Top of the table encounter ends in stalemate

It is rare for post-match chat to be so dominated with the ball. In the mud and rain, the slightly rounded and smooth object seemed to disturb the equilibrium of the high flying Bulls throughout the game. Their hosts adjusted and played a good match to suit the conditions.
The eagerly awaited encounter was well supported by home fans despite the rain. All were in agreement that the match was worthy of two sides with promotion ambitions.
Receiving the kick off and with the wind at their backs, Casuals immediately telegraphed their territorial intent with a Garryowen. Jack Blackley also demonstrated his intent by jinking his way through the opposition backs into the hosts’ half. Great support saw Ives recycle and make their way upfield. Casuals resorted to slowing tactics at the breakdown, which led to a penalty in front. With less than 5 minutes on the clock, Paul Ashbridge put Ives ahead.
The pattern of the half was set. Ives would attack into the Casuals half, making good ground especially with the penetrating runs of a fully motivated Duncan Williams crashing into the defence. Keeping hold of the ball was proving tricky however, and Casuals’ half backs were happy to play territory to pin Ives back.
Coughing up a penalty on half way, Ives found themselves defending a 5 metre lineout. The danger appeared to be averted when the misdirected throw found its way to Williams who charged upfield. Supporting players got the ball to the 10 metre line when a misplaced pass was snaffled by Casuals.
A chip over the top was regathered from an unusually kind bounce, given the muddy conditions, and the Casuals player scampered over for a try close to the posts, duly converted.
Casuals’ tails were up and they began to exert extreme pressure on the Ives line. The siege was relieved when Ashbridge effected a turnover on his own line.
Gathering momentum was with the Ives. A break up the left flank was thwarted and the bar-of-soap ball was proving beyond Ives retention skills. They were also again held up with illegal tactics at the breakdown, the home 6 being shown yellow for his troubles.
With Ives unable to make the man advantage count, the half finished 7-3.
The second half illustrated that Casuals were still intent on playing the territory game against the wind. Their plans were successful to the extent that for most of the half the game was played in the Ives half.
Defensive duties were also pressured when the usually demure Mickey Drake was carded for his reaction to a cheap shot from a Casuals player. Tommy Newman, who had a splendid match both in the scrum having switched to tight head for the day and in the loose, was prominent.
Unable to get good field position, Ives were thus again under pressure. Entering the final quarter, Casuals scented victory. They pounded the Ives defence, using their forwards to good effect. A break of their own up the left flank should have resulted in another try, but the Bulls scrambled defence put enough pressure on the carrier to force a knock on just short of the line.
With five minutes remaining on the clock, Casuals were awarded a penalty in front after cannily manoeuvring the scrum enough to cause a collapse.
Ives had defended stoutly and now had their opportunity. From the kick off, again Casuals kicked. The ball was gathered by Blackley, who continued his very fine match by jinking past the first defenders. Urgent recycling of the ball saw John Naylor dart down the blind side. The ever supporting Ollie Raine was on hand to take the scoring pass wide out on the left. All held their breaths as Ashbridge stepped up and coolly levelled the scores.
With time running out, it was now the Bulls turn feel momentum in their favour. They kept ball in hand and forced their way into the opposition half. Unfortunately, control of “that ball” was lost for the final time, the knock on being the last act of a pulsating match.
Coach Naylor praised the last quarter performance. “We did really well to level and felt we could have taken the game at the end. There is a lot we can learn from the way Casuals played in the conditions and also how good we are when we stick to our script, as we did towards the end of the game.”