Old Wheatleyans 58 - 5 Christ’s College, aka The Brown Rings
The opening game of the season saw a pre-season fixture against the touring ‘Brown Rings’ from Christ’s College, Cambridge.
This was an opportunity to get all a run out early in the season against a competitive side looking for a good start to their up and coming tour of Canada.
With a good turn out from young and ‘experienced’ members of the squad and with a good pre-season under the belt of the squad, The Wheats were keen to impress.
Christ’s experienced problems in key position scrum half, so with Dean Bryant refereeing, Spence Ayres manfully manned up as 9 for ‘The Rings’.
The Wheats also welcomed back some players missing from the previous year including Charlie Hands, Brad Atkins and Neil Hodgkiss, while the Christ’s team featured some defectors led by JT and including Greevy, Gillam, Harris and most disappointingly Drury. None escaped ‘the treatment’ especially with JT being on the end of Rubery’s chirp and referee, Dean Bryant’s threat of assault!
In truth the Wheats looked strong with the pack competitive in the loose with some strong running from Hands with Betts and Hadridge both getting around the park well with the backs being strongly led in defence by Rubery and attacked strongly with pace and purpose from Brad Atkins and Will Owen.
Atkins first 2 tries were testament to some good link up play in the backs after the forwards punched holes around the fringes, while other tries of note from Owen and Hands came from broken field play where both showed great pace to outstrip the Brown Rings backline.
And a match report wouldn’t be a match report without a mention of Gillam…As Atkins galloped away deep into the final quarter, head bobbing like a demented chicken, Gillam was savagely smashed to the floor from an Atkins hand off that would have levelled Hercules himself!
In all it was a good start to the season with the Wheats dominating a game that from the start looked like it could have been a lively encounter. Every player from the Wheats put in a strong performance around the park and did their job well.
With performance’s staying the same, it could be a fine year at Stade Wheats!
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