Match report courtesy of the

Saturday 9th December 2006

In a relatively poor quality game compared to the high octane performance by Maidenhead the previous week, Mounts Bay made a number of changes for this cup match and finished comfortable winners.

Missing a number of regular players through unavailability and injury, Maids started with makeshift full-back Pete Nesbit, Danny Martin at fly-half for injured skipper Ruddick and Stuart Mackay in the centre for the injured Max Willcocks. Despite the changes, Maids' backs carried enough firepower to win the game but a series of over-elaborate moves between Martin, Jonny Hammond and Mackay, which ended in dropped passes, and the tendency to run back inside to be gratefully gobbled up by the visitors' pack, meant the hard work by the pack led to very little.

Mounts Bay, obviously up for it after their conclusive reverse in the league encounter the previous week, quickly put pressure on the Maids line with a succession of pick-up-and-goes. From one of these, fly-half Jarvis put up a simple kick over the Maids line which Nesbit and Hammond failed to clear and huge centre Pale Nonu, whose brother is the current All Blacks centre, touched down for the softest of tries, converted by Jarvis.

Mark Parkhouse and Greg Riley were playing well in the back row but Mounts Bay realised the home uncertainty with tactical high kicks which Nesbit, Mackay and Alex Cannon found difficult to clear. The visitors¹ pack held the key to the game and, after a succession of rolling mauls on the Maids' line, hooker Semmens dived over for a try converted by Jarvis for a 14-0 lead.

Maids hooker Richie Craig then received a yellow card for preventing release of the ball as was the visitors' No.6 Hilton for interference in a Maids passing movement. Cannon missed an easy penalty before a move started by lock Alex Gallina, handling like the centre three-quarter he once was, and carried on by Hammond and Cannon put Simon Cripps over in the corner to reduce the arrears to 14-5.

Immediately, from quality lineout ball won by Gallina in their own 22, Martin moved the ball quickly to Hammond and Mackay who, with a man over, fatally delayed his final pass which would have led to a certain try. Having seen how easy it was to make ground by simply drawing a man and passing, Maids backs reverted to their earlier over-elaboration, which usually resulted in the visitors coming away with the ball. Nonu was yellow-carded for a high tackle on Hammond, but the Mounts Bay lock Griffiths began to win more ball in the lineout before Joe Thomas came on for the injured Parkhouse.

The Maids backs were making the visitors' backline look ponderous, but another certain try was missed when young wing Cannon came in the line and, with one man to beat, threw the ball behind Cripps so Maids found themselves 14-5 down at half-time, but should and could have been in the lead. After the break, Jarvis kicked an easy penalty for offside before a good run by Thomas, straight from the kick-off, gave Cannon the chance to convert a penalty.

But the visitors increased their lead when Jarvis intercepted a home backs move and worked winger Edyvean over for a try to lead 22-8. Maids became even more disjointed when Hammond, who was proving a handful in attack, went off with a back injury for gutsy reserve scrum-half Simon Carter to go to full-back. Mounts Bay extended their lead when, after a series of rolling mauls on the Maids line, fly-half Jarvis fed Nonu, whose 19 stones proved unstoppable five metres from the line to give Bay a lead of 29-8. Tim Grove came on for Dave Johnston and Cripps was obviously struggling with a damaged leg, but Maids were not quite dead and buried. The enigmatic Mackay intercepted in the centre and ran to within 15 metres of the line being chased by the whole Bay back line and was winning the race, but lost his nerve and threw the ball away for another seven points missed.

Thomas was working hard and man of the match Gareth Edwards was continually in the action, having an excellent all round game at scrum-half, before a long break by second-rower Griffiths from a heel against the head put the visitors into the home 22 for Nonu to put left wing Morrison over to lead 34-8. Still in the game, a superb take by Gallina and a rolling maul orchestrated by Greg Riley, who had another outstanding game, propelled Craig over for an excellent try. Maids came back again when Mackay made another superb break from the home 22 to put Cannon over in the corner which he converted to make the score a respectable 34-20.

Maids will not have been too upset with the final result considering the injury list and, to their credit, they finished strongly. If only the very talented backs would forget about the inside reverse dummy scissors, which is guaranteed to drop the ball, and realise they are fast and strong enough to score from simply drawing a man and giving a takeable pass.

The return league game at Mounts Bay in March should be an interesting game, particularly if Maids can overcome the hurdles of Chippenham and Cleve away before then.