NPRFC - 2nds vs Morganians

North Petherton Seconds won a highly attritional but competitive local derby against Morganians to avenge their 8-0 defeat from earlier this season. This was not an entertaining match for those who were watching, as both packs continually spoiled each other's possession, and many handling mistakes meant that the majority of the match was dominated by the contest up front, with a lot of scrummaging for Pethy's forwards against the heavier Morgs pack.

Playing down the slope, Pethy spent the majority of the first-half in Morgs territory without much reward for their efforts. With both teams set-piece play proving erratic, neither side dominated possession, although Pethy were unlucky to see a try in the left corner ruled out as Larry Steward was just driven into touch as he grounded the ball.

When Petherton managed to get the ball away from the Morgs pack, their backs looked dangerous, and good play by Mark Sutherland-Earl and Matt Habberfield created a couple of chances to score before the final pass just went astray. With some strong Morgs defence keeping them at bay, Pethy opted to kick a difficult penalty at the posts from out on the left. In a well-executed training ground move, Lloyd Steward struck the ball to the far right of the posts for flying wing Dave Hill to react the quickest and collect the loose ball to score. Steward then converted to give his side a 7-0 lead.

From the restart, Morgs were able to gain some ground inside the Petherton half with some strong running by their forwards, eventually forcing Pethy to concede a penalty in front of their posts, which was kicked to get the visitors on the score sheet. The remaining few minutes of the half was then played out around the half-way line and was marked by the sin-binning of Morgs' number six after some aggressive use of the boot after Larry Steward was unable to roll away after making a tackle.

At half-time Pethy knew that with only a narrow lead and playing up the slope, they would have to work even harder in already hot conditions. They began the second half well, attacking with their backs to stretch the Morgs defence, although mistakes and penalties by both sides continued to dominate the game. However, around the 50 minute mark Pethy managed to put together a sustained period of pressure, and some strong running by Adam Modrzynski and Larry Steward gained good ground inside the Morgs 22. Quick ball finally made its way along the backline to the left wing where Lloyd Steward was able to force his way through a last ditch tackle to score. He missed the conversion but Pethy had a 12-3 lead.

Morgs brought on some fresh legs in their pack and they enjoyed their best spell of the game after that, forcing Pethy back inside their own 22. Some great tackling kept the rumbling Morganians forwards just short of the line, and Pethy thought they had held up another surge from close range only for the try to be given. It was converted and a tense finish was in store.

With ten minutes remaining, Pethy achieved the decisive score when Captain Larry Steward pounced on a loose ball and forced his way over after Pethy disrupted a Morgs lineout on their own 5 metre line. The conversion was missed but Pethy managed to see out the remaining minutes playing inside the visitors half, content to keep forcing errors and hold on to their lead.

Despite this not being a great performance by Petherton, all of the players grafted hard in sweltering conditions to secure the win. Having missed several matches because of work commitments, Larry Steward returned to the side and led from the front with a typically belligerent performance. Nick Pocock and Adie Harris were often at the forefront of the battle at the breakdown, turning the ball over at crucial times. Prop Adam Modrzynski showed his athleticism with some good ball carrying, whilst out wide Mark Sutherland-Earl and Matt Habberfield created some good opportunities when they were given the ball.

H/T: 7-3

Tries: Hill, Lloyd Steward, Larry Steward

Cons: Lloyd Steward

Pens:

Drop Goals:

Team: 15. Walford, 14. Hill (Rep. Powell, 50), 13. Habberfield, 12. D.Steward (Rep. Sam, 60), 11. Lloyd Steward, 10. Sutherland-Earl (Rep. Pearce, 70), 9. Rybaruk, 1. Glanville, 2. Kearle (Rep. Sellick, 40), 3. Modrzynski, 4. Tew, 5. Rood (Rep. Gibbs, 55), 6. Pocock, 7. Harris, 8. Larry Steward.

		Second Team work hard for derby victory 04/04/09 - Tribute Somerset Three South: North Petherton II 17 v 10 Morganians Report by Matt Glanville North Petherton Seconds won a highly attritional but competitive local derby against Morganians to avenge their 8-0 defeat from earlier this season. This was not an entertaining match for those who were watching, as both packs continually spoiled each other's possession, and many handling mistakes meant that the majority of the match was dominated by the contest up front, with a lot of scrummaging for Pethy's forwards against the heavier Morgs pack. Playing down the slope, Pethy spent the majority of the first-half in Morgs territory without much reward for their efforts. With both teams set-piece play proving erratic, neither side dominated possession, although Pethy were unlucky to see a try in the left corner ruled out as Larry Steward was just driven into touch as he grounded the ball. When Petherton managed to get the ball away from the Morgs pack, their backs looked dangerous, and good play by Mark Sutherland-Earl and Matt Habberfield created a couple of chances to score before the final pass just went astray. With some strong Morgs defence keeping them at bay, Pethy opted to kick a difficult penalty at the posts from out on the left. In a well-executed training ground move, Lloyd Steward struck the ball to the far right of the posts for flying wing Dave Hill to react the quickest and collect the loose ball to score. Steward then converted to give his side a 7-0 lead. From the restart, Morgs were able to gain some ground inside the Petherton half with some strong running by their forwards, eventually forcing Pethy to concede a penalty in front of their posts, which was kicked to get the visitors on the score sheet. The remaining few minutes of the half was then played out around the half-way line and was marked by the sin-binning of Morgs' number six after some aggressive use of the boot after Larry Steward was unable to roll away after making a tackle. At half-time Pethy knew that with only a narrow lead and playing up the slope, they would have to work even harder in already hot conditions. They began the second half well, attacking with their backs to stretch the Morgs defence, although mistakes and penalties by both sides continued to dominate the game. However, around the 50 minute mark Pethy managed to put together a sustained period of pressure, and some strong running by Adam Modrzynski and Larry Steward gained good ground inside the Morgs 22. Quick ball finally made its way along the backline to the left wing where Lloyd Steward was able to force his way through a last ditch tackle to score. He missed the conversion but Pethy had a 12-3 lead. Morgs brought on some fresh legs in their pack and they enjoyed their best spell of the game after that, forcing Pethy back inside their own 22. Some great tackling kept the rumbling Morganians forwards just short of the line, and Pethy thought they had held up another surge from close range only for the try to be given. It was converted and a tense finish was in store. With ten minutes remaining, Pethy achieved the decisive score when Captain Larry Steward pounced on a loose ball and forced his way over after Pethy disrupted a Morgs lineout on their own 5 metre line. The conversion was missed but Pethy managed to see out the remaining minutes playing inside the visitors half, content to keep forcing errors and hold on to their lead. Despite this not being a great performance by Petherton, all of the players grafted hard in sweltering conditions to secure the win. Having missed several matches because of work commitments, Larry Steward returned to the side and led from the front with a typically belligerent performance. Nick Pocock and Adie Harris were often at the forefront of the battle at the breakdown, turning the ball over at crucial times. Prop Adam Modrzynski showed his athleticism with some good ball carrying, whilst out wide Mark Sutherland-Earl and Matt Habberfield created some good opportunities when they were given the ball. H/T: 7-3 Tries: Hill, Lloyd Steward, Larry Steward Cons: Lloyd Steward Pens: Drop Goals: Team: 15. Walford, 14. Hill (Rep. Powell, 50), 13. Habberfield, 12. D.Steward (Rep. Sam, 60), 11. Lloyd Steward, 10. Sutherland-Earl (Rep. Pearce, 70), 9. Rybaruk, 1. Glanville, 2. Kearle (Rep. Sellick, 40), 3. Modrzynski, 4. Tew, 5. Rood (Rep. Gibbs, 55), 6. Pocock, 7. Harris, 8. Larry Steward.

		©2009 North Petherton RFC

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