The Villager's cup run came to a disappointing end against a powerful Basildon outfit. In extremely wet conditions both teams had to rely heavily on the forwards as slippery passes more often than not found grass rather than hands.
Basildon scored first after collecting a mis-guided clearance kick in space having seen it travel straight up in the air, to score almost untouched. The conversion was a formality.
Datchworth lost youngster Jordan Brewer soon after, as the winger strained a neck muscle in an attacking phase of play.
The general pattern to the game was very close run, although Basildon's forwards seemed to have the upper hand in the loose. They confirmed their physical advantage when their strong Number 8 picked from a scrum and brushed off two tackles to score under the posts; another converted try to the home side.
Now very much chasing the game, Datchworth had phases of excellent attacking rugby although these were countered by some stout defending in the wet conditions, as the backs found themselves under constant pressure.
Another wayward kick led to Basildon's third try although more credit is due to the attacking winger who beat two tackles in style before offloading to the supporting player who scored in the corner.
The second half was no different, with both sides competing not only with each other, but with the conditions. First blood here however, went to the Greens with a penalty in front of the posts.
With their tails up, Datchworth, for the rest of the half, strung numerous attacks together with good link-up play between Number 8 Matt Francis, Doug Moore and Matt Hankin helping the villagers gain yards. Anthony Stone was as useful as ever, pouncing on any loose ball to claim possession.
Despite all the hard work, Datchworth couldn't harvest any points and to their horror conceded another try from a quick turnover. The Basildon winger was handed the ball, and a [Read More]
Basildon 24Datchworth 3
Odyssey Knebworth
Old Knebworth Lane