Sat 1 Feb 2025
Bracknell III 22 Shire Hall 17
Shire Hall took to the field against Bracknell with a full side and the luxury of 4 finishers despite the unavailability of a few regulars. The previous meeting in October saw Shire narrowly defeated by only 12 points by one of the strongest teams in the league. From the outset, Shire were on the front foot gaining good territorial advantage but the Bracknell defence was sound. Such was Shire’s pressure Bracknell were not able to get into Shire’s half and on 15 minutes, Rhys Stewart landed a penalty to give Shire the lead. When Bracknell did manage to cross the halfway line, it was Shire’s turn to show how good their defence was, with Ed Gallen much to the fore. A lapse in concentration let in Bracknell for a converted try after 25 minutes but certainly Shire were very much in the game. Strong runs by Ashton Field and Jonny Parry were thwarted by good tackling and Shire just could not break through. On the half hour, another mistake by Shire was pounced on by Bracknell to score their second converted try. Communication amongst the Shire team was not good and as a result passes went astray. Better decisions needed to be made as to when to kick and certainly not when the opposition are in your face Rhys!
Half Time Score: Bracknell II 14 Shire Hall 3
With renewed determination and with clear instructions at half time, Shire replaced Sam Joyce with Luke Griffith and his powerful play was to pay dividends later. But it was Bracknell who scored next with a delightful kick by their fly half to find his winger out wide. This spurred Shire on and there were some good powerful runs by Will Jellicoe, Ollie Homan-Green and Luke Griffith. It was noticeable how many penalties Bracknell were conceding for a variety of misdemeanours and Shire gained good territorial advantage from these. From one of these penalties, Luke Griffith powered over for Shire’s first try which was converted by Rhys Stewart. Shire continued in this positive vein, and it was no surprise that Bracknell opted to take a shot at goal after a rare Shire indiscretion. It has to be said that Shire’s discipline was near perfect throughout the game as they hardly gave away any penalties. With 15 minutes left, Jonny Parry finally broke through the Bracknell defence and sprinted 50 metres to score under the posts. Rhys Stewart added the extra points and now Shire were just 5 points behind. Shire were very much in the ascendancy and it was only desperate Bracknell defence that kept Shire at bay. With 5 minutes left, the referee’s patience was tested to the limit and he showed a Bracknell player a yellow card for repeated offences by the team. Shire’s resolve to try to win the game was summed up with the last play of the game when they opted to run a penalty rather than kick for touch. Bracknell managed to weather the storm and secured the win.
All in all, an excellent performance against the team in second place in the league. Bracknell were gracious in their praise for Shire, saying that we were the hardest opponents that they had faced this season. Attendance at training still remains an issue for Shire. This is where the groundwork for Saturday’s game happens. We have one of best training facilities in Berkshire – we need better attendance! Next up is Farnham Royal!
Final Score: Bracknell II 22 Shire Hall 17
Tries: Luke Griffith, Jonny Parry
Conversions: Rhys Stewart (2)
Penalty Goal: Rhys Stewart
MOTM: Ed Gallen – perpetual motion in attack and defence.
DOTD: Rhys Stewart – you don’t kick the ball straight into the opponent’s hands nor should you fail to kick the ball 10 metres on a restart!
