Midlands League 3
East (North)
Kesteven 21
Amber Valley 10
Kesteven travelled to Amber Valley looking to get back to winning ways in the league following a two-week weather-enforced break.
Amber Valley started the game well and got on top up front, and looked to kick their way up the pitch using the wind. Against the run of play, Dan Turner made a strong break and beat the full back to run in the opening try. Parker converted to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.
Valley hit back and pounced on a loose ball at a line-out and ran through to score. Shortly afterwards they created an overlap out wide and ran in their second score. Both conversions were missed.
Ks responded well and looked to up the tempo of the game. Olly Wood went very close, following some good play up front. Martyn Parker then made a half-break and managed to off-load to Tom Webster, who took a great line to score under the posts. Turner converted to give Ks a 14-10 half time lead.
Early in the second half, Turner took a pop pass off Parker to score his second which was also converted.
Midgley and Carew came on for Webster and Pert and both made some strong runs. Ks had a couple of good chances to score the bonus point try, but Cooper, Turner and Hughes were all just short.
Kesteven: Whittaker, Lines, P. Jordan, Turner, J. Hughes, Parker, Wood, Sheardown, Brown, Purvis, Pert, Cowley, Flear, Turner, Woolerton. Reps: Midgley, Carew, Cooper.
Friendly
Kesteven 2nd 12
Gainsborough 10
Kesteven welcomed Gainsborough to Woodnook for the first fixture between the clubs for some years.
Pete Dolan had a much changed side out but both teams were just happy to be playing after the enforced lay-off.
Early play was quite even with lots of handling errors. Kesteven tried to get the ball out to their backs to allow them to run but it was late in the half before they broke the deadlock.
In the end, it was a perfect break down the right wing which saw Alex Ingram take the ball in the clear on half way to run in for the try.
Gainsborough had some good play of their own and a fine move in their backs saw their right wing go over. Their conversion attempt just clipped the underside of the bar to leave the scores even at the break.
In the second half, the visitors had a good spell of pressure but were unable to finish. Ks survived and countered.
They were rewarded when Tyrone Miles broke away from the base of a scrum 20 metres out to score at the posts. Andy Price converted.
Gainsborough were not finished and they kept pressing to get their score just at the end. The conversion attempt to draw the match slipped wide to leave Kesteven narrow winners.
Kesteven’s Andy Peabody took charge of his first game as referee.
Kesteven: Price, Ingram, Betts, Cunningham, Windsor, Cann, Morgan, King, P. Dolan, Paton, O’Neil, Miles, J. Smith, J. Hughes, Morrissey. Reps: R. Dolan, Cann, Shields, Chambers, Cocks, McAllister (Gainsborough).
Under-13
West Bridgford 0
Kesteven 63
Kesteven won the lion’s share of possession in the first half, allowing Harry Bartlett to run in from 10 metres for an early score.
With the backs firing well, Freddie Young had time to organise his backs well for wave after wave of attacks, and Jack Palin jinked his way to the corner for a fine try.
Young continued to trouble West Bridgford’s defence, taking a try for himself and feeding George Wainwright for a further score midway through the first half. Kesteven’s forwards continued to dominate and loose West Bridgford tackling saw prop Josh Peters searing 30 metres down the touchline to put the visitors firmly in control. Bartlett completed the half’s scoring.
Kesteven continued to revel in plenty of possession, with forwards Taylor and Hughes battering their way over the line, before Bartlett completed his hat trick midway through the second half.
Centres Finley Moth and George Wainwright completed a tough morning for West Bridgford before the referee’s whistle ended their misery. Four conversions from Young completed the scoring.
Kesteven: Archer, Bartlett, Brenton, Brewis, Cole, Fuller, Hodgson, Hughes, Kwasau, Moth, Palin, Peters, Rogerson,
Sheard, Spriggs, Tapson, Tapson, Taylor, Wainwright, Young.