Sat 4 Dec 2021
THE FOLLOWING MATCH REPORT HAS BEEN COPIED FROM PLYMOUTH SPORTS GAZETTE.
AND ALTHOUGH WELL WRITTEN AND IN AN UNBIASED REPORT AS YOU WOULD EXPECT IT DOESN'T QUITE CAPTURE THE MOOD FOR THE HORNETS TRAVELLING SUPPORTERS.
PLYMSTOCK Albion Oaks lost their unbeaten home record on Saturday as they were surprisingly beaten 25-22 by Newquay Hornets at Horsham Fields.
Oaks had been in impressive form at home this season and had seen off leaders Topsham there and fourth-placed Cullompton, as well as claiming big wins over Saltash, Veor and Liskeard-Looe there.
But having been hammered 78-6 by the Pirates Amateurs the week before, Newquay turned up in determined mood and they deservedly went back across the Tamar with the four points.
Oaks could have denied them right at the death. With the referee playing almost 10 minutes of added-on time, Plymstock got one try back and then with the last play of the game were awarded a kickable penalty.
However, instead of taking the three points and settling for a draw, Oaks went for the win and opted to take a scrum. But that decision did not work out as they were penalised at the set-piece and Newquay took the penalty and kicked the ball out to end the game.
Oaks coach Mark Lenthall said: “We back the players to make the calls. They wanted the win, and I agree with that, and they have gone for it. But we’ve still come away with two points so it (a draw) wouldn’t matter much in terms of the league. I think I would have done the same thing.”
On the overall result and performance, he said: “They (Newquay) deserved it more than we did. We didn’t play very well.
“We picked up some injuries and that disrupted us a bit, but there are no excuses, they wanted it more than us and well done to them.
“The players have to learn from this. We are a young side and we keep trying to learn.
“We had more than enough opportunities to win it, but we weren’t good enough on the day.
“We are back at home the next two weeks so we just have to pick ourselves up. We will see how bad the injuries are – we did pick up a couple of nasty ones.”
Newquay, playing down the slope and with the wind first half, started well and put a lot of pressure on in the early stages, but did not get any points. The closest they came was when influential fly-half Aaron Simmonds hit the post with a penalty.
And on 23 minutes Oaks scored on their first real attack when Aiden Taylor put in a long pass for Joe Brearley to score in the right corner.
But the Hornets, who impressed in the scrum, hit back and took the lead when Matt Bosley scored on the right and Simmonds added the conversion. (THIS TRY CAME ABOUT FROM A LOVELY KICK FROM SIMMONDS AIMED AT MATT BOSLEY ON THE RIGHT WING, HE MADE A HUGE LEAP IN THE AIR NOT ONLY TO CATCH THE BALL BUT THEN HAD TO DRIVE TWO DEFENDERS OVER THE TRY LINE TO TOUCH DOWN)
And with the rain hammering down, Simmonds then kicked two penalties to edge them 13-5 ahead before Oaks closed the gap to one point in first half injury-time when prop Harvey Courtis went over from close range and Alex Chapman converted.
Plymstock started the second half fired up and had a number of chances before full-back Chapman, who had a good game, scored on the right and also added the conversion.
Newquay, though, refused to crumble and, despite playing uphill and into the elements, they regained the lead with a great try started on the right (AGAIN ANOTHER GREAT RUN BY MATT BOSLEY WHICH DESERVEDLEY GAVE HIM THE HORNETS MAN OF THE MATCH AFTER GAME AWARD) and then finished under the posts by Simmonds.
It got better for the visitors, who did defend well, when lock Aaron McPherson powered over for another good score to make it 25-17. The Hornets thought that would be enough, but the referee had decided there was 10 minutes of stoppage time to add on for Oaks to try and snatch the victory.
The hosts missed a penalty before Brearley scored his second in the right corner four minutes into injury-time after a good break by Chapman.
With their tails up, Oaks went searching for the winner. Newquay defended for their lives, but with time up they did give away a kickable penalty that could have robbed them off the victory. Yet strangely, Oaks opted for a scrum, rather than to kick it, tap it or go for the line-out and it proved the wrong decision.
AN ALL-ROUND GREAT TEAM PERFORMANCE TO SNATCH VICTORY, NOT SURE WHERE THAT EXTRA 10 MINUTES OF STOPPAGE CAME FROM, IT MADE ALL THE TRAVELLING SUPPORTERS VERY TWITCHY INDEED. BUT THE WHOLE TEAM PUT IN A SUPERB DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE AGAINST A HARD PHYSICAL RUNNING SIDE.
LAST WEEK THE HORNETS PLAYED PIRATES AMATEURS AND PLAYING HIS DEBUT 1ST TEAM GAME ON THE WING WAS A YOUNG WELSH LAD, EDWARD CHARALAMBOU, HE LOOKED A BIT LOST ON THE WING LAST WEEK, SO HE CAME ON FOR INJURED PROP JACK FINNEGAN TO PLAY AGAINST PAO's AND HE HAD A SUPERB GAME. THE TYPE OF GUY WITH A FORWARD'S PHYSIQUE, BUT A BACKS MENTALITY, APPARANTLEY ASKING IF HE COULD HAVE HIS NOSE RING BACK....IF YOU KNOW WHERE I'M COMING FROM.
This coming Saturday Newquay Hornets travel to Saltash who are one place behind the Hornets, a game that both teams will want to win.
AND ALTHOUGH WELL WRITTEN AND IN AN UNBIASED REPORT AS YOU WOULD EXPECT IT DOESN'T QUITE CAPTURE THE MOOD FOR THE HORNETS TRAVELLING SUPPORTERS.
PLYMSTOCK Albion Oaks lost their unbeaten home record on Saturday as they were surprisingly beaten 25-22 by Newquay Hornets at Horsham Fields.
Oaks had been in impressive form at home this season and had seen off leaders Topsham there and fourth-placed Cullompton, as well as claiming big wins over Saltash, Veor and Liskeard-Looe there.
But having been hammered 78-6 by the Pirates Amateurs the week before, Newquay turned up in determined mood and they deservedly went back across the Tamar with the four points.
Oaks could have denied them right at the death. With the referee playing almost 10 minutes of added-on time, Plymstock got one try back and then with the last play of the game were awarded a kickable penalty.
However, instead of taking the three points and settling for a draw, Oaks went for the win and opted to take a scrum. But that decision did not work out as they were penalised at the set-piece and Newquay took the penalty and kicked the ball out to end the game.
Oaks coach Mark Lenthall said: “We back the players to make the calls. They wanted the win, and I agree with that, and they have gone for it. But we’ve still come away with two points so it (a draw) wouldn’t matter much in terms of the league. I think I would have done the same thing.”
On the overall result and performance, he said: “They (Newquay) deserved it more than we did. We didn’t play very well.
“We picked up some injuries and that disrupted us a bit, but there are no excuses, they wanted it more than us and well done to them.
“The players have to learn from this. We are a young side and we keep trying to learn.
“We had more than enough opportunities to win it, but we weren’t good enough on the day.
“We are back at home the next two weeks so we just have to pick ourselves up. We will see how bad the injuries are – we did pick up a couple of nasty ones.”
Newquay, playing down the slope and with the wind first half, started well and put a lot of pressure on in the early stages, but did not get any points. The closest they came was when influential fly-half Aaron Simmonds hit the post with a penalty.
And on 23 minutes Oaks scored on their first real attack when Aiden Taylor put in a long pass for Joe Brearley to score in the right corner.
But the Hornets, who impressed in the scrum, hit back and took the lead when Matt Bosley scored on the right and Simmonds added the conversion. (THIS TRY CAME ABOUT FROM A LOVELY KICK FROM SIMMONDS AIMED AT MATT BOSLEY ON THE RIGHT WING, HE MADE A HUGE LEAP IN THE AIR NOT ONLY TO CATCH THE BALL BUT THEN HAD TO DRIVE TWO DEFENDERS OVER THE TRY LINE TO TOUCH DOWN)
And with the rain hammering down, Simmonds then kicked two penalties to edge them 13-5 ahead before Oaks closed the gap to one point in first half injury-time when prop Harvey Courtis went over from close range and Alex Chapman converted.
Plymstock started the second half fired up and had a number of chances before full-back Chapman, who had a good game, scored on the right and also added the conversion.
Newquay, though, refused to crumble and, despite playing uphill and into the elements, they regained the lead with a great try started on the right (AGAIN ANOTHER GREAT RUN BY MATT BOSLEY WHICH DESERVEDLEY GAVE HIM THE HORNETS MAN OF THE MATCH AFTER GAME AWARD) and then finished under the posts by Simmonds.
It got better for the visitors, who did defend well, when lock Aaron McPherson powered over for another good score to make it 25-17. The Hornets thought that would be enough, but the referee had decided there was 10 minutes of stoppage time to add on for Oaks to try and snatch the victory.
The hosts missed a penalty before Brearley scored his second in the right corner four minutes into injury-time after a good break by Chapman.
With their tails up, Oaks went searching for the winner. Newquay defended for their lives, but with time up they did give away a kickable penalty that could have robbed them off the victory. Yet strangely, Oaks opted for a scrum, rather than to kick it, tap it or go for the line-out and it proved the wrong decision.
AN ALL-ROUND GREAT TEAM PERFORMANCE TO SNATCH VICTORY, NOT SURE WHERE THAT EXTRA 10 MINUTES OF STOPPAGE CAME FROM, IT MADE ALL THE TRAVELLING SUPPORTERS VERY TWITCHY INDEED. BUT THE WHOLE TEAM PUT IN A SUPERB DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE AGAINST A HARD PHYSICAL RUNNING SIDE.
LAST WEEK THE HORNETS PLAYED PIRATES AMATEURS AND PLAYING HIS DEBUT 1ST TEAM GAME ON THE WING WAS A YOUNG WELSH LAD, EDWARD CHARALAMBOU, HE LOOKED A BIT LOST ON THE WING LAST WEEK, SO HE CAME ON FOR INJURED PROP JACK FINNEGAN TO PLAY AGAINST PAO's AND HE HAD A SUPERB GAME. THE TYPE OF GUY WITH A FORWARD'S PHYSIQUE, BUT A BACKS MENTALITY, APPARANTLEY ASKING IF HE COULD HAVE HIS NOSE RING BACK....IF YOU KNOW WHERE I'M COMING FROM.
This coming Saturday Newquay Hornets travel to Saltash who are one place behind the Hornets, a game that both teams will want to win.
