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| CRANBROOK 8 VIGO 6 |
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| Written by Kelly Ackary | |
| Sunday, 24 January 2010 | |
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Vigo narrowly lost to Cranbrook in their first game for 3 weeks after the inclement weather but came within a lick of paint of snatching an amazing win in a sometimes feisty encounter. Dave Winstone’s penalty attempt from near the half way line agonisingly hit the bar and bounced to safety in the last few minutes for what would have been a fortuitous win it has to be said.
Vigo belied their long absence from the field and equally their many absences on the field with an aggressive and confident start. The young Cranbrook side, second in the table, were driven back in the opening stages, but Vigo’s unlikely looking threequarter line-up were unable to make much headway through the home defence. Vigo’s pack, so often the bedrock of the season, threw themselves into the fray with purpose, although Cranbrook had the edge in the scrums. Vigo’s patched up threes were eager in defence, with ex-Cranbrook player, Ollie Jarman, obviously keen to prove a point. Winstone missed a relatively straight forward penalty before Cranbrook began to fight their way out of their half . Cranbrook’s lively right wing, Alex Wenman, flew down the wing to turn defence into attack. Cranbrook poured into the breach and pounded away at Vigo’s defence until it broke, Cranbrook’s number 8, Rory Gower, plunging over for the opening score after 28 minutes. Vigo’s response was immediate and effective, forcing the Cranes into conceding a penalty. This time Winstone’s kicking radar was re-aligned and the gap was narrowed. Vigo continued to press with Porter, Knight and Grassick especially eager in hunting down the ball, helping Vigo to turn over numerous times. The Cranes still were a danger as Vigo were nearly caught out by lightning counter attacks, and were lucky when Starting hit the post with a penalty attempt. Vigo defended well, if desperately at times, and carried the battle to the home side. Their reward was another Winstone penalty on the stroke of half time to take the lead. However, the second half saw Vigo give away a huge number of penalties, time and again releasing any pressure they had built up. Cranbrook lost a player to dangerous play, but that seemed to fire them with a sense of injustice and proved a danger on the counter attack. Vigo began to get frustrated and too frantic in their attempts to regain the initiative, the frustration resulting in a series of penalties .One such penalty was converted by Hamish Startin from near the half way line to snatch back the lead. Vigo simply could find neither the guile nor the discipline to break through an increasingly confident Cranbrook defence. Last ditch tackles by Grassick and Smith prevented further disaster as Vigo began to get ragged in their attempts to turn the match. Winstone’s late penalty kick would have been an injustice in all honesty, so well had Cranbrook defended with 14 men for much of the second half. However, Vigo’s display was worthy missing as many front line players as they are. Team: D.Norton; J.Smith, O.Jarman, R.Hayes, B.Paget; D.Winstone, M.Grassick; A.Higgins, M.Thorogood, L.Walker; A.Wilford, C.Judson (capt.); J.Knight (rep: D.Dunn), A Porter; D.Couchman. Referee : Ed Collins (Kent) Man of the Match: So difficult to choose. No one player stood out, although Hamish Startin, Cranbrook centre, had an assured match, and Alex Wenman showed startling pace on the wing. For Vigo, too many players having had an outstanding first half, blotted their copybooks with some inane penalties in a disappointing second half. Jeff Smith and Ollie Jarman were outstanding in defence. MOG’s view: To say this was a backs against the wall performance by Cranbrook would imply that Vigo were a coherent attacking force, whereas that would be as far from the truth as Gordon Brown getting the Nobel Prize for Literature. Vigo simply tore up the Law book in the second half, giving away penalty after penalty, mainly for the same thing (coming in from the side ), allowing Cranbrook to relieve any pressure. Having said that, Vigo in losing by just two points at a team who are second in the League, and with Vigo’s threequarter resources severely depleted is a testament to their endurance, especially their pack. Once more, Vigo demonstrated that with any sort of luck on the injury front they would surely be at the top of the table instead of midway. |
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