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| Newick |
| League, Away |
| 7th March 2009 |
| Won 16-13 |
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| Starting 15 |
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| 1 |
TinTin |
| 2 |
Debs |
| 3 |
Monkey |
| 4 |
Horse |
| 5 |
Ali |
| 6 |
Ryan |
| 7 |
Bavers |
| 8 |
Mooey |
| 9 |
Jez |
| 10 |
Tim |
| 11 |
SOAP |
| 12 |
Dan |
| 13 |
Chemist |
| 14 |
Tunde |
| 15 |
Yids |
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| Impact Players |
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| 16 |
INutter |
| 17 |
Royster |
| 18 |
Bosh |
| 19 |
Jamie |
| 20 |
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| 21 |
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| 22 |
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The Norfolk Arms finally has a win to celebrate and it could
not be more deserved, it is an easy thing to be a team when things are going
well and when the wins keep on coming. The true test of character for a small
club comes when things are not going your way, 2009 so far had been that test
of character with several very close run games going the wrong way. After last
weeks performance to be proud of against a very good Worthing team who are
going to win the league, expectations were possibly the worst enemy in this
potential make or break game.
The game lived up to expectations in many ways but early nerves made for a
difficult start with captain Ali Hoare knocking-on the first kick off and a
kick out on the full from fly half Tim Laker as well as an early penalty count
to match England in their worst moments against Ireland. The storm was
weathered though and the Norfolk composed themselves to settle into the rhythm
of the game. McMichael had the first opportunity for points but the distance
was too much on this occasion, he was bang on target with his next attempt
though and the Norfolk took a 3-0 lead. Newick responded immediately with
pressure and came away with a penalty of their own for a level score. Nobody
could have predicted what happened next as I don't think it has ever happened
before. Skipper Ali Hoare called his players in to talk about discipline
following a flare up with the referee agreeing it was the best course of
action, Seeing our backs turned and with all 15 players in a huddle, the Newick
scrum half decided to take a tap penalty and ran all the way unopposed with
everyone looking to the ref to intervene which he did not. This absolute
travesty which it has to be said is very unsportsmanlike put the home team 10-3
up but it served to rally the visitors who responded with a try from a perfect
backs move ending in Martin Newark going over and McMichael converting. More
pressure resulted in another penalty and McMichael kicked cleanly to break 200
points for the season a truly remarkable achievement with 5 games left.
The second half was another close affair with both defences dominating the
play, Newick were allowed to gain a couple of yards at every breakdown and this
cut out the majority of attacks with the Norfolk forwards making good ground
though on short bursts. The game could have been won by Mike Slator who
supported a run from his centre partner Dan Robinson and went under the posts
from Robinson's pass only to be called back for a forward pass by the
influential Newick supporters. Several ventures into the 22 resulted in
turnovers or the ball being lost, often through handy work on the floor but
McMichael kicked another penalty to make it a six point lead. Newick kicked
another to bring the scores to 16-13 and a very tense last ten minutes ended
finally and brought a 10 game losing streak to an end. The elated but exhausted
Norfolk players had ground out a very difficult win against a determined and
organised defence amid some fairly negative tactics at times. Several players
deserve special mentions, McMichael broke 200 points and must be one of the
most accurate goal kickers in our league. Midgley runs and tackles like a back
row forward but carries with the pace of a centre and made several breaks
through the line. Laker has grown week upon week into a very decent fly half
and the whole team has full confidence in his ability to lead the backline.
Addy made a massive impact from the bench despite replacing two time players'
player Pete Hoare. Men of the Match Matt Hodson and Ryan Smits played like men
possessed and not only made good yards with the ball, they took a large
responsibility for possession in the face of our malfunctioning set-piece.
This was my most proud moment as captain of the club because it was born of
almost three months of hard work during the absences of so many key players,
the start of the season took everyone by surprise and it is easy to get
complacent when things are going well. We had to work for every scrap in a hard
fought game and the try scored by the opposition could have been a very
defining moment in the season. We turned it into a positive, it galvanised us
into the team we know we can be. I would like to thank the supporters for their
unerring loyalty and for turning out on some horrible winter days only to watch
a team try to tear itself apart, the players who have responded very positively
and come through a difficult period without a coach and several games which but
for one decision or bounce of the ball we could have won.
Most of all I would like to thank anyone who has played out of position or sat
on the bench or played hurt because that was the only option. I think we can
move forward very quickly from here and finish the season in the same way as we
began. We will train hard, play harder and enjoy the last games to the full.
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