Sat 26 Oct 2019, 13:30
On a bleak, rainy, sodden pitch in Shirley the veterans of Redditch Rugby club celebrated England's earlier win and donned their famed pink shirts to take on a strong Camp Hill side. It did not auger well for the skill level of the game when the first dropped ball happened before the ref's whistle had stopped echoing, and so a game of pass the soap bar ensued. Oddly enough this one was deemed playable whilst the 1st team pitch was not,
The game was refereed with a generous spirit, there could have been one continuous scrum which would have suited the forwards. The backs may not have been so enthused, as it was their fingers that were slowly getting bluer by the minute that was causing most of the dropped balls. To keep themselves warmer the back line of each side threw themselves at anything that moved,. Having possession of the ball, at times seemed secondary to the desire to huddle together and prevent frostbite. The first huddle was, of course, for the Hokey Cokey.
There were however moments of skill, scrum half Garry Mills, weaved and dodged in attack and tackled fearlessly in defence. Duncan Davis in an unaccustomed centre punched holes in the mode of Tuilagi. Pete Carr at no8 had some storming runs and skipper for the day Paul Hughes BSc showed touches of the magic feet that graced local pitches before his untimely move to Cornwall.
Jason Habgood chased and brought down his prey relentlessly. Wayne Sharpe and Aaron Atkinson as last line of defence kept the opposition at bay. In the pack, Micky Jarrett, Dave Bush, Steve Wills, Neil Walsh and Wayne Buszko assisted by new friends from Bees performed at a level above all expectations considering the conditions. Some though may have preferred to be somewhere else.
With so much possession going to ground it was perhaps no surprise that the first half finished scoreless, in fact neither side had got anywhere close to scoring, and the pitch was so heavy that even kicking was arduous.
But a few fresher legs for the home side livened things up after the break, the increasingly battered visitors coped well at first but were eventually worn down, one driving try and one remarkably accurate passing move put the home side in the driving seat and eventual victors.
There may have been many matches called off due to the weather but this game was never going to fail, the spirit of all participants ensured the camaraderie rolled over from pitch to the bar, and the early kick off meant the night would a long, joyous one.
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