Saturday 29th November 2003
Belfast Harlequins RFC 5th XV 29
Shorts RFC 1st XV 12
The fives continued their merry way through the busiest rugby season in living memory with a trip to Shorts.
After the usual loss of three players on Friday due to unavailability and a hint of incompetence up the club, on paper we appeared to have a pretty strong pack and a back line full of wingers and scrum halves.
Clearly the right move was to keep it up the jumper at all costs and don't let the nancy boys touch it.
With the game plan sorted the warm up began and it was clear that sleep and hangovers were still to the fore. Within five minutes the game plan was starting to look a bit dodgy as the Shorts pack was their strength and took the rolling maul to new heights. Driving us back by about 40 metres and then having a walk in for the first score. Another similar try, conversion and penalty soon followed before we finally woke up to the fact that our backs could run them ragged.
Just before half time a scrum in the right hand corner resulted in a great back move and Angus scoring unmolested on the right. Half time 17-7.
Early in the second half one of our best tries of the season with every move ever used in the history of the fives in one go. Miss pass, dummy, big floaty (not a dump), great pick up off the toes and Angus again in for a score. 17-12 Game on.
This was very enjoyable stuff but then Niall Bryson showed he was a natural blonde and let their chubby hooker run straight past him for a try. One last effort, good runs from Marko and Darren set up the position to launch our now feared back line. Dowling B chips over the top, straight to their excellent No 8 who runs through Andy Nixon and offloads to Dowling’s opposite number for an eighty yard run in. To be fair to Barry he did chase all the way although never got within a mile of him until about 30 seconds after the touchdown when 'thump' he landed on the already knackered Shorts centre. We put it down to youthful exuberance.
Full time 29-12 but take off the sleepy first twenty and it was all square.
Man of the match really has to come from the back line this week with Dowling B again getting a mention for an excellent display. Too much moaning in the changing room about never getting MOM means he will again be left wanting. Andy Nixon hit the line very well but it really has to go to Angus Mills for his two very well taken tries.
Dick of the day has several nominations, Coopers two 'mine' s and then 'F*@Ks' as he dropped the ball, Niall's blondness and the general length of time it took the pack to realise our strength was in the backs (understandable after five years of this not being the case). The winner has to be the humour value of Steve Uprichard being told to take a quick tap, spinning round 360 degrees, looking very confused and running straight into the ground.
Team: 1 M McCartney 2 S Upritchard 3 D McCartney 4 N Elliott 5 R Cooper 6 M Harris 7 N Bryson 8 Chick Chalmers 9 B Turkington 10 JP? 11 T Kinnear 12 B Dowling 13 A McCullough
14 A Mills 15 A Nixon
Man of the Match: Angus Mills Dick of the Day: Stevie Uprichard |
