After last week’s excellent game against Lymm, I was hopeful that this week we would do well against Hinckley, who lie in sixth place, one below Lymm.
It was not to be. They turned out to be fast and completely together as a team.
I think Hinckley are going to be up in the top quarter of the league once it all settles down, and Lymm will slide down to just below halfway.

From the kick-off with us playing towards the entrance end, we had to tackle like demons to keep them out.
For the first seven minutes, it was to and fro between both teams, all happening in our half, then in one attack, Harrison Coonick intercepted and looked all the world to be in for a try, but a long blast from the referee’s whistle and we had to go back because he was playing advantage to them.
On eight minutes, Fin White was yellow-carded.
They kicked for a line-out on the stand side, took the ball and mauled for our line, we slowed them slightly, then three of our players were shaved off our maul and they paused briefly then went over with ease, Sam McNulty the scorer, the conversion hit the far post making it wobble then fell dead. 0~5 after nine minutes.
The first scrum was to them but they pushed early, were penalised and we kicked away.
On sixteen minutes, they took a penalty and from a foot inside our twenty-two and midfield, and Tom Addison kicked it over. 0~8.
The third scrum was no better than the last two, they pushed us back.
Twenty-four minutes and a try to them after a long period of having to defend which we did well.
From a line-out to us, they stole the ball and quickly put it to the backs going towards the clubhouse. The outside centre did a little chip through towards the scoreboard, rugby balls as they are bounced awkwardly for our defender, their man, Travis Bennett-Allcock did a light fly-hack on, collected and scored in front of the groundsman’s hut.
The Tom Addison conversion went over. 0~15.
Next from a catch and drive, they attacked our line maybe five times, which we defended, but unfortunately they eventually broke through ten feet south of the seaward side post with Sam McNulty scoring his second, the Tom Addison conversion went over. 0~22, and that was how it remained till half-time arrived shortly afterwards.
Our line out had been good and we only lost one, I think; we were finding the scrums a hard work being pushed back.
Their line out was faultless and in the scrums they had us under pressure; their mauls were also very good. Their backs were really fast and direct; only good tackling kept the score as it was.
We hardly made a serious visit to their half, which shows you how much defending we had to do.

The second kicked off with us playing towards the school end.
Three minutes into the half and line out followed by a maul that took the ball towards our try line; we stopped it, they put it to the backs with Oliver Bee crossing just south of the posts. The Tom Addison conversion went over and they were 0~29 up.
Three minutes later another catch and drive on the stand side went over for Sam McNulty to score his third. The Tom Addison conversion sailed over. 0~36.
For the next ten minutes we held back the tide, then started to take the game to them.
On thirteen minutes we were in their half, they were attacking out and we intercepted for the second time but couldn’t make anything of it.
On twenty-three minutes another try to them, another catch and drive on the stand side, they closed on to the line at speed and six feet out on the blind side Alex Catcheside came off with a team mate and went over. The conversion missed. 0~41.

A couple of minutes later and deep in their twenty-two their Travis Bennett-Allcock collected a yellow card. I was at the other end but I think we were in for a try; a long final pass was interfered with illegally and off he went to sit on the wall.
They attacked down the clubhouse side but were stopped inside our twenty-two, we stole the ball and drove out.
They attacked back again, and their runner got deep into our twenty-two before he was stopped. He managed to get a little chip in towards the post before he went down.
Replacement scrum-half Ben Whysall caught it. He could have simply passed it but chose to run it across the pitch towards the stand. He avoided one attacker who tried to get hold of him and made it across, gave it to someone, and we ran it out a decent way. It was a really nice and confident move by him.
We were now taking it to them. On thirty-three minutes, we scored by the scoreboard when Henry Clement went over. I was at the wrong end of the pitch to see how it built up. 5~41.
Hinckley won a penalty well into our twenty-two. Rather boringly, I thought, they chose to take the three points, which they did when Tom Addison kicked it over. 5~44.
Right after that, we scored our second try. We won a penalty, Ben Whysall tapped, and we went one way then came back. I thought we were in for a try, but the referee blew and gave us another penalty. Ben Whysall tapped again, and a couple of hands later, Charlie Crawley went over, followed by a Sam Brown conversion. 12~44.
With four or five minutes to go. On forty one minutes, we had a scrum on our twenty-two with the ball at the back of our scrum. Their player, Evan Carey, stole it and ran in to dive under the posts for a seven-pointer.
Thus ended the game on 12 ~51.

In the talk afterwards, Ben Russell, amongst other things, praised the team for sticking to it for the whole game.
I was good to see that right at the end we pulled back twelve points. Their last score was just a moment’s loss of concentration at the back of the scrum.
Our man of the match was No.8 Charlie Crawley, and the volunteer of the week was really deservedly won by Jo Hocking, James Hocking’s mum, who rain or shine comes down to photograph him and our matches. Her photos can be seen with mine on the web page.

1. Callum Arnold.
2. Rob Walsh.
3. James McFarlane.
4. Lewis Woolaway.
5. Mike Rickard (VC).
6. Fin White.
7. Liam Jarvis (VC).
8. Charlie Crawley.
9. Henry Clement.
10. Sam Brown. (C).
11. Harrison Coonick.
12. Fergus Wood.
13. Shaun Crawford.
14. Tom Davies.
15. Charlie Groves.
16. Ethan Hiland.
17. Yianni Costas.
18. Dan Goldstone.
19. Ben Whysall.
20. Billy Orchard.
Head coach. Ben Russell.

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The seconds went down to Redruth to play their seconds, never easy at Redruth in deepest Cornwall.
They came home with a 29-29 draw. Tries by Jacob Price, Alex Lynch, Stu Giles, Brad Lumley, and Isaac Venners, who also put over two conversions. The team was well managed by Mr Dickie Duffield Esq.
Our first game in Counties 1 West, to which we were promoted last season.
1. Cam Donkin.
2. Alex Lynch.
3. Mike Kelly.
4. Alex Gibson.
5. Archie Gray.
6. Elliott Lupson. (c).
7. James Thorpe.
8. Freddie Dover.
9. Billy Sutton.
10. Issac Venner.
11. Jacob Price.
12. Ewan Piercy.
13. Harry Morris.
14. Charlie Over.
15. Flynn Reeves.
16. Henry Gascoyne.
17. Fred Rees.
18. Brad Lumley.
Manager. Mr Dickie Duffield, Esq.

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The Colts lost by 26-21 against Plymstock Oaks, with a squad of forty-three, it makes it difficult when you have to play everyone.