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NATIONAL LEAGUE RUGBY

League 1

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27th September 2008.

 

 

Sedgley Park 27-30 Coventry
Sedgley Park Points: Try: C Leck (25),P Swatkins (69). Pens: M Riley 5 (4, 13, 33, 41, 60). Cons: M Riley (70).
Coventry Points: Try: G Dixon (47),S Herrington (63),T Slater (80). Pens: R McLean 3 (12, 16, 19). Cons: R McLean 3 (47, 64, 80).
Coventry pick up an away win at Sedgley Park in a high scoring closely fought match.

Matt Riley kicked Park ahead with a 4th minute penalty. Coventry were level eight minutes later when Ron McLean Dents putting over a penalty goal with his first attempt of the afternoon.  A minute later Riley gave the home side the lead again but McLean responded with two more penalties for Coventry and a 9-6 lead after 19 minutes.

Park finished the half the better with a try from scrum half Chris Leck and a third Riley penalty goal for a 14-9 lead.

In the opening minute of the second half Riley put over a fourth penalty and a 17-9 lead. Coventry got their first try on 47 minutes when centre George Dixon went over and McLean converted to get within a point of the home side.

Riley put over a fifth penalty goal on the hour mark but three minutes later and Coventry were ahead after lock Sam Herrington touched down and McLean converted for 23-20.

Back came Park with winger Peter Swatkins going over the Coventry try line and Riley converted for 27-23.with 10 minutes to go.

Coventry snatched the win in injury time when scrum half Tom Slater going over and McLean converted.

 

 

Plymouth Albion 24-25 London Welsh
Plymouth Albion Points: Try: G Griffiths (40),M Rice (79),W Sprangle (80). Pens: R Laidlaw (59). Cons: R Laidlaw 3 (40,79,80).
London Welsh Points: Try: S Koto Vuli (20),T Brown (5). Pens: A Thomas (64). Penalty Try:  (30). Drop Goal: A Thomas (74). Cons: A Thomas 2 (5,20).
The Welsh make it four wins in five matches with this away win at Plymouth Albion by a single point.

It took the Welsh five minutes to get the first score with No 8 Tom Brown going over and Aled Thomas converted. Just before the end of the first quarter hooker Sunia Koto Vuli got the second try of the match.

On the half hour mark the Welsh were awarded a penalty try and Thomas converted for 19-0.

Just before the half time whistle Albion got off the mark with full back Geoff Griffiths touching down and Ross Laidlaw converted.

It took 19 minutes for the first score of the second half as Laidlaw put over a penalty goal.

Thomas put over a penalty and dropped a goal as the visitors went into a 25-10 lead.

Albion scored two late late tries to get back to within a point but time was up and the Welsh took the win.

 

Bedford 23-26 Exeter
Bedford Points: Try: I Davey (39). Pens: J Pritchard 3 (2,11,70). Penalty Try:  (27). Cons: J Pritchard 2 (27, 39).
Exeter Points: Try: J Drauniniu (60),S Marsden (31). Pens: G Steenson 4 (19, 57, 80, 80). Cons: G Steenson 2 (31, 60).
The big game of the day went the way of Exeter Chiefs, just with a narrow three point win at Goldington Road against Bedford Blues.

James Pritchard gave the home side a 6-0 lead with two penalty goals in the opening 11 minutes.

Gareth Steenson got the visitors on the board with a 19th minute penalty goal but just before the half hour mark the Blues got the games opening score. Wing Ian Davey touched down and Pritchard converted for 13-3. Back came the Chiefs with a try from full back Sean Marsden and Steenson converted to make it a three point game. Late in the half Davey got a second try and Pritchard converted to pull the Blues 10 points clear at 20-10.

Steenson pulled three points back 15 minutes into the half and they were level on 60 minutes when wing Josh Drauniniu went over for the try and a Steenson conversion made it a 20 all game.

Pritchard edged the home side ahead again with a penalty goal but it was Steenson who won the game for the Chiefs with two injury time penalty goals.

 

Moseley 36-26 Otley
Moseley Points: Try: C Sharples (33),J Adams (68),J Rodwell (5),N Bressington (2),N Mason (9),T Roberts (53). Cons: R Vasey 3 (3, 6, 54).
Otley Points: Try: D McCormack (64),P Mooney 2 (39,51),P Williams (12). Cons: T Rhodes 3 (40, 52, 65).
Moseley made it three wins in five matches with this home win over Otley who have yet to pick up a win with five straight defeats.

Moseley were first on the board with left wing Ali Bressington going over and fly half Richard Vasey converted. Three minutes later it was 14-0 as No 8 James Rodwell touched down and Vasey again converted. They had a third try on nine minutes when flanker Neil Mason went over and it was 19-0.

In the 12th minute second row Paul Williams went over to get Otley off the mark.

Late in the half both sides scored tries as winger Charlie Sharples went over the Otley line and centre Paul Mooney did the same for Otley and this time Tom Rhodes converted.

11 minutes into the second half and Mooney got a second try and with Rhodes converting it was a five point game. Two minutes later and replacement Tristan Roberts went over and with Vasey converting it was 31-19.

Otley were right backing it on 64 minutes when No 8 Michael McCormish went over to make it a five point game with 16 minutes to play.

Back came Moseley with centre Jack Adams going over to make it a 10 point lead again with what turned out to be the final score of the match.

 

Doncaster 37-9 Newbury
Doncaster Points: Try: A Carter (61),A Kettle (76),D Griffiths (25),T Toke (71). Pens: A Warnock 2 (21,23). Penalty Try:  (29). Cons: A Warnock (29),J Lennard 2 (71,76).
Newbury Points: Pens: G Griffiths 2 (17,43),R Green (52).
Doncaster Knights made it four wins out of five with this home win over Newbury out scoring them five tries too nil.

Gareth Griffiths gave the visitors the lead with a 17th minute penalty goal. The lead lasted four minutes before Ali Warnock put over two quick penalty goals for 6-3. Soon after it was 11-3 with flanker David Griffiths going over. Just before the half hour mark the Knights were awarded a penalty try as they pulled away into an 18-3 lead, which they took into the half time interval.

In the third quarter Griffiths added two more penalty goals to make it 18-9 that though was the end of the visitors scoring with Doncaster adding 19 unanswered points in the final quarter.

There were tries for full back Anthony Carter, prop Tome Toke and flanker Adam Kettle and the boot of Jamie Lennard adding a couple of late penalty goal.

 

 

Esher 32-59 Rotherham
Esher Points: Try: D Flockhart (44),J Hayter (65),S Stitcher 2 (51,71). Pens: S Jewell 2 (5, 15). Cons: D Slemen (65),S Jewell 2 (44, 51).
 Rotherham Points: Try: B Hunt 2 (54, 61),C Briers (7),C Erskine (75),E Claasans (79),J Feeley (25),L McGowan (42),M Whitehead (49). Pens: T Barlow 3 (10, 20, 41). Cons: T Barlow 5 (25, 42, 49, 54, 75).
Rotherham picked up their first win of the season in emphatic style away at Esher who they move above in the table.

The home side were first on the scoreboard when Seb Jewell put over a penalty goal in the 5th minutes but the lead lasted just two minutes with centre Chris Briers going over for a try and Tom Barlow who missed the conversion added a penalty goal. Jewell replied for the home side but a second Barlow penalty and a try from wing Jon Feeley converted by Barlow saw the visitors move 18-6 ahead which was the score at the break.

The second half was a nine try fest with the Titans edging it five tries to four but with the Titans scoring 10 points in he opening couple of minutes of the half they were always in control and Esher never got closer than 18 points.

There were doubles for Esher flanker Sam Stitcher and Titans centre Brad Hunt.

     

Leeds Carnegie 57-3 Manchester

Leeds Points: Try: MacDonald 2 (8, 44), Wackett (31, 62), Fourie (3), Dunbar 2 (39, 60), Lund (65), Brooks (78). Cons: Di Bernardo 3, Brooks 3.

Manchester: Pen: Knowles (23).

Leeds Carnegie move four points clear at the top of the National One League table after this nine try romp at home to struggling Manchester who have now lost five in a row.

Leeds were ahead after just three minutes when flanker Hendre Fourie went over for a try and fly half Alberto Di Bernardo converted.

Five minutes later they had a second as prop Mike MacDonald went over for a 14-0 lead. They had to wait till the 31st minute for the next score with winger Peter Wackett going over and late in the half they secured the try bonus point with flanker Jon Dunbar touching down.

Five more tries followed in the second half as MacDonald, Wackett and Dunbar completed doubles.

 

Cornish Pirates 20-31 Nottingham

Pirates: Try: Vakacegu 3 (18, 58, 63). Con: Sanft (58). Pen: Sanft (8).   

Nottingham: Try: Cobden (39), Jackson (42), Taylor (49), Savage (68), Harris (80). Cons: Jackson 3.   

Nottingham join second placed Bedford Blues on 20 points after this away win at the Cornish Pirates, who slip to their third defeat of the season.   

It was the home side who took the lead with Doug Sanft putting over an early penalty goal and full back Marika Vakacegu pouching down in the 18th minutes for an 8-0 lead.   

Late in the half the visitors got a score as right wing Jack Cobden went over for get Nottingham on the board.

Two minutes into the second half and they were in front as full back David Jackson went over and converted to make it 12-8. They pulled further clear seven minutes later when fly half Tim Taylor went over and again Jackson converted to make it 19-8.

The Pirates got back into the game with Vakacegu completing a hat trick with two tries in five minutes and they were in front 20-19 after 63 minutes.

Nottingham responded five minutes later with replacement wing Andy Savage going over and wrapped up the win late in the game when replacement prop Rob Harris went over and Jackson converted.