At least once a year all rugby teams have to have the chance to play a game on a mudbath of a pitch. The chance for the Mighty 5ths of Bishops Stortford for the 2009-2010 season came on Saturday 27th February against Hemel Hempstead 4ths. With four Bishops Stortford teams playing at home on the same day, the least used of the back pitches at Silver Leys had to be called into service. The game started with pools on the pitch, huge areas of mud and just a twenty metre wide strip of grass down the far side of the pitch looking anything like a normal rugby pitch. However, as one of the backs was heard to say in the changing room after the game, the forwards were particularly excited by the chance to play in a bog for 80 minutes, and took every opportunity going to roll around in the mud.
After a few games where the 5ths had only just managed to put together a side with seventeen players available, this week started with the management teams having to actually make decisions on who would start the game and who would be on the bench. Once again the huge strength in depth of the forwards was shown with eight starters and four subs available for the pack. A strong set of backs was on display as well, but the difference was that there were only two subs available for the backs. With just two games left to go in the league, the 5ths must win both in order to top the table at the end of the season. The first of these two was this game against Hemel Hempstead 4ths. The second comes in a few weeks against Saracens Amateurs 2s. Whilst Hemel are towards the bottom of the table, the final game of the season against Saracens is a top of the table clash involving two sides who can both end up as winners of the league. With this in mind the pressure on the 5ths to bounce back from a poor set of results since the start of 2010 was great.
The game started tightly with the general flow clearly with Bishops Stortford in the opening exchanges. Strong forward play saw scrums won, lineouts stolen and rucks and mauls bossed for the team wearing a change strip of red with blue arms. The two tries that the 5ths scored came from strong forward play to gain control of the ball, followed up by excellent movement of the ball by the backs until Tom Roache, playing on the wing, put the ball down over the line on two occasions. There were plenty of errors from both sides as the muddy and wet ball was spilled. The usual banter between the forwards and backs flowed as the game went on. Forwards complaining that the pretty boys were dropping their passes, whilst the backs were pointing out that the fat and old boys seemed to want to have seventy three phases with the ball before being prepared to pass out it out to the backs. It was really good to see that all fifteen players on the pitch were giving their all to the cause and it was this 100% effort from the whole team that saw the 5ths through to final victory. Unfortunately Tom Roache had to go off before half-time to be replaced by Ray ‘the Knob’ Bullett, and Mark Davy went off to be replaced by Paul Kavanagh. The game remained close with both teams attacking well and the score soon moved on to 15-12 to Stortford with the third try being scored by Dave ‘Tigger’ Archer. This try came after a really strong flow of play down the left of the pitch seeing backs and forwards linking up well before the Hemel defence stopped the attack about five metres short of the line. The ball was then moved out by the backs until it went into Trigger’s hands and he stormed over the line.
A cagey period of play then ensued with just three points separating the two teams. Further changes were made seeing Ben Brodie go off to be replaced as hooker by George MG and a change in the backs with Simon coming on to the wing and Doddsy coming on to scrum half. Being able to bring on such strong players from the bench makes all the difference for the 5ths. There was a real period of to and fro with Hemel launching very strong attacks through their forwards and the 5ths holding the line extremely well. Tackles and strong rucking and mauling went through the whole of the team for long periods of play keeping Hemel away from scoring. Discipline became somewhat fraught as the second half progressed. Stortford’s supreme leader was sent to the sin bin with a yellow card for violent play with around 25 minutes to go. A player from both teams was sent to the bin in the last ten minutes due to stamping from the Hemel player and punching from the Stortford player. However by this time the damage had been done and two more Stortford tries from the Porn Star, Ashley McCallum, saw the 5ths finish as victors.
This is a vital victory in the mud for the 5ths and represents the first victory in four games for Bishops Stortford. This now leaves possible league victory totally in our hands. Victory over Saracens Amateurs 2nds on 27th March will mean that unless Enfield can win their final games with over 100 points added to their points difference, the 5ths will be league winners.
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