National League 2: Old Redcliffians 28 Taunton Titans 26
This was not a game for the purists. George Gosling described the going as soft, heavy in places, writes Hugh Duder.
Playing up the slope for the first half, Titans maintained good possession for the opening exchanges, but it was the home team who took the lead against the run of play. On 11 minutes, Scott Gibson, seeing a gap, out-paced the opposition to run in under the posts 7-7.
With 20 minutes on the clock, Reds, using the downslope to their advantage, went ahead 14-7. Five minutes later, George Gosling went over from a driven maul 14-12.
Two tries for the Reds followed within three minutes of each other, one taken by their centre who burst through under the posts, and suddenly they had extended their lead by 16 points, 28-12 at half-time.
Titans had to score three times to get in front and now in the second half had the slope in their favour. Three minutes from the restart, Matt Whitlock sprinted down the hill for a converted try 28-19. Ewan Guy was next to score, powering over from a tap penalty, Titans getting to within two points of Reds 28-26.
The travelling faithful were now confident of a win. But neither side increased their score. The game became stop-start with only Jo Toogood going close - he broke clear down the left wing only to be brought down by an outstanding tackle. The whistle went often and the Reds players were on the ground (cramp). Titans took the wrong options a couple of times and were left frustrated as were their supporters. For the last 20 minutes - a long time in rugby terms - Titans were unable to keep enough possession to take them down that dreaded slope. Credit to the home team for holding onto their slender lead.
Coming up this Saturday, December 20th, is the Christmas fixture against Hornets from Weston-super-Mare. Kick-off 3 pm at the Summerfield Stadium, Hyde Park. There’s sure to be a large crowd and Titans will be looking to gain revenge for their defeat up there in the first half of the season.
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