U17s' Skelton reduces Phoenix to ashes

Phoenix/Drifters U17s 5 v Maidenhead U17s 59
Sunday 25th September 2005

Both teams will have come away with concerns from a scrappy game, which lacked evidence of any clear game plans from either team. Phoenix will want to know why they failed to take advantage of possession which was constantly gifted to them by their opponents. Maidenhead, in turn, will want to know why, in a match in which they had the resources to dominate their opponents, they had to rely for most of their scores on flashes of individual brilliance from their backs, rather than on building scoring positions from phases of controlled play.

The first ten minutes epitomised much of what was to follow in the match. Maids failed to control the kick off, allowing Phoenix to take possession inside the "22". Rather than clearing their line, Maids conceded a string of penalties and scrums, which allowed Phoenix to remain camped close to the Maids’ line. The defence held firm and Maids were eventually able to work the out of the danger zone, whereupon Mike Skelton took a crash ball in the centre to outpace the defence for an unconverted try.

With the Maidenhead forwards starting to exert total domination in the set pieces and with the backs looking several yards faster than the their opposition, it was no surprise when winger James Kudamaku ran in a try, converted by Dean Rogers. Maids then reverted to their bad ways and it took another excellent move from the backs to send in centre Tom Bradbury for a try, again converted by Rogers.

Maids entered half time 26-0 up, after No 8, David Sewell broke from the base of a set scrum and fed winger James Henley on the blind side, freeing him to run in a 60 yard try, converted by Rogers.

Games in which one team totally dominates the other are difficult to control and the referee’s problems were made worse when the damage wrought by the Maids’ pack to the Phoenix front row forced him to introduce uncontested scrums. This only seemed to make Maidenhead lose even more concentration and self discipline.

However, the Maidenhead backs continued to run the ball from anywhere on the pitch, ripping holes in the Phoenix defence. Mike Skelton scored 3 further second half tries, the second of which resulted from a magnificent run from Kudamaku, and prop Brinsley Munn forced his way over to get the forwards on the try tally. Fly-half Rogers added 3 conversions, before scampering over for a try of his own, converted by his scrum-half, Alex Dean.

In the midst of all this, Phoenix scored a try from a kick ahead. It was thoroughly deserved, albeit that the referee may not have been in an ideal position to see the short dead ball line.

Maidenhead have a fixture free Sunday next week and will train at Braywick. They may wish to ponder the difference between domination and control.