November 20, 1976 - A Lively Homecoming by Ambrose
PLA 23 pts
UPPER CLAPTON 2nd NIL
In their first home game of the season Port showed a welcome return to form
on Saturday.
The scoring was opened by John Yareham, who landed a long range
penalty after two previous misses.
A gem of a try followed a line-out near
the half-way line. Bob Cadby tapped neatly back to hooker Len
Nicholas, who ran up the line, into Clapton's 25 and passed to Billy Ambrose who
had broken through the line-out. He took the ball with one hand crashed
over.
Just before half-time Ambrose broke through the defence for Terry
Braithwaite to score. Yareham converted.
The second half saw Ambrose
continue to worry Upper Clapton with his burts.
From one such run Nicholas
scooped up the loose ball and crossed the line only to be pulled back for an
infringement.
Compensation came quickly when Ambrose side-stepped and dummied
his way through for a good individual try.
The final points came following
fluent handling in which threes and forwards joined, leaving left wing Derrick
Platt to crash over, Yareham converted.
PLA RAVENS 14 pts
UPPER CLAPTON 0
Terry Green turned on some "vintage port" rugby again with a repeat
performanceof the previous weeks' individual total of 14 points. This time
he scored all his team's points with three tries, one of which he converted
himself.
Other results: PLA "A" 24 Upper Clapton 3, PLA "B" ? Mitcham
16
| Dec 1976
'Green Monkey' health probe for rugby captain
Len Nicholas, an Ilford rugby football player, has just started commuting
between Britain and Africa.
And because of his new job he is being closely
watched by British health officials in case he catches the dreaded Green Monkey
disease.
On Saturday he captained his rugby team in Ilford, but next weekend
he will be flying back to Africa.
Mr Nicholas 27, an insulation
manager of Brentwood said: "Health inspectors have looked at me twice since I
returned last week from Zaire. They asked if I had a temperature or any
sickness. Fortunately I am in good health. I'm off again at the
weekend to Nigeria."
The so-called Green Monkey disease hit the headlines
recently after a British research worker caught the illness after an accident
while he was working on the virus.
| November 13, 1977
Fourteen points from Green
PLA RAVENS 18 pts
OLD COOPERIANS 4 pts
WITH Cooperians' pitches flooded leaving the first XV without a
fixture. Ravens entertained the old boys and beat them by three tries and
two penalties to a try.
Veteran lock-forward and previous club captain Terry
Green had an outstanding game contributing the first 14 points of his team's
total.
After the interval Cooperians gained the initiative and following, a
good passing movement among the backs reduced the lead with a try near the
corner flag.
The pressure was relieved by Green kicking two long-distance
penalties but the old boys fought back ferociously.
They wilted in the last
ten minutes and Port, returning to the attack, clinched the issue when Steve
Pugh ran in the final try of the game.
Other score: PLA "B" 4 Old Cooperians 8
Having played all their matches to date away. Port's premier team
entertain Upper Clapton at The Drive, Ilford on Saturday.
|
December 11, 1980
Port miss their county men
THURROCK 9 pts
PLA 7 pts
WITH John Wyatt, Steve Turner, Laurie Hague and Peter Swafsbrook opting to
stand down, as they were included in the Essex under-21 squad for the match
against Northamptonshire the following day, scrum-half Paul Fox and second row
Peter Gibbons made their debuts in Port's first fifteen.
Colts wing Mark
Gittos came in at fullback and last season's regular centre Norman Brown
returned to give an excellent performance in attack and defence.
Thurrock
threatened to make mincemeat of traditionally slow starting Port and soon shot
into a nine point lead with a converted try and a penalty goal.
Gradually
fighting their way back into the game, Port closed the gap before half-time when
outside-half John Yareham retaliated with a penalty goal.
The second half saw
Port continuing the revival with their forwards completely dominating the set
pieces to provide a stream of balls for the threes. Consistent pressure
was rewarded when Brown ran through the opposition defence for a try.
Yareham had a wonderful chance to level the score but this conversion attempt
went wide.
With the knowledge that any score would mean victory, Port again
piled on the pressure but Thurrock's defence held out to the whistle and Port
went down to their third consecutive narrow defeat.
PLA: M. Gittos, D. Platt, J. Braham, N. Brown, D. Chester, J. Yareham,
P. Flax, D. Bumpstead, L. Nicholas, R. Heath, P. Gibbons, B. Cadby, D. Chaffey,
G. Bishop, G. Hurst.
| January 22, 1981
Port pay for lateness and off-target goal kicking
UPMINSTER 13 pts
PLA 8 pts
PORT'S Scarsbrook brothers, Peter and Len, arrived at the ground 15 minutes
after the kick-off by which time Upminster had taken a 10 point lead with a
penalty goal, a drop goal and a try.
With the reinforcements on the field,
Port's play gradually changed from complete and desperate defence to promising
attack.
Here outside-half John Yareham and centre Norman Brown featured
priminently, but just before the interval Upminster went further ahead with
another penalty goal.
The second half gave Port the advantage of the steep
slope and a strong wind but it was 25 minutes before they scored.
Port
recorded two tries - from flanker Peter Scarsbrook and winger Steve Turner - but
place kicker John Wyatt was off the mark with conversion and penalty
attempts.
| December 31, 1982
One that Port like to win
UPPER CLAPTON 2nd 3 pts
PLA 17 pts
PLA won in style the fixture in which they are always most eager to
succeed.
Left-wing Shane Antony, back in the team after injury in the second
game of the season, showed he had lost none of his pace when he outraced the
opposition to score under the posts.
Scrum half John Wyatt added the
conversion to the penalty he had earlier kicked.
Upper Clapton's points came
from a penalty.
Wing forward Barry Fell, out through injury since this time
last season, initiated the movement that brought a further try from Wyatt.
A
most satisfactory game for Port was concluded with centre Norman Brown, such a
prolific scorer last season but out of touch of late, bursting through to touch
down the final four points.
PLA: L. Hague, S. Antony, N. Brown, A. Owers, K. Kearan, J. Wyatt, J.
Meredith, L. Nicholas, J. Tierney, A. Bye, C. Ribbons, T. Matthews, M. Bloomber,
B. Fell, A. N. Other
|
February 10, 1983
PLA's Platt turns back the clock
PLA 26 pts
MALDON 7 pts
PLA ran in five tries, three of them converted, to beat Maldon in a match
arranged via the Fixture Exchange on Saturday morning.
Port number eight
Derrick Platt ran in first-half tries, the second reminiscent of his days as a
three quarter with scrum half John Wyatt adding the extra points.
Maldon
stayed in contention at half-time with a try and a penalty.
Wyatt, a prolific
scorer of late, added a third try which he converted. Further scores from
A. N. Other and flanker Mark Bloomberg followed with Wyatt adding two points to
the latter's.
PLA: L. Haigue, D. Chester, J. Goodrum, N. Brown, J. Braham, M.
Richardson, J. Wyatt, J. Tierney, L. Nicholas, S. Goddard, A. Bye, T.
Matthews, M. Bloomberg, D. Platt, G. Vallery
SOUTHEND COLTS 6 pts
PLA COLTS 8 pts
PLA reached the semi-final of the Essex Colts Cup, a competition they won
four years ago, with a try in each half from left wing Bill
Gottfried.
Southend with the wind at their backs ran in a second half
try. They also missed a late penalty that would have won a game PLA
appeared to have lost through not capitalising upon early
chances.
| March 15, 1984
Brave 14 snatch it for Port
NEW ASH GREEN 8 pts
PLA 13 pts
PLA's victory at New Ash Green last Saturday was marred by injury to number
eight Paul Faulkerall who was taken to Dartford Hospital with a suspected broken
leg.
After New Ash Green had missed a penalty close to the posts, scrum half
John Wyatt landed a more difficult one for PLA who held on to a 3 - 0 lead at
half-time despite the loss of their number eight.
Early in the second half,
with Port overcoming their handicap in impressive style, Wyatt appeared on the
end of a three-quarter movement to cross for a try in the corner.
The strain
of playing a man short nevertheless told on the visitors and their opponents ran
in two tries for a one point lead.
PLA's late revival saw Wyatt held up on
the score line, but able to make his pass to wing forward Mark Bloomberg.
His determination carried him over for a try that Wyatt converted to a cap a
well deserved victory.
PLA: C. Sage, D. Chester, P. Brown, A. Walker, M. Richardson, J. Wyatt,
J. Tierney, J. Anderson, T. Rhys, T. Matthews, C. Ribbons, G. Vallery, P.
Faulkerall, M. Bloomberg, A. N. Other
Other match: New Ash Green 3rd 6 PLA 3rd 6
| January, 1985
Vallery the Port threat
OLD COLFIANS 3 pts
PLA 8 pts
PORT continued their successful run with a win over Kent old boys in a game
reduced to a hustling forward battle by the sodden ground conditions.
Colfians' pack dominated the first half play, but PLA's stout defence kept
their line intact, and their hopes of winning were kept alive by scintillating
runs from wing forward Gerard Vallery which were only halted close to the home
score-line.
Colfians went ahead with an early second half penalty, but Port replied when
left-wing Lawrence Mendoza punted ahead and then won the race to touch down.
Fifteen minutes from the end PLA scrum half John Wyatt dummied to open up the
play, but instead broke round the blind side to dive over for a spectacular
try.
PLA: C. Sage, A. Owers, R. Holmes, L. Mendoza, M. Bottomley, J. Yareham, J.
Wyatt, J. Tierney, D. Platt, T. Rhys, T. Matthews, D. Griffin, G. Vallery, G.
Bishop and M. Bloomberg
|
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