Sat 11 Mar 2023
Bridgnorth welcomed Syston to the Edgar Davies Ground with the visitors occupying second place in the table and the home side in fourth. After the snow of the previous two days, Bridgnorth were relieved to play the game even if the forecast was for a wet and windy afternoon. The inclement weather perhaps a portent of the ill-tempered game that was to be played out.
Bridgnorth started the game well, good ball retention followed by tactical kicking was what was needed in the conditions. Two penalties for Syston were followed by a penalty to Bridgnorth at the first scrum before the first try of the game. Continued phases by Bridgnorth included the ball being spread to both wings, this pressure drew a penalty for the home side which was kicked to the corner for the five-metre lineout. A series of pick and drives were rounded off by captain Jonah Boyce for the try, Elliot Murphy kicked the conversion.
Syston responded well and their lineout was functioning well. In contrast, the Bridgnorth lineout was failing to fire with lineout captain Connor Nicholls on the substitutes bench. A kick through by the away side was not dealt with by Bridgnorth and the home side was penalised for holding on. Back chat to the referee added another ten metres and Syston kicked the ball for a five-metre lineout. A series of attacks enabled their right winger to squeeze in at the corner for an unconverted try.
The home side’s lineout continued to misfire which meant Bridgnorth could not exert the required pressure onto the game, despite the tireless carrying by the back row of Cal Bradbury, Luis Evitts and Loti Molitika. An ambitious penalty kick by Murphy had the distance but went wide of the posts. A series of penalties to the away side allowed them to move up the field and another penalty gave them a five metre lineout. A skilful rolling maul set Syston up for another drive and with their “one, two, one, two” rhythm, the ball was grounded for a converted try to the away side.
Bridgnorth restarted but unfortunately kicked the ball straight out rather than trying to pin the away side back into their half. The customary exceptional Bridgnorth defence kept them in the game and after two scrum penalties the home side went on the hunt for their next try at the end of the first half. However, not for the first time the away side’s defensive line was well up into the faces of the home side and the ball was knocked on. The half time whistle blew with the score 7-12.
Bridgnorth made a good start to the second half, Will Bishop made a great break in the centres and offloaded the ball to his centre partner James Barham who unfortunately couldn’t hold on to the pass. Nicholls came on for Evitts and the bruising encounter continued. After another bout of handbags by both sides the referee gave both captains a stern talking to. Bridgnorth were keen to attack but the conditions and the opposition's rush defence meant passes were forced and the ball knocked on several times.
Bridgnorth stuck to their task however and the pack, with prop George Newman and second row Tom Foster to the fore carried the attack to Syston. A penalty was kicked to the corner for a five metre lineout to the home side in front of their support. A committed drive was illegally stopped by Syston and the referee awarded Bridgnorth a penalty try. Bridgnorth gathered the restart and an excellent punt by Murphy gave them the ‘good exit’ that was needed.
The home side’s lineout improved and perhaps as the away side’s frustration grew another major scuffle broke out. This was dealt with by the referee but the second half developed into an attritional battle with verbal and physical jousting between the sides. The power of the home side’s forwards carried the day for Bridgnorth and when the ball was kicked into the touch for the end of the game, both sides knew they had taken part in one of the most physical encounters seen at the EDG for a long time.
The home side left the field battered but unbowed, the pride in the 14-12 victory evident in their faces. The Bridgnorth ‘Band of Brothers’ had defended Fortress EDG once again. They will now face perhaps the biggest challenge of the season to their 100% home record as local rivals and table toppers Dudley Kingswinford come to Bridgnorth next week for the last home league game of the season. A cracker of a game awaits.
Match photos taken by Dave Cooper - BRFC Facebook page. Click Here!
Match photos taken by Robert Nicholls - BRFC Facebook page. Click Here!
