St Ives vs. Peterborough Lions
St Ives 1XV lost 53-0 to Peterborough Lions (formally Westwood) in a bruising encounter, and despite the large score, St Ives did have many positives from the game.
St Ives never backed away from the challenge for all 80 minutes, and the forwards in particular put the hard graft in time after time. In fact it was St Ives who came closest to scoring first, from the kick off, a long kick by Jon Paxton found the Lions full back on his own try line. A good chase by the St Ives pack prevented the full back from kicking to touch, and in the ensuing maul Ross Thompson emerged with the ball 5 metres short form the Lions line. From the ruck that followed the ball spilled out and was collected by the Lions back row, who were successful in steadying the ship.
The Lions back row basically ran the game for Peterborough, and despite injury to the no. 8 early on, Mick Royal as replacement was ample cover. St Ives did enjoy sustained periods of possession in Peterborough's half, but unfortunately they were not as clinical in finishing as the Lions. St Ives man of the match Vinny Woodward was ever present with his barnstorming runs and the supporting pack was quick to recycle the ball. Unfortunately, the St Ives back line were unable to make much impression on the proceedings with much of the possession being kicked. The Lions centre partnership were also dominant, good link up play between them regularly created the overlap, despite the valiant efforts of James Cannon and John Paxton to combat the threat.
In summary, St Ives were disappointed with the final score. The feeling throughout the team was mixed, it was good to see the team not backing away from the challenge and fighting through to the end but disappointing not to get any points on the board. The first team face Thorney next Saturday at Somersham Road, still in search of a first win.
Final Score: St Ives 0 – Peterborough Lions 53
St Ives 2XV vs. Peterborough Lions 2XV
St Ives 2’s were disappointed with the result. The team were first to put points on the board and were dominant for the first 20 minutes. Tries from Ollie Scott and Ollie Moorhouse gave the team an early 10 nil lead, but unfortunately defensive errors allowed the lions back into the game. This proved to be St Ives’ only scores of the day and despite dominating in the scrums and lineouts, errors in open play led to their demise.
Final Score: Peterborough Lions 36 – St Ives 10
St Ives Old Bulls vs. Westwood Vets
A close fought game saw Westwood take the honours. Tries from Jez Clarke (2) and Nigel Sweeny (1) were not enough and Westwood emerged eventual winners.
Final Score: Old Bulls 17 – Westwood 22