A Bridg too far for Maids (23.04.05)

A POWERFUL and well-drilled Bridgwater & Albion outfit proved too strong for a spirited Maidenhead side on Saturday, as the hosts secured a deserved play-off spot with a convincing 51-14 win.
On a distinctly patchy surface, Bridgwater set the early pace, with fiery hooker Matt Hastie being driven over the line after just four minutes from a catch-and-drive move.
Fly-half Andy George, giving a hint of what was to be an excellent all-round performance, added the extras with a difficult conversion from the touchline.
At this point the home fans were eyeing a whitewash, but Maids made a spirited riposte just two minutes later, with a score which drew appreciative applause from the large and vocal crowd.
The move began in midfield, as the Maidenhead pack drove up to the Bridgwater 10-metre line.
Clean ball allowed Jonny Hammond to pierce the Bridgwater defence before releasing left winger Simon Cripps, who was held up in the tackle.
However, the ball was quickly recycled and spun right for Stuart Mackay, who slipped two tackles before diving over behind the posts.
Rob Hawkins made the simple conversion and it was all square.
The score obviously riled Bridgwater, who raised their game to score twice in the next five minutes, firstly through centre Sam Leung-Wei, following an exchange of passes with full-back Neil Meyer, and then through winger Gavin Hancock, who crashed over in the corner.
George converted the second from out wide to make it 19-7 with just 13 minutes on the clock.
Maids then found themselves pinned inside their own half and were lucky not to go further behind on 29 minutes, when winger Mike Griffiths broke away down the blindside and drew the final tackle before passing outside, only to see the ball spilled forward by the support.
It proved to be nothing more than a temporary let-off though, as Hastie took a quick tap penalty minutes later and put Hancock clean away for his second try of the afternoon.
On 35 minutes, Hancock missed out on his hat-trick when he chased Meyer’s kick ahead but slid over the deadball line before grounding it.
There was still time for Bridgwater to extend their lead before the break however, with flanker Matt Ranson being driven over the line from another catch-and-drive to make it 29-7 at the turn.
Maids made a more determined start to the second period and initially kept the hosts pegged back in their own half.
But a superb raking kick from George eventually cleared the Bridgwater lines, and when Maids strayed offside the talented fly-half made it 32-7 with a successful penalty kick.
Just two minutes later the effervescent George was back to convert another try, after Griffiths ran through a static defence to score beneath the posts.
On 46 minutes, the home side racked up their 1,000th league point of the season, when George stepped inside his man to create a two-man overlap, opening up the space for a ball which released Meyer to sprint in completely unopposed.
Down but not out, Maids replied with a simple but perfectly executed score of their own, with Hammond brushing off a tackle before darting in under the posts for a converted try.
That seemed to have killed the game off, with Bridgwater content to have scored 1,000 points, and Maids happy not to have taken a hammering.
However, with the seconds running out, the hosts managed one more try when the enormous No.8 Simon Ranson was forced over the line by his fellow forwards.
The ever-reliable George again added the difficult conversion to breach the half-century mark, and spark wild celebrations from the 2,000-strong crowd.

The Somerset side travel to Worthing tomorrow (Saturday), kick-off 3pm, when a win would send them into the national leagues.