Bournemouth Lions sponsored by
Wood of Bournemouth
Bournemouth RFC 27 v 15 Oxford Harlequins RFC
Match Sponsored by Rawlins Davy, Solicitors and Mediators
The weather was grey and overcast with a stiffish Westerley breeze blowing
straight down the pitch. Underfoot the pitch was surprisingly firm despite the
enormous amounts of rain that had fallen during the week.
Bournemouth kicked-off from left to right as viewed from the stand and thus
with the wind.
Oxford Harlequins got off to a lively start with a well-organized set of
forwards supporting the ball carrier and driving at the Bournemouth defence.
They mounted any number of surges driving off the backs of mauls and
aforesaid defence was tested to the full, especially round the fringes.
However, and it must be said slightly against the run of play, after just seven
minutes Bournemouth found themselves in the lead, when the OH forwards
were penalized for not ‘rolling away’ on their 10-metre line and the ever
increasingly reliable James Flynn stepped up to score a well-struck goal that
just crept over the bar undoubtedly helped by the breeze and the collective
will of the Bournemouth supporters. Despite the setback, OH still threatened
through their forwards and the driving maul and the Bournemouth defence
yielded another penalty which enabled fly-half Frank Jones to find touch 20
metres out down their left. The OH forwards drove off the line-out and when
the ball was released going right it was a formidable mid-field defence that
refused to yield and forced OH to infringe. Scott Chislett’s long-range kick to
the left-hand touch relieved the situation and Bournemouth had a line-out
deep inside OH territory. They then spoilt it all by a crooked throw-in and OH
in turn were able to relieve the danger. OH continued to stretch the
Bournemouth defence but Bournemouth were always looking for the
opportunity to counter and it was from a quickly taken throw-in by Sam
Hardcastle that saw the scrum-half put in along kick downfield. Bournemouth
maintained the momentum but unfortunately the ever-dangerous Tim Gray
was adjudged to have knocked the ball on as he sought to find a gap in the
OH defence, much to the incredulity of the gathered throng. Subsequently
Bournemouth were penalized and what had been a promising attack turned
into desperate defence from an OH line-out on their own 22-metre line.
However it held firm and from a line-out down the left-hand side the
Bournemouth threes almost broke free through Matt Kiely coming into the
line. The Number 8 in trying to draw the defence away from right winger Joe
Frost made a little show and went for the gap but was unable to get the ball
away as he was snaffled by the OH defence just short of the line. The
openside flanker Ferdi Gerber was shown the yellow card as OH desperately
tried to defend. However this setup an exciting scoring opportunity with a
Bournemouth scrum on the OH 5-metre line. The Bournemouth forwards put
the OH scrum under enormous pressure and they were forced to wheel it in
trying to defend the situation. Referee Douglas Neagle reset the scrum but
when the same thing happened he had no hesitation in putting his hand aloft
and made his dread way to under the posts to indicate he was awarding a
penalty try. Flynn added the two points and Bournemouth lead 10-0 after
twenty-four minutes, a very satisfactory state of affairs in the light of the
finely balanced nature of the play so far. OH again came straight back forcing
Bournemouth to infringe on their 10-metre line and Jones found another
attacking touch kick some twenty-five metres out from the Bournemouth line
down the right-hand side. It was somewhat fortunate that the throw-in was
not straight and from the resulting scrum, Bournemouth broke out through
their threes and Tim Gray was almost through but was penalized for holding
on in the act of rolling over as he tried to set the ball back and another
promising attack was repelled. With play surging back and forth and the
defences refusing to yield, it was the constant probing of scrum-half
Hardcastle, either with the ball in hand as twisted and turned in the tight
situations round the base of the scrum or maul or his penetrating kicks that
kept OH on their toes. It was from a line-out from one of those kicks some
twenty metres out from the OH line that saw Bournemouth recover the ball
and Chislett make a half break. Hardcastle in support took the ball wide round the OH defence and almost got in at the left-hand corner but referee Neagle
adjudged the ball had not been grounded fairly. Bournemouth still kept up the
pressure and they had a line-out thirty metres out down the right. However
OH won the throw-in but were immediately penalized for holding on and
Hardcastle found touch ten metres closer to the OH line. Having been given a
second bite of the cherry, Bournemouth made no mistake this time and as the
forwards gathered the ball and drove for the line, hooker Chris Ulu broke off
the back of the maul and drove, with typical strength and irresistible
determination, some fifteen metres to force his way over the line some ten
metres wide of the right-hand post to score his third Championship try of the
season. Flynn kept us 100% goal-kicking record to put his side 17-nil up with
just a minute of normal time in the half left. However, in injury time, an everconfident
Bournemouth scrum disrupted the OH put-in down the right and
Hardcastle pounced as the ball spilled out. He chipped over the defence but
was beaten to the ball as it bounced into the dead-ball area by left winger
Pete Davies and full back Mark Preston.
So Bournemouth turned round 17-nil up. A good performance against a side
that had won 29-14 in October and who, themselves, had visibly improved in
the interim. What would the second half provide? It perhaps wasn’t what the
Bournemouth supporters might have hoped and Bournemouth were given a
sharp reminder that, what ever they might feel about their own improving
performance, there are no easy matches in this division. However
Bournemouth got the second half off to a good start when Iain Crombie
fielded the OH kick-off and fed inside centre James Payne supported by
Hardcastle. The latter put a clever chip in behind the defence and Flynn in
following up forced the OH right winger, Andy Noyce, into touch.
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Bournemouth unfortunately were penalized at the line-out but recovered
through their forwards and threes but a promising attack failed when the ball
was dropped mid-field as it was swung wide. With a tactic that was to
eventually to prove quite fruitful, Jones put a long-ranging kick in behind a
defensive line that was always up threatening the attack and Bournemouth
were forced to scramble back and did well to prevent a score. That same
defence was caught offside just a couple of metres from their own line.
However, Jones contrived to push a kick from no more than ten of fifteen
metres and just wide of the posts pass the nearside post and Bournemouth
got off lightly. OH continued to maintain great pressure and Bournemouth
were forced to defend desperately and illegally in the eyes of referee Neagle
who dismissed the Bournemouth right winger Joe Frost for ten minutes to
reflect on the fact he shouldn’t prevent fair release of the ball. As a result OH
had an attacking 5-metre line-out. Bournemouth again did well to resist the
inevitable catch and drive and eventually were given the put-in at a scrum
some twenty metres out. Good stuff! Coach David Dunn took the opportunity
to replace lock Stuart Ramsey with newcomer Callum Forrest. He was soon in
the thick of it as Bournemouth were again forced to defend a 5-metre lineout.
OH were held up over the line but Bournemouth won the ball only for a
poor kick out of defence landed in the arms of Jones who very astutely kicked
the ball wide out to the left into the gap left by the absence of Frost. The ball
bounced tantalizing over the line. Would it go into touch-in-goal? No. Left
wing Davies with all the time in the world and to a stunned silence spotted
the ball wide out on the left. Although Jones’s kick was well short, OH had
nothing more their enterprise deserved with a score to reduce the deficit
fifteen minutes into the half. Were Bournemouth wobbling? Forced to scrum
back when the kick-off failed woefully not to go ten metres, OH, as a result,
were very unlucky not to be awarded a second try when they seemed to get
to the ball in a frantic scramble with the Bournemouth defence but the
referee decided otherwise. However OH weren’t to be denied and winning the
ball from the scrum, the ball was again chipped in behind the defence and
the dangerous outside centre Andy Henley, in his last match for OH, was
easily first to the ball. Jones kicked his first goal and OH were just five points
down at 17-12 mid-way through the half. Each side made a substitution with
first Andy McDowell replacing OH left winger Davies and Jo Burns coming on
for loosehead prop Troy Siaki. With the game now finely balanced, OH added
a little more weight to their side of that balance when Jones kicked a fine goal
from thirty-five metres out when Bournemouth were penalized for handling
on the ground to put his side just two points behind after twenty-four
minutes of the half. Then, from an OH perspective, disaster struck when
straight from the kick-off, Flynn charged down Jones’s attempted clearance
kick and the left winger regathered to touch down wide of the left post. He
then twisted the stake in OH’s heart with an excellent conversion from some
five metres in from the left hand touch to recover some of that valuable
advantage. Jones went left and kicked the ball long for a Bournemouth lineout
in their 22-metre. Bournemouth, tightening up the game, drove the OH
forwards back forcing them to give away a penalty. Hardcastle took a quick
penalty and fed right winger Frost and they eventually won a line-out inside
the OH 22-metre. Again Bournemouth drove for the line for OH to transgress
again. Flynn trotted across from his berth on the left and kicked his fifth goal
of the afternoon to further depress OH ambitions. Nonetheless it remained
desperate stuff with openside Iain Crombie being shown a yellow card with
five minutes of normal time left as he made his own contribution in stemming
the tide. He might have got back on as referee Neagle played eight minutes
of injury time but Bournemouth had tightened everything up and they were
never going to give OH a glimmer of a chance of rescuing a match they may
well have won but for Bournemouth seizing two out of two scoring chances in
that compelling second half.
An excellent game played by two well-matched sides with the result far from
certain throughout. From a Bournemouth perspective it confirmed the
progress they have made since they lost to OH in October, the last of that
seven-long string off losses at the beginning of the season. They had the
resilience to score those two hammer blows when they had been on the back
foot through out most of that second half to grind out what was ultimately a
well-deserved victory. James Flynn for the second time in succession kicked
five goals out of five and as a result becomes the side’s leading scorer and
confirmed the old adage about kicking one’s goals and what a difference it
makes. Contrast that with the three missed penalties at Oxford! Chris Hughes
led his new side for the first time and can feel very pleased about how the
team responded to his leadership. He may well have got a third Man of the
Match award in succession but there were many superlative performances to
consider.
Referee – Douglas Neagle, Hampshire. Referee’s Assessor – David
Trewin, Devon. Touch Judges – Steve Buffery, Bournemouth. Matt Todd, Oxford Harlequins.
Bournemouth Team - 15: Domenick Davies; 14: Joe Frost (Robert Bruce
75); 13: Tim Gray; 12: James Payne; 11: James Flynn (1T, 3C, 2P); 10: Scott
Chislett; 9: Sam Hardcastle; 1: Troy Siaki (Jo Burns 63); 2: Chris Ulu (1T); 3:
Alan Manning; 4: Stuart Ramsey (Callum Forrest 49); 5: Tim Seward; 6: Chris
Hughes (c); 7: Iain Crombie; 8: Matt Kiely.
Scorer - Tries: Flynn, Ulu, Penalty try. Con: Flynn 3. Pen: Flynn 2.
Yellow Card – Iain Crombie 75m. Joe Frost 47m.
Sponsor’s Man of the Match – Chris Ulu.
Players’ Man of the Match – Matt Kiely.
Milestones – Matt Kiely plays for the 75th time in all matches. James Payne
selected for the 50th time in all matches. James Flynn started his 50th
Championship game and passes 250 points (257) in all matches (66). Scott
Chislett played in his 50th Championship game.
Oxford Harlequins Team - 15: Mark Preston; 14: Andy Noyce; 13: Andy
Henley (1T); 12: Beau Wilson; 11: Pete Davies (1T); 10: Frank Jones (1C,
1P); Anthony Cope (c); 1: Chris Aldous; 2: David Needham; 3: Paul DeLange;
4: James Eckert; 5: David Payne; 6: Tom Johnson; 7: Ferdi Gerber; 8: Paddy
Soper. Substitutes – Simon Chadbone, Huw Jones, Angus McDowell.
Scorers – Tries: Davie, Henley. Con: Jones. Pen: Jones.
Scoring sequence – 7m: Flynn pen 3-0; 24m: Penalty try, Flynn con 10-0;
39m: Ulu try, Flynn con 17-0; 43m: Half-time 17-0; 15m: OH try (Davies (11)
17-5; 19m: OH goal (Henley (13) try, Jones (10) con) 17-12; 24m: OH pen
(Jones (10)); 26m: Flynn try, Flynn con 24-15; 31m: Flynn pen 27-15; 48m:
Full Time: 24-14.
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