Eager to show why he’s a match-winner
FLY-HALF Robin Eager kept Lutterworth 1st XV’s home record intact by kicking them to a tense 19-18 league victory over Wellingborough.
The first ten minutes of the game were clearly Lutterworth’s as they kept the visitors pinned well into their half.
The pack were stealing line-out and sent inside centre Adam Welsh crashing through the defence to keep the pressure on.
Even when the visitors ventured into Lutterworth’s half, errors allowed the home side to clear.
However, totally against the run of play, an eager back line were judged offside and the away team put the first points on the board.
Lutterworth pack remained dominant, with scrum-half James Lloyd and flanker Joe Sullivan hassling the opposition and any searching high kicks were caught and sent back by full-back Jeremy Bell.
Four penalties in a row saw the home team heave a sigh of relief as Eager levelled the scores. And from the re-start, flanker Richard Bailey sidestepped through the Wellingborough pack, set up the ruck midfield and when his tackler didn’t release, Eager doubled his tally, creeping Lutterworth ahead.
The visitors tried to run wide but with Lutterworth’s back line closing in, hooker Warren Tebb and Bailey tackling madly, Wellingborough were making no ground.
A breakthrough looked imminent for Lutterworth in the dying minutes of the first half from a scrum just eight yards out but they were unable to control what should have been a comfortable pushover.
Three times they set up ruck and from just feet away from the try line, second row Chris Gregory, scrum-half James Lloyd and hooker Warren Tebb tried to touch down but somehow the opposition held out.
But at a scrum after the break, the Lutterworth back row of Charlie Turner and Joe Sullivan drew defenders and put Bailey in to score, with Eager converting.
Elation turned to frustration almost immediately as the hosts were adjudged to have impeded a player and a penalty try was awarded.
With arguably the best open play kick of the game and under pressure from an advancing attack, Eager placed a kick from his 22 down to Wellingborough’s five-yard line.
Lutterworth knocked on from the lineout but again overwhelmed the visiting scrum, who still managed to clear their lines. However pressure was turned into points as Gregory counter-rucked, Wellingborough killed the ball in front of their posts and Eager obliged with the finish.
Wellingborough woke up in the latter stages and they came back to within three points. And with their tails up and spinning the ball wide, they found room on the right and stole a try to regain the lead.
But determined Lutterworth had a home record to keep and their heads wouldn’t drop. Silence fell as a penalty was awarded on the half-way line against the visitors for not releasing the ball and the heroic Eager placed it dead centre over the crossbar for his team to claim the winning score.
Lutterworth 2nds travelled to Hinckley for a league fixture, going down 34-13.
The home side started strongly and put Lutterworth under a lot of pressure but the line held firm and it was Lutterworth who scored first through a try from Joe Ball.
Hinckley hit back and scored two tries but a penalty from Josh Connors left the score at 12-8 at the break.
The second half was one to forget for Lutterworth, with poor tackling and a lack of depth in replacements.
The team had travelled with just 15 players, which meant that injuries resulted in an unbalanced back division.
This gave Hinckley the advantage to score further tries, before veteran prop Tom Kilburn ran in a consolation score for Lutterworth.
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Weather for Harborough
Wednesday 23 May 2012
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