Saturday 26 September 2010
Dorset & Wilts Division 1 North
Injury overshadows close game
Pewsey Vale 1st XV 27 pts – Minety 1st XV 24 pts
A freak injury to Minety skipper Jack Ward brought this closely fought game to a premature end, leaving Minety three points adrift and their captain on his way to hospital with a dislocated hip.
There was little to choose between the two sides. Both played dynamic, running rugby and were neck-and-neck throughout the contest. Pewsey opened the scoring with a penalty goal after three minutes and followed up with a converted try 20 minutes later, but Minety responded with two tries close together.
One was landed by flanker Ben Parfitt. The other was scored by outside centre Dale Langdown and capped a move which took Minety 60 metres upfield and consisted of an inspired sequence of passes out of the tackle.
The home side regained the lead with a try after 40 minutes, only to see Minety draw level once again with a try three minutes into injury time. The teams changed ends on 17 points apiece.
The second half followed a similar see-sawing pattern, with Pewsey drawing ahead with a quick try from the restart only for Minety to catch them up with a Max Sparrow try five minutes later.
With the score at 24-all, the game hung in the balance until, with five minutes to go, Pewsey were awarded a penalty in front of goal. Their kicker made no mistake and his side eased into a fragile three-point lead.
It was then that the accident took place. Two Pewsey players went to tackle Ward, colliding with both him and each other. It looked innocuous enough, but it left Ward stretched out on the ground. An ambulance was summoned and the game was eventually abandoned, with the score still standing as it had when the collision occurred.
“Jack’s injury is a terrible blow to the club,” confirmed Minety coach Huw Jones. “As captain, he’s put in a great effort both on and off the pitch. We wish him well for his recovery and will miss him greatly.
“As for the match, we played good attacking rugby and scored four tries, but our defence was lax.
“They got behind us on three occasions and had powerful runners who exploited the opportunities. Even so, it was a very close game and a try to either side in the end would have swung it.”
Pewsey took the winners’ four points in the league table, but Minety gained two bonus points, one for scoring four tries and the other for losing by seven points or less.
Minety would like to thank Pewsey Vale for all their help and support following the injury. They now regroup and take on Fairford at home this Saturday.