Sat 28 Sep 2019
This weekend Pavs welcomed Newport to Burntstump in round four of The Midlands Premier Competition. We have grown accustomed to strange weather in recent times. Accordingly, the heavens opened thirty minutes before the scheduled start, drenching the gathered crowd and giving the pitch a lush hue if rather slippy texture. From the kick off, Pavs gathered the ball and made inroads into the Newport half. Unfortunately, after three minutes Newport’s fly half cleverly intercepted a Pavs pass before sprinting in to score and adding the conversion, to give Newport 7-0 lead. On six minutes Pavs were awarded a penalty and kicked into the corner. The forwards executed a strong forward drive before the backs took over with wing Alex Barton rounding the move off under the Newport posts. With George Billam adding the extras Pavs drew level at 7-7. The action for the next fifteen minutes was shared by both sides with speedy attack meeting stoic defence on the part of both XVs. On twenty minutes Newport created a period of pressure. Despite some brave Pavs defence, Newport forward’s drove over to give the away side the lead at 14-7. Following this, the game again assumed a stalemate quality with both sides grittily fighting for possession until the referee signalled half time.
Following the break, Pavs were revitalised. On fifty one minutes, skipper Doug Billam burst through the Newport defence before offloading to fellow centre Tom Winning to score. With Billam G. again adding the extras Pavs drew level at 14-14. The last quarter of the game saw both sides going at it tooth and nail. Opportunities came and went for both sides and the possibility of a draw began to become a potential reality. Finally, on seventy four minutes Newport broke the stalemate with a well thought out move which ended with openside wing scoring in the corner. The conversion was missed but Newport still had the lead at 19-14. Try as they might Pavs were not able to redress the balance and so the Shropshire side came out as eventual winners.
Another brave and battling performance from the boys in red and green. Pavs are steadily becoming accustomed to life in Midlands Premier and are learning many lessons along the way. Coaches Nathan and Phil Eggleshaw could not be more pleased with the committed defence. Pavs will continue work on making the most of the numerous opportunities they create during the week before travelling over to Nuneaton RFC in round five next Saturday 5th October. Onwards…………………………
Nige Youl
Team Manager
