UNION WERE PUSHED BACK TO THEIR TRY LINE IN THE ENSUING MALL. STOID DEFENCE FROM UNION KEPT WEST WITHIN ONE METRE AND CLEAR THINKING FROM SMITH WITH A POP PASS TO CALOW RESULTED IN A SIMPLE WALTZ OVER TRY FOR VETERAN CALOW WHO THEN CONVERTED TO GIVE WEST THE LEAD 10-7. JUST BEFORE HALF TIME FINCHAM HAD HIS FRONT TEETH KNOCKED OUT AND DUE TO HIM BEING INCOHERRENT WAS REPLACED WITH THE EVER YOUTHFULL PACKWOOD.

A FINE START TO THE SECOND HALF SAW WEST WITH TWO PENALTY OPPORTUNITIES WHICH WERE JUST OUTSIDE CALOWS RANGE. SQUITS WAS BROUGHT ON AS SUPER SUB AND IMMEDIATELY MADE HIS PRESENCE FELT WITH BULLOCKING RUNS AND MONSTOROUS CLEARANCE KICKS TO SAFETY.
WITH WEST HOLDING THE EDGE IN THE SCRUMS AND LINEOUTS IT APPEARED AS THOUGH UNION WERE NOT GOING TO GET ANOTHER LOOK IN BUT SLOPPY PLAY BY WEST RESULTED IN ALLOWING UNION TO SCORE A RELATIVELY EASY TRY IN THE CORNER WHICH WENT UNCONVERTED 12-10 TO UNION. NOT TO BE OUTDONE WEST REGROUPED AND ATTACKED FROM THE BACK LINE RESULTING IN NEW CENTRE DR. STU CRASHING OVER TO GIVE WEST THE LEAD 15-12.
WEST LOST THEIR WAY A LITTLE BIT HERE WITH FITNESS, BOTH MENTALLY AND PHISICALLY CONTRIBUTING TO UNION SCORING ANOTHER EASY UNCONVERTED TRY TO GIVE THEM THE EDGE AGAIN 17-15.

IT WAS THE LAST FIVE MINUTES OF THE GAME NOW AND WEST HAD OVERCOME THEIR LITTLE PAUSE AND SWARMED ALL OVER UNION TO AGAIN WORK WITHIN ONE METRE OF THEIR TRY LINE. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT SEEMED LIKE A TRAVESTY AT THE TIME….. KITSON PICKED UP FROM THE BACK OF A RUCK AND ABLY ASSISTED BY HART, MARTIN AND EVANS BULLDOZED UNION OVER THEIR LINE AND CRASHED OVER ONLY TO BE CRUELLY DENIED BY THE REF WHO WAS UNSIGHTED. NEVER MIND…….. A SCRUM FIVE. NIMMO COLLECTED AT EIGHT AND AGAIN ABLY ASSISTED BY EVANS AND BLACKMURE MANAGED TO PUSH UNION OVER THEIR TRY LINE WHERE NIMMO WAS DENIED THE TRY BY THE REF WHO WAS UNSIGHTED. NEVER MIND YOU MAY THINK BUT IN THE LAST MINUTES OF THE GAME AND YOU'RE TWO POINTS DOWN TWO DISSALOWED TRIES CANNOT BE FUNNY. ANOTHER SCRUM AND PACKWOOD COLLECTS THE BALL THIS TIME TO…………… BE REFUSED A TRY BY THE REF WHO WAS UNSIGHTED. FAIR PLAY TO UNION THOUGH FOR THEIR HARD WORK. THE LAST MINUTE NOW AND THE LAST SCRUM WHERE SMITH DECIDES ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, COLLECTS FROM THE BACK OF THE SCRUM AND SPINS THE BALL OUT TO NEW WINGER ROSS WHO MANAGES TO SCRAPE OVER IN THE CORNER. THE TRY WENT UNCONVERTED BUT HEY… IT DIDN’T MATTER THE GAME ENDING AND WEST SECURING THE VICTORY 20-17

WEST NOEFOLK 2NDS LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR LOCAL DERBY AT HOME THIS COMING SATURDAY AGAINST OLD RIVALS WISBECH WHO WE HAVE ALREADY BEATEN TWICE THIS SEASON.

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