Herts/Middlesex 1 18th October 2014

Cheshunt players and spectators were left scratching their heads on how they managed to leave Feltham without at least a victory and probably should have gone on to claim a try bonus point, with all the possession and territory they enjoyed. On an open exposed pitch, with the stiff breeze blowing directly from touchline to touchline, Cheshunt got off to a great start, from the kick off they attacked, initially the forwards drove up to halfway, then centre Scott Cummines took the ball deep into the Feltham half. C’s mounted several attacks in and around the 22 and the home side were unable to get out of their half. Cummines continued to cause panic in the Feltham defence and when the home side turned the ball over 30 yards out, quick ball was taken forward by the centre, he offloaded to Tom Claridge who found Jordan Wade in support and he sprinted to the line for an early 0-5 lead after 11 minutes. From the re-start the visitors came again, Lewis Daymon, Jack Gutteridge and Richard Valentine all combined well in a move that nearly got prop Ollie Martines over the line, but they couldn’t keep the ruck area free of Feltham defenders and were penalised for holding on. They repeated the offence at the next ruck and Feltham were finally able to clear their lines. The home side were keen to show their attacking potential and always looked dangerous on the scraps of ball they were getting, halfway through the first period, they were only stopped in the corner by a desperate tackle by Dave Lever, the referee deemed it to be a little high and Lever spent 10 minutes in the bin. They continued to thrive on Cheshunt errors and soon nicked the ball from the back of a Cheshunt ruck, the ball was spun wide and the right winger should have scored but failed to ground the ball. Cheshunt then conceded an unnecessary penalty to keep Feltham in the danger zone and they soon capitalised, crossing the line and levelling after 34 minutes. The home side were then given another opportunity which they grabbed with both hands, Cheshunt had worked into another promising position with an attacking scrum just 20 metres out, however again at the breakdown they were penalised for holding on and Feltham took a quick tap and countered, they were soon through the Cheshunt defence and doubled their score. The visitors wasted chances to get back on the scoreboard before the break, with a series of five yard scrums, in which they were completely dominant, it seemed only a matter of time before they could get over the line, penalty was followed by scrum, followed by another penalty and another scrum until they managed to lose the ball, Feltham were quick to get the ball into touch which signalled the half time whistle. Cheshunt continued to dominate in the second half and for the first 15 minutes after the break they remained in the Feltham 22, lots of scrums, many attacking lineouts, but were still unable to get over the line. Feltham finally won some ball and then enjoyed their best period of the match, always dangerous with ball in hand and only an excellent Declan Walker tackle stopped the home side from going further ahead. Feltham received their first yellow card when the centre wouldn’t allow Cheshunt to take a quick tap, but they remained in the Cheshunt half until 9 minutes later they received a second yellow when the hooker was binned for punching. The visitors sensed a chance to finally get over the line again and a frantic last few minutes saw the play go from end to end. The green and whites were again camped in the Feltham 22, more scrums and driving mauls were only penalised with more penalties and when the ball was fed to the backs, they ignored an obvious overlap, with Lever screaming for the ball only a couple of yards out. Cheshunt re-cycled but a poor pass 10 yards out went to ground, Feltham instantly fly hacked down the pitch and with a couple of kicks they were in the Cheshunt 22, fullback Valentine was on hand to secure the loose ball and an over eager Feltham attack was penalised for not releasing the tackled player. Cheshunt quickly countered, the penalty was fed along the line and finally the ball was given to Lever in some space, he raced to halfway, as the cover came across he punted down field. The ball stopped just short of the try line and in the scramble to pick it up, the referee awarded the scrum and last play to Feltham. In a repeat of the end of the first half, the home side managed to secure the ball, on their own line and get it into touch to end the game. A clear opportunity missed, to record a victory on the road and Cheshunt will know they must start to convert more of the chances they are creating if they are to remain in the top half of the league.
Short, Wade, Martines, Hounslow, Mason, Clark, Henderson, Angell, Daymon, Claridge, Amani, Cummines, Lever, Gutteridge, Valentine. Replacements – Hussey, Willcocks, Walker