Match report and picture courtesy of the
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Rampant Maidenhead exacted their revenge on Clevedon at Braywick Park on Saturday, albeit in a largely irrelevant encounter. Not really needing a win, but seeking to redress a shock 51-20 thumping in the reverse fixture, Maids tore into their guests from the off, and had the game won by half-time.
Fullback Joe Plamus began the blitz, running a deep kick back into enemy territory before off-loading to skipper Mark Ruddick, whose teasing up-and-under resulted in a five-metre scrum for Maids. A quick heel and a crash ball for powerhouse centre Simon Cripps set up second-phase possession close to the posts, and from the ensuing three-quarters move Plamus sprinted past a leaden-footed defence to dot down Stuart Mackay’s grubber kick. Danny Walton added the extras and it was 7-0 with barely a minute on the clock. With Clevedon still reeling, man-mountain Mark Mueller made it 12-0 on four minutes, taking a short pass from scrum-half Gareth Edwards before accelerating through a shell-shocked defence to score midway between post and corner.
The visitors clawed back three points from a penalty right in front of goal, but within a minute Maids had re-established their authority with a try of the highest quality. Rangy No.8 Brendon Lynch initiated the move with a powerful surge through midfield, before slipping the ball to fellow back-rower Mark Parkhouse. With Mueller calling for the ball outside him, Parkhouse coolly stepped inside two defenders and sped away to score beneath the posts, Walton again slotting the conversion. Cripps added his name to the scoresheet on 13 minutes, driving three tacklers over the line in the corner, following a slick interchange with Walton.
However, Maidenhead’s ambitious, open play proved their undoing on 25 minutes, when Plamus attempted to return a raking kick from Clevedon fly-half Dan Hawkes. Having stepped through the first challenge, the Kiwi flyer telegraphed his pass to Will Lowden, allowing visiting centre Ashley Vailes to snap up the interception and sprint away to score. Hawkes slotted the straight-forward conversion and Clevedon were right back in the game at 24-10.
The two sides then traded tries, Maidenhead demonstrating their increasing dominance up front by driving Clevedon back over their own line from a five-metre scrum, Lynch touching the ball down to complete the score. Walton converted to make it 31-10, but back came Clevedon with a try of their own, hooker James Morgan cashing in on some lax defending to score in the right-hand corner. Hawkes swept the ball between the uprights from the right-hand touch line to bring Clevedon within 14 points of their hosts. However, Maidenhead did not look overly concerned and wrapped up the win in first-half injury time. Once again, Plamus was the instigator, returning Hawkes’ kick with 30 yards interest, before flicking a pass inside to Cripps. A typically bullocking run carried him within a few feet of the line, setting up Mackay for a simple score to the left of the posts. Walton made it 38-17 with the conversion, concluding a very satisfactory first-half performance.
There was little action of note after the break, as an untimely cloudburst turned the match into a gruelling war of attrition. Maids maintained their control in the scrum, but wayward handling from the hosts and determined defence from Clevedon produced a rather turgid 40 minutes of play. The excellent Plamus did manage to bag another try mid-way through the half, again converted by Walton for a final scoreline of 45-17. Unfortunately, even an injection of fresh legs failed to bring the game back to life, and the referee finally relented and put it out of its misery.
Maidenhead: Plamus, Walton, Mackay, Cripps, Morris, Ruddick, Edwards, Riley, Craig, Johnston, Gallina, Mueller, Parkhouse, Lowden, Lynch. Subs: Blackwell (for Johnston, 68), White (for Parkhouse, 72), Thomas (for Morris, 68). Clevedon: Freeman, C Cates, Thie, Vailes, R Cates, Hawkes, Johnson, Tucker, Morgan, Littleton, Pearce, McMillan, Barnes, Bridle, Shopland. Subs: Lisney, Russell, Ford.
MAIDENHEAD coach Simon Edwards took a pragmatic view on Saturday’s comfortable victory at Braywick. Having touted the game as a grudge match, he was justly pleased with the result, and the first-half performance.
However, he admitted the second half had proved something of an anticlimax. He said: ‘It was very much a game of two halves. “It started at 100 miles per hour and we showed them we were two classes above them. “Then the rain came. That brought them back into it. They were trying to play a scrappy game and we were trying to be more elaborate. “And once we stopped it was hard to get back into it. “I put some of the blame for that on the week off. “We lost our edge on fitness and as a side we tend not to play well after a break. We build up momentum.
“And I thought the refereeing in the last quarter was poor. It was a shame because I thought he’d been very good before that. “But I was pleased to get a good result. “We didn’t play particularly well in the second half, but you can only play as well as you’re allowed to, and they definitely upped their ante. “And remember, they only just lost to Weston two weeks ago. “We’ve beaten a very competitive side who were desperate to win.”
Maidenhead’s seven tries also gave Edwards cause to celebrate. He explained: “We’re the top try-scorers in the league, and that’s fantastic. “We set our stall out at the start of the season to play rugby the crowd would enjoy. “Our challenge now is to reduce the leakage of points. We’re leaking too many easy scores. “It’s a fine art, but we have to develop it or we’ll never go up. “That’s my challenge between now and the start of next season. “I want to keep the pretty rugby but tighten up the defence.”
On Sunday, defending champions Maidenhead 2nds take on Bracknell 2nds in the Berkshire Cup final. Maids had to share the silverware last year, after bungling match officials awarded the game to Abbey without playing extra time. Edwards made an appeal to the RFU, which was upheld, and the cup was shared. Edwards said: “We want to win the whole cup this year. “The side is based on youngsters – with a few old heads in there – so they’ve done very well to reach the final again. “It’s Bracknell, who are a National 3 side, so it’s going to be difficult. It’s just for pride really.” The game kicks-off at 2.15pm on Sunday afternoon at Braywick Park.