Backs to the fore

MAIDENHEAD coach Simon Edwards will feel very encouraged by his team's first class performance
in beating London League 1 opponents Basingstoke comprehensively by six tries to three in their friendly encounter on Saturday.
Particularly pleasing was the play of the backs who bagged five of the tries.
New scrum-half Keenan showed up well giving the backs good service and covering well, while alongside him Andy Barron had a good game at fly-half, and with his ability to stand up in the tackle, set up good attacking ball for the powerful Simon Cripps and Peter Nisbet in the centre. 
Student Simon Duncombe, playing out of position on the wing, looked a high-class performer and scored two excellent tries, and versatile Danny Walton, Maids' Austin Healey, gave a typically gutsy performance at full-back until he went off just before half-time with a cut head.
Maids dominated the first half, Keenan opening the scoring with an early penalty before a half-break by Blewitt in the Maidenhead 25 put Duncombe, who ran three-quarters of the length of the field to score a super try converted by Keenan. 
Meanwhile the strong-running Cripps, although normally a wing, was proving a real handful for Basingstoke and always made good ground in the centre and was a good foil to the silkier running of ex-captain Nisbet who looked more like his old self. 
After extreme Maids pressure, Walton fielded a high kick, made good ground and fed Piers Morgan who interpassed with Duncombe for Morgan to finish under the posts, again converted by Keenan. 
A good line-out catch by Paul Jones, happily playing well after the horrendous injury to his ear last season, and a drive by the forwards saw Paul Rogers go over for an excellent forwards' try. 
With a lead of 22 points, Maids relaxed shortly before half-time and missed tackles let Basingstoke in for a straightforward converted try.
Maidenhead kept up the pressure in the second half and all of the backs made good breaks before Duncombe pounced on a loose pass to score his second try under the posts. Keenan again converted.
Maids' front row were holding their own even when Allan Greene went off injured and although Basingstoke shaded the lineout, Maids were getting enough ball to threaten and eventually Nisbet went over for a converted try.
Maids defence close to the scrum was as tight as usual with Morgan's tackle-count impressive, and strong runs by locks Miller and O'Byrne kept up the pressure.
Another half-break by Barron, quick passing in the backs and a clever flick-on by Cripps gave Eric Blewitt a try in the corner.
Two late tries by Basingstoke – one after a long run by the full-back and the last exploiting a gap in the back row defence caused by reshuffling through injury – completed the scoring.
Overall an excellent first game of the season by Maids who had at least six regular 1st teamers not playing.
The most heartening aspect for coach Edwards was the excellent play of the backs in getting the ball to the strong running Cripps and Blewitt – a feature noted by its absence last year.