SANDAL 25 – GATESHEAD 17
Following a defeat on their travels the previous week, Sandal returned to winning ways with a hard fought victory at home to Gateshead.
The visitors started brightly enough playing down the Milnthorpe Green slope, but Sandal had the first opportunity to score. A 40 metre penalty was awarded for a player coming in to a ruck from the side, but the visitors were not punished for their indiscretion. Sandal were disrupted before the game started with back row forward Sean Maguire injuring his hamstring in the morning warm up to be replaced by Danny Wild at No.8.
Sandal continued to pressure the visitors defence which finally broke following a slick passing move involving at least 5 Sandal players and the touch down being completed by centre Danny Mitchell. Debutant fly half Greg Wood slotted the conversion and was soon increasing the lead with a penalty when Gateshead infringed again. At 10 nil Sandal were in control of the game but slack home defence allowed the visiting second row forward Ian Carr to run in from 40 metres. The conversion was successfully made by Jonathan Foster and at 10 –7 it was game on.
This spurred Sandal on to play their best rugby of the game and an opening was created by centres Mitchell and Hall for left winger Simon Frewin who showed great determination to finish wide out. The conversion was missed but Sandal were 2 scores clear again. The next score and best try of the game also went to Sandal. Sandal turned over Gateshead possession on half way. Fly half Wood switched to the left where he was supported by first Rob Norbury and then Jon Dix who put hooker Sam Tee in for the score wide on the left. A try for the front row if ever there was one! Again the conversion was missed but at 20 points to 7 Sandal appeared to be cruising as half time arrived.
A sloppy restart by Sandal went in to touch on the full and from the resulting Gateshead scrum on half way the visitors attacked left and then right with visiting second row Carr finishing off the move for his second try of the game. Foster again converted to bring the score to 20 –14. A number of errors crept in to both sides play for part of the second half but Sandal then scored the final try of the game. Gateshead lost possession just outside their own 22 meter area and fly half Greg Wood showed great vision to throw a long miss pass to Simon Frewin who scored his second try of the game with an easy run to the corner. The conversion was again unsuccessful.
Gateshead hit back with a penalty from Foster to reduce the arrears but this proved to be the final score of the game. Sandal took the opportunity to give prop James Purcell his first team debut from the bench in the last 20 minutes and also took the opportunity to allow club captain Matt Hemingway his first taste of first team action this season following injury. Both did well in the time they had as did Greg Wood on his first taste of first team rugby.
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