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| FIRST XV MATCH REPORTS - 2008/09 | ||
| CLICK HERE FOR MATCH PHOTOS | ||
| SATURDAY 25 APRIL 2009 - SCUNTHORPE 9 - 16 HEREFORD | ||
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After the dramatic finish at Wyeside
last Saturday Hereford heard the news that they had finished second in
Midlands 2 West and had been rewarded with a winner takes all away
match at Scunthorpe. The decision was made to travel up Friday evening
in an attempt to ensure preparation was as good as it could be and to
break up the four hour journey. Finally 3pm on Saturday arrived and Hereford received the kick off from Scunthorpe. As expected, the game started at a frantic pace with both sides looking to put a marker down. After 4 minutes the referee awarded a penalty to the home side for infringement at the breakdown and Scunthorpe chose to hand the ball to their full back looking for an early three points even though they were only just inside the Hereford half. Although Chris Neale’s kick had the length it did not have the direction and the ball drifted wide of the uprights. Hereford then lifted the tempo of their rugby and the home side simply could not live with the visitors and with Hereford doing what they do best, off loading out of tackles, they continually looked dangerous. With Scunthorpe playing with the wind they were able to clear their lines on a number of occasions but never really sustained any pressure or possession in the Hereford 22. After 20 minutes Nick Harrison took a nice off load and broke through the defence to cross the line giving Hereford a deserved 5-0 lead and Dean Powell kicked the conversion to extend the lead to 7-0. The Scunthorpe fly half kept kicking Hereford back into their own half but the Hereford defence was outstanding from all fifteen players and Scunthorpe could not find any holes. After 37 minutes an offence at the breakdown gave Dean Powell the opportunity to extend the lead to 10-0 which he took cleanly. With the clock ticking close to 40 minutes Hereford just needed to put the ball out into touch and go into half time but confusion, a mistake and a scramble resulted in a penalty to Scunthorpe. Although it was not simple Chris Neale sent the ball through the posts and the half time score was 10-3 to Hereford. With Hereford now playing with the wind the Hereford backs were able to pin Scunthorpe into their own 22 and Hereford made them work very hard to get out, with sustained pressure and a water tight defence. With 12 minutes gone in the second half Hereford were awarded the penalty and Dean Powel continued his success with the boot and Hereford looked comfortable at 13-3. Shortly after Des White who was tackling anything that moved was yellow carded for an infringement at the breakdown and Scunthorpe closed the gap to 13-6. With a player short Hereford rallied and were given a penalty which Dean Powell again sent through the posts and with only a quarter of the game left Hereford were in a commanding position leading 16-6. Scunthorpe started to open up the game by running most of their possession and although they looked dangerous Hereford continued to make the required tackles and held tight. With just 4 minutes to go Scunthorpe were awarded a penalty for hands in the ruck and they brought the score to 16-9. The last three minutes seemed to last forever and although Hereford had the lead a converted try would have sent the game to extra time but Hereford continued to work hard in defence and were rewarded for all of their hard work when the final whistle went knowing that they will be playing in newly named National 3 (Midlands) league next season. This was an outstanding performance from the Hereford team against strong opposition who are used to scoring tries at home but the strong Hereford defence which got them to the play-off held secure when it counted most. No single player can be highlighted in having a good game as all fifteen players played well and gave everything for 80 minutes to win away from home. Every man deserved a "Man of the Match" award. |
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| SATURDAY 18 APRIL 2009 - HEREFORD 12 - 7 BROMSGROVE | ||
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Hereford confirmed a play-off place with
a hard earned win over champions Bromsgrove. They opened the scoring
with a well worked try touched down by Des White which Sean Day was
unable to convert. Shortly afterwards Bromsgrove after a period of
pressure on the Hereford line crossed for a try near the posts which
was converted to take the lead. Hereford regained control for the rest
of the half and regained the lead through a try by Sean Day wide out
on the right which he converted himself. Half time came with Hereford
leading by 12 points to 7. There was no further score in the second half despite each side missing with penalty attempts. The Hereford pack was by now in full control an advantage which they lost when injury to Bromsgrove front row players obliged the referee to have the final period of the game played with uncontested scrums. Hereford now face a long journey to Scunthorpe for the play-off game next Saturday. |
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| SATURDAY 4 APRIL 2009 - STRATFORD-UPON-AVON 17 - 26 HEREFORD | ||
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Hereford travelled to Stratford and came
away with a victory by two goals and four penalties to a goal and two
tries. Stratford started strongly and for the first twenty minutes constantly attacked the Hereford line. The pressure eventually led to centre Elliot Smith selling an excellent dummy to score under the posts to give Stratford a five point lead. Minutes later, Stratford were penalised at a ruck and Dean Powell kicked a long range penalty .With half time approaching, a sweeping handling move, stared in their own half, led to Jonathan Preece scoring under the post. Dean Powell converted to give Hereford a half time lead of 10 points to 5. From the re-start, Hereford pressurized Stratford which caused the home side to handle in the ruck. From the penalty, Powell increased the Hereford lead to 13 points to 5. Powell added another penalty to give Hereford 16 points. Stratford came more into the game and a long kick to touch caused a line-out close to the Hereford line. Stratford won the line-out and scored a simple try in the corner to make the score 16 points to 10. Stratford were causing Hereford some problems. Continuous pressure allowed them to score another try in the corner. An excellent conversion by Elliot Smith gave Stratford the lead by 17 points to 16. With ten minutes remaining, Hereford took a firm grip on the game. Strong surges from the forwards and straight-forward handling from the backs, let Harry Jenkins score under the posts. Powell again converted to give the leas back to Hereford by 23 points to 17. With minutes to go, Powell kicked another penalty to increase the lead by 26 points to 17 and so retain second place in the league and also of being in the promotion play-off. |
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| SATURDAY 28 MARCH 2009 - HEREFORD 47 - 18 WALSALL | ||
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Hereford started this game at express
train speed registering three tries within 10 minutes of the kickoff.
Touch downs were recorded by Jamie Bullock, Adam Gwynne and Gareth
Miles with Dean Powell adding the extra points on each occasion.
Walsall had opened the scoring with a penalty by Matt Wood on 2
minutes and after 12 minutes Adam Coniff added a try for Walsall
converted by Matt Wood. At this point with the score at 21 - 10,
a record score looked on the cards but the place slowed before
Hereford added two tries by Adam Knight on 25 and 33 minutes both of
which converted by Dean Powell. Matt Wood added a penalty for Walsall
just before the break taking the score at half time to 35 - 13. The second half started slowly and a couple of substitutions were made by Hereford on 50 minutes and a further substitution brought Sean Day on after 55 minutes. Super-sub took just 2 minutes to add a try but missed the conversion. After a period of prolonged pressure Ben Probert touched down for a typical forward try to which Sean Day added the extra points. Just before the final whistle Andy Turner crossed for a consolation try for Walsall. Final score Hereford 47 Walsall 18. As Dudley beat Whitchurch by a large margin today it means their points diference is getting closer to our own, setting up a nail biting climax to the season and the "fat lady" continues to warm up. |
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| SATURDAY 14 MARCH 2009 - WHITCHURCH 0 - 58 HEREFORD | ||
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Hereford recorded another half century
of points in a run away win against Whitchurch. In the first half
playing into a strong wind Hereford recorded tries by Adam Knight,
Cieran Griffiths, Matt Pritchard and Ben Probert, one of which was
converted by Dean Powell to give a half time score of 0 - 22. In the second half 6 further tries were added by Adam Gwynne, Dean Powell, Keiron Hallam and three by Sean Day who had come on as a second half substitute. The team performed well in all departments and on this form will be hard to beat in the run in to season's end. We are now level on points with Burton who were beaten by lowly Camp Hill on Saturday so a final run of three wins would make us runners up and in the play off position again. The final game with Bromsgrove, who are now champions, could be a match to remember. |
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| SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2009 - HEREFORD 43 - 3 CHELTENHAM NORTH | ||
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Hereford opened the first half playing
against the wind and in the opening quarter made a number of errors
which Cheltenham were only able to exploit with a solitary penalty
goal. Once the Hereford team settled the result was never in question
and before half time they had recorded tries by Nick Harrison and Ben
Probert both converted by Dean Powell from wide angles. Powell had
earlier missed a "gimme" from in front of the posts but quickly made
amends with his conversions. We crossed over leading by 14 points to 3
and Dean Powell increased the lead with a well taken penalty. Tries followed from Sean Day, Ben Probert's second, Ben Hillstead and Adam Gwynne, Dean Powell added the extra points to three of these tries. We still have a mathematical chance of making the play-offs but need to win all our remaining games and rely on Burton losing at least one. Keep your fingers crossed. |
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| SATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2009 - HEREFORD 65 - 3 STOKE ON TRENT | ||
| The First XV kept up their unbeaten run in 2009 with a fine win over Stoke On Trent at Wyeside. A full match report will follow. | ||
| SATURDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2009 - DUDLEY KINGSWINFORD 23 - 26 HEREFORD | ||
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In an exciting match at Dudley
Kingswinford, Hereford RFC emerged winners by 23 points to 26. Dudley
were in control for the first 15 minutes of this game between two well
balanced sides and took the lead early on with a penalty shortly
followed by an unconverted try. This reversal spurred the Hereford
pack into life and a penalty inside the Dudley half led to Dean Powell
putting the first points on the board for Hereford. Shortly afterwards
Hereford took the lead when Adam Knight put the finishing touch to
score a try wide out which Dean Powell converted with a fine kick.
Just before half time Hereford increased their lead with a penalty by
Dean Powell and crossed over with a five point lead. The second half was a pulsating affair and whilst Hereford never surrendered the lead Dudley put them under great pressure at times and as all through the season the Hereford defence was exemplary. Dudley kicked a penalty and scored two tries one of which was converted whilst Hereford scored a well worked try through Ceiron Griffiths which Dean Powell converted as well as adding two penalties. At the final whistle Hereford were good value for their win but were pressed all the way by Dudley. |
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| SATURDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2009 - HEREFORD 61 - 5 CAMP HILL | ||
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Hereford Rugby club had a convincing win
after three weeks without a game due to bad weather and it took just
three minutes for Hereford to open the scoring with Adam Knight
crossing for the first of his three tries. The great start was dented
as Camp Hill charged down a clearance kick and collected the loose
ball to bring the score to 7-5. But from then on it was Hereford who
played wonderful flowing rugby to run in six tries before half time
and put the match beyond the visitors with the scoreboard showing the
half time score to be 44-5. Bottom of the table Camp Hill were out
played in every department and received three yellow cards during the
game for attempting to stop Hereford play. The result keeps Hereford
fourth in Midlands 2 (West) with seven games to go until the end of
the season. The second half started like the first with Adam Knight scoring early but unfortunately the visitors were allowed the slow the game down and this meant that the exciting rugby that was seen in the first half was not on view for most of the second half. Billy Grisman added another five points on 67 minutes and Adam Knight finished off his hat-trick with a length of the field break to leave the final score of 61-5 to Hereford. Next Saturday Hereford have a crucial away game against 3rd place Dudley Kingswinford. Try Scorers: Adam Knight (3) Des White, Ben Probert, Adam Gwynne (2), Ben Hilstead, Cieron Griffiths, Billy Grisman. Conversion: Dean Powell (4). Penalty: Dean Powell Match report with thanks to Richard Preece. |
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| SATURDAY 24 JANUARY 2009 - SUTTON COLDFIELD 20 - 20 HEREFORD | ||
| A full match report will follow. | ||
| SATURDAY 17 JANUARY 2009 - HEREFORD 46 - 10 SOLIHULL | ||
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Hereford Rugby club started the New Year
with a comprehensive home win against Solihull which moves them into
third place in Midlands 2 West. With a strong wind advantage it was
Solihull who started the better of the two sides and an infringement
at the breakdown enabled John Robinson to kick the resulting penalty
to give the Birmingham side a 3-0 lead. Hereford were then able to put
together some good phases of play but with Solihull continually
killing the ball at the breakdown centre Cieron Griffiths was sin
binned for taking matters into his own hands. Hereford continued to
attack and when Solihull conceded a penalty in front of the posts Dean
Powell was able to equal the score 3-3. Solihull kept Hereford in
their own half by kicking most of their possession away taking
advantage of the wind and a chip and chase by Aaron Higgins followed
by an ugly bounce allowed Higgins to collect his own kick and score a
try under the posts which Robinson converted to put the visitors 10-3
ahead. Hereford again managed to pass the ball around and open up the
visitors defense and after a number of penalties the referee sin
binned Solihull centre Luke Smith, with the man advantage Sean Day
found himself in space and scored a try in the corner but
unfortunately Dean Powell was unable to convert and it was the
visitors who lead 10-8 at half time. In the second half Hereford started playing open running rugby and good work by Alistair McColl at the base of the scrum fed man of the match scrum half Billy Grisman to score a well worked try which Dean Powell converted to allow Hereford to take the lead for the first time in the match. The Hereford pack were now dominating the Solihull forwards and took a number of balls against the head in the scrum and with Richard Preece and Jamie Bullock stealing lineout ball the pressure was mounting on the visitors. Ten minutes after his first try Alistair again fed Billy Grisman to cross for this second try in an almost carbon copy of his first try. Good work by the Hereford back line allowed Kieram Hallam some space out wide to score on 63 minutes and with Powell adding the conversion Hereford extended their lead to 27-10. Straight from the kick off the ball moved through the hands left to right and quick recycled ball from the breakdown inside the Solihull twenty two allowed Nick Harrison to score what could be the try of the season. Powell added two more points with the conversion and in the last ten minutes Nick Harrison and Sean Day both crossed over for their second tries to leave the final score a healthy 46-10. Next Saturday Hereford travel to 6th place Sutton Coldfield. |
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| SATURDAY 20 DECEMBER 2008 - BURTON 8 - 7 HEREFORD | ||
| This game between two evenly matched sides was played out in very heavy conditions quite unsuited to running rugby and was characterised by forward drives. Burton took the lead mid-way through the first half with an unconverted try, a narrow advantage which they held until fifteen minutes into the second half. Hereford missed a number of penalty chances but eventually concerted pressure on the Burton line resulted in Matt Pritchard going over for a try which Sean Day converted from in front of the posts. Hereford held this narrow lead until late in the game when Burton sealed a victory with a penalty which gave them a second single point victory after winning by ten points to nine earlier in the season at Wyeside. The Hereford side gamely tried to play their natural open style of rugby in unsuitable conditions and the forward pack underlined their credentials to play a combative driving game in more than matching a very competent Burton pack. This was the third game lost by less than three points so far this season, a penalty goal in each of these games and we should top the division. | ||
| SATURDAY 6 DECEMBER 2008 - HEREFORD 21 - 15 STRATFORD-UPON-AVON | ||
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Hereford brought a run of defeats to a
close when they beat Stratford upon Avon on Saturday at Wyeside by 21
points to 15. Once again the side failed to play to it’s potential and
several scoring chances were missed by poor handling and decision
making. Hereford led at half time by 11 points to nil courtesy of an
unconverted try scored by Nick Harrison and two penalties kicked by
Simeon Mifflin who had a second promising game at out-half. Early in the second half Des White added a try and shortly afterwards Josh Leccia added another on his 1st XV debut. Simeon Mifflin was unable to convert either. Half way through the second half Hereford were apparently coasting to victory but Stratford came back into the game with a penalty, a try and conversion from Jake White and an unconverted try by Neil Sheppard. The final whistle went after White converted his own try and Hereford ran out winners by a 6 point margin. |
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| SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2008 - HEREFORD 9 - 10 BURTON | ||
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Hereford slumped to another narrow
defeat losing by 10 points to 9 at home to Burton. This was their
first home defeat of the league season and should act as a wake-up
call for the rest of the season. Hereford did not turn up until the second half by which time they were 10 - 3 down, a Colin Osbourne penalty to a Burton converted try and a penalty. In the second half we came to life and, in a spirited revival, came close to turning the match round when two further Osbourne penalties took us to within a point of our opponents. This is deja vu, the two games lost by 2 points and 1 point respectively could cost us heavily again this year |
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| SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2008 - SOLIHULL 20 - 11 HEREFORD | ||
| Poor handling and kicking resulted in the First XV slipping up at Solihull. A full match report will follow. | ||
| SATURDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2008 - HEREFORD 38 - 6 SUTTON COLDFIELD | ||
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Hereford returned to winning ways with a
38 points to 6 win over a strong Sutton Coldfield side only one place
below us in the league table. Hereford opened brightly when skipper
Matt Pritchard crossed for an unconverted try in the second minute but
for the remainder of the first half failed to add to their score, once
again playing well below their potential. During this period Alan
Rowlands kicked two penalty goals to take Sutton to a half time lead
by 6 points to 5. The first half saw Sutton get 3 yellow cards whilst
Nick Harrison spent 10 minutes in the bin for retaliation to a high
tackle and for a time it looked as though the reversed penalty could
cost us dearly. Hereford came out for the second half a different side. In the first ten minutes Adam Knight and Craig Rowlatt scored tries, both converted by Colin Osbourne and Sean Day crossed for an unconverted try. With the lead extended to 24 points to 6 a Hereford victory was ensured and they went on to play the sort of football we have come to expect of them. Two further tries for Des White and Adam Gwynne were both converted by Colin Osbourne and Hereford ran out convincing winners by 38 points to 6. The young Sutton side to their credit never gave up but paid a heavy cost for their indiscipline which cost them a total of 4 yellow cards. This was a game with much attractive football played in an excellent spirit despite the extremely cold conditions. |
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| SATURDAY 25 OCTOBER 2008 - STOKE-ON-TRENT 14 - 12 HEREFORD | ||
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Hereford suffered their first league
defeat of the season and dropped to third in the league table
following a two points defeat at Stoke. Stoke used their forwards' superior strength early on, forcing a penalty and three points after only three minutes. Hereford did respond, being denied a try by the referee for a double movement while grounding the ball. On eleven minutes Stoke stretched their lead to six points following a penalty for a high tackle. Stoke found themselves reduced to fourteen following a sin-binning after fifteen minutes and while Sean Day missed the subsequent penalty, Hereford took advantage when Billy Grissman went over for their first try which was converted by Day to leave Hereford one point ahead. Stoke replied with a try of their own shortly before half-time leaving the score 11-7 in favour of the hosts. Playing down the hill, Hereford started the second-half brightly and got themselves in front again when Ben Probert went over for an unconverted try. Thereafter Hereford found themselves defending a series of attacks from Stoke, the ball rarely leaving the Hereford half. Stoke's pressure was eventually rewarded with a penalty less than ten minutes from the end and ran out winners by two points, 14-12. The heavier Stoke pack controlled the lineouts and while Hereford had to rely on scraps they still aren't playing to their full potential with handling errors costing them dearly once again. |
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| SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER 2008 - HEREFORD 10 - 30 FYLDE | ||
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Hereford lost their unbeaten record when
a weakened XV went down to higher graded Fylde by 10 points to 30.
Fylde controlled the first half and opened the scoring with a 13th
minute penalty but were repeatedly denied by a determined Hereford
defence. Fylde finally crossed the home line for an unconverted try in
the 34th minute. Hereford opened the 2nd half with a penalty converted by Colin Osbourne and looked capable at this point of perhaps causing an upset. However Fylde closed off the game during a 15 minute period in which they added 4 unconverted tries to take the score to 3 points to 30 with only 20 minutes to go. At this point the young Hereford side came back and after a period of pressure finally added a consolation try by flanker Nick Harrison which was converted by Colin Osbourne. All in all, the much changed Hereford side put up a determined defence of their unbeaten record and can take a deal of credit from this performance against higher graded opponents. The Hereford sponsor, Tudors Building Supplies voted Fylde three-quarter Martin McAreavey as Man of the Match and Billy Sparey as the home side's Man of the Match. |
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| SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER 2008 - CAMP HILL 14 - 23 HEREFORD | ||
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Hereford extended their season’s unbeaten run to 5 games when they gained a hard fought win by 23 points to 14 at Camp Hill. They started by putting Camp Hill under severe pressure and in the first twenty minutes ran in three tries through Sean Day, Des White and Richard Preece to a solitary penalty by Camp Hill. During the second quarter Hereford maintained their superiority but failed to increase their points tally due to poor decision making and handling. The final score of the half fell to Camp Hill who landed a further penalty to take the half time score to 15 – 6 in our favour. Camp Hill came out for the second half a new team, belying their lowly league position, they concentrated on forward play and were rewarded by an unconverted try five minutes into the half. Camp Hill continued to have the better of exchanges and each side landed a penalty, Hereford’s being kicked by Dean Powell. After seventy three minutes Hereford sealed their win with a well worked try by Adam Gwynne wide out on the right which remained unconverted. In the final few minutes Hereford regained the initiative and came close to scoring further tries. Shortly before the final whistle Dean Powell was shown a red card by referee Like Haskins for a swinging arm tackle. Once again the Hereford side managed a win whilst not playing to their full potential. It should be noted that they have not lost a Midlands 2 West league game since Malvern beat us with a last minute penalty on the 2nd of February this year. |
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| SATURDAY 4 OCTOBER 2008 - HEREFORD 20 - 8 DUDLEY KINGSWINFORD | ||
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In a top of the table clash Hereford
gained a hard fought win over rivals Dudley Kingswinford. Adam Gwynne
opened the scoring in the eleventh minute with a well constructed try
wide out on the right which Dean Powell converted. Midway through the
half Dean landed a penalty to which Dudley promptly replied with a
penalty taking the score to 10 points to 3 at the interval. In the period after half time Dudley had their best spell in the match and a period of pressure on the Hereford line was rewarded by an unconverted try in the sixty fifth minute. The final quarter-hour of the game belonged to Hereford and two further unconverted tries were registered by Sean Day and Des White. Special mention should be made of the Hereford back row of Nick Harrison, Ali McColl and Matt Pritchard, their untiring efforts were exemplary. This was a closely contested game which provided an excellent spectacle for a good crowd and sees Hereford take top place in Midlands 2 (West) on points difference from Bromsgrove. Dudley who, because of ongoing ground improvements are playing all their early season fixtures away from home, can feel reasonably satisfied to have won 3 from 4 of their first games and we shall no doubt have a difficult task when we visit them in February. |
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| SATURDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2008 - CHELTENHAM NORTH 13 - 33 HEREFORD | ||
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Hereford maintained their unbeaten
record against Cheltenham North, who took the lead early in the game
with a penalty given against Hereford for offside. On 15 minutes an
Adam Gwynne try converted by Sean Day gave Hereford a 3 points to 7
lead which they held until half time. A feature of play was the
improved Hereford lineout play with a number of clean takes by Nick
Harrison and Will Watkins. Early in the second half, pressure by Cheltenham North led to an unconverted try giving them a single point lead. Shortly after, Hereford made a number of substitutions, Sean Day, Will Watkins and Gareth Miles making way for Dean Powell, Richard Preece and Ben Halstead and after 60 minutes they were rewarded by a try for Dean Powell which he converted himself. During the final quarter a further unconverted try for Cheltenham North was sandwiched between a try for Richard Preece converted by Dean and an unconverted try by Billy Grisman. To round off proceedings skipper Matt Pritchard crossed for Hereford's fifth try which was converted by Keiron Hallam, this sealed a fine away win by 33 points to 13. The team is still not performing to it's potential but is improving each week and three wins out of three has to be recognised as an excellent start to the league campaign. |
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| SATURDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2008 - HEREFORD 22 - 8 WHITCHURCH | ||
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In conditions ideal for running rugby
the Hereford backs produced some penetrating attacks but again missed
a number of chances through the final pass going astray. Play was
fairly even for the first quarter hour with Whitchurch going ahead
after 7 minutes with a penalty kicked by Daniel Nicholas. On 15
minutes Tom Crank the Whitchurch winger received a yellow card and
while he was in the bin Dan Thomas scored Hereford’s first try, Keiron
Hallam missed the conversion from wide out. After 34 minutes
determined running by Adam Gwynne resulted in a try in the corner,
Keiron Hallam again missed with a difficult kick. In the run up to
half time Hereford’s Ceiron Griffiths received a yellow card and the
score at the half remained 10 to 3 in favour of the home side. Early in the second half Hereford’s third try was scored by Des White and this time Keiron added the 2 points. A period of scrappy play ensued with a number of substitutions being made and Hereford’s Will Watkins and Whitchurch second row Scott Emerson both being shown yellow in separate incidents. On 70 minutes Adam Gwynne scored Hereford’s final try, wide out on the left Keiron again being unlucky with the conversion attempt. In the final minutes Whitchurch scored a consolation try through winger Tom Crank, however the conversion failed and Herford ran out winners by 22 points to 8. A satisfactory result, but the Hereford side are not yet firing on all cylinders. The pack did well in the loose and set scrums but the lineout was not secure and will require some work on the training field. The backs showed flair at times running from deep but the opportunities created too often failed through poor handling. |
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| SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2008 - WALSALL 13 - 15 HEREFORD | ||
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Hereford RFC First XV started their
season well with a deserved victory over old rivals Walsall. Walsall took the lead mid-way through the first half with a penalty. Sean Day was unsuccessful with a couple of penalties for Hereford before centre Adam Knight crossed for an unconverted try to give Hereford a two point lead. During the first half Hereford had created a number of try scoring chances with the last pass going astray on a number of occasions. Shortly before half time, Walsall went ahead again when they converted a second penalty to take a one point lead into the interval. After half time Hereford continued to create chances and were eventually rewarded when Sean Day slotted over a penalty. Twenty minutes into the second half a period of Walsall pressure was rewarded by a converted try taking the score to 13 points to 8 in their favour. Hereford once more came back into the game and a rumbling forward drive resulted in Ben Probert touching down for a try which was converted by Sean Day. At this point the game was by no means over and several minutes of nailbiting tension was endured by both sets of supporters before Hereford ran out winners by 15 points to 13. |
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