A game Maids could've, should've won

Saturday 6th February 2010

When Maidenhead played Witney at the beginning of the season the score was 33 - 19 to Maidenhead. Witney had a very big pack who battered their way up the pitch and it wasn't until the second half that they ran out of steam and the Maidenhead backs were able to run at them.

This time it was like a re-run except that despite Maidenhead spending most of the last 20 minutes camped in the Witney 22 they couldn't get over the line, so Witney ran out 15 - 8 winners, which was probably a fair result.

The game started with Witney catching Maidenhead cold in the first few minutes when, after a maul on the Maidenhead line, their scrum- half nipped over for an unconverted try.

The game then proceeded in a rather scrappy fashion in the middle of the pitch with neither side gaining any real ascendancy although the Witney pack were getting a lot of turnover ball.

A penalty awarded to Maidenhead was duly converted by Rob Wilkins which made it 5 - 3 to Witney and then on the half-hour a long kick ahead down to the Witney try line saw Lester Martin scorch past the covering defence to tap the ball over the line and drop on it for a well deserved try. There's still life in those old legs yet!

So that made it 8 -3 to Maidenhead at half-time, but too much ball was being lost at the breakdown and although the set scrums were very even Witney were also getting a lot of line-out ball.

But would the Witney pack last through the second half? The first score after the break proved to be crucial, and it went to Witney when their winger went over in the corner. Then a penalty to Witney and a yellow card to Maidenhead made it 15 - 8 to Witney.

Maidenhead then upped their game as the Witney pack lost momentum and for the last 20 minutes Maidenhead were deep in the Witney half battering away at the line incessantly but unable to get over. A converted try then would have put the scores level and with all the momentum that Maidenhead had could have, should have seen them run out winners. But......c'est la vie.

Tony Rawlings (aka. Scud) would like everybody to know that he played very well!!!!

Man of the Match : James Haskell