G's v Hove

You could have been forgiven for thinking you had travelled back in time a decade or so when you saw the 3’s/Vets team sheet for this Saturday’s opening rugby extravaganza!! It certainly felt like that in the changing room, although a bit more grey hair and a few more pot bellies were on display than I remembered from this band of rugby heros!! To supplement the oldies, Max Morgan joined Dad, Sean, and Joey & Theo Marriott joined Dad, Matt, on the team. Making two very proud fathers as the team jogged out.

Conditions were perfect and pitch one resplendent as Hove kicked off. Both sides pushed and probed with great purpose, big hits and strong running from forwards and backs alike, saw play see-saw between the 22’s. It was soon clear that both sides were very evenly matched and the afternoon was going to be a real arm wrestle.

Azz ‘Kiwi Magic’ warned us his knee wouldn’t last through the warm up, so we were delighted to get half an hour from the gracefully aging scrum half before Matt Brooke took the 9 shirt. After a barnstorming start, Pike was also soon limping and suddenly back subs were getting as thin on the ground as Seans hair. A promising couple of breaks down the left were just about snuffed out by Hove. Some breathtaking Morgan Magic, as Sean and Max combined, so nearly opened Hove’s defense, but the whistle went for a nil - nil half with both sides greatful to get some air into heaving lungs.

The second half started in a similar way, but a few more injuries to G’s unsettled things, and Hove ran in two excellent scores to leave the scoreboard showing 0 - 12 to the visitors (Or it would have done if anyone had bothered to turn it on). Determined not to let heads drop G’s started to pick up the pace and play some rugger! Telling breaks on both sides of the pitch and some heavy carries started to stretch the clarets and G’s worked themselves up the pitch. Finally the excellent Brooke found a gap to scramble over. G’s were straight back at it from the restart. Dan Arnold breaking up the centre field and kicking ahead, the bounce of the ball eluding the chasers, but a few more phases saw Blackledge smash over for G’s second.

Unfortunately, anybody hoping that age would help Ben’s kicking, would be disappointed and going into the last five, G’s were still down 10 - 12. However there was still time for G’s to work themselves up the pitch once more, phase after phase tested and stretched the creaking defense again and again, until suddenly, it snapped! The huge crowd were on their feet, their voices rising to a crescendo, the decibels swelling under Morgans feet as he danced in under the sticks for the winner, 17 - 12!!!

A fantastic and enjoyable game, played against brilliant opposition. Let’s hope we can do a few more of these...