Eastern Counties Rugby Union
RFU National Under-20 Championship
Eastern Counties 36 Kent 25
over 9 years ago | Lisa Greetham
Our thanks to Ken Watkins for the report
Counties got the start they wanted to this national competition, winning their opening group game in style against a determined Kent at Bury St Edmunds on Sunday.
A first-half try from Alex Gray, playing on home turf, and four successful kicks from Robert Smith (Nottingham University) gave Counties a 16-10 interval lead.
Tries from Cambridge pair Olly Veni and Jack Wade, and ten points from replacement Scott Lyall (Bury St Edmunds), stretched the lead to 36-20 five minutes from time, with Kent’s third try too late to make a difference.
After a sluggish start, with Counties going behind to a 10th minute penalty from Frank Reynolds, the home side dominated much of the rest of the half, with good work from their front five the platform.
Smith kicked the first of his three penalties in the 19th minute to level the score, and then converted Gray’s 27th minute try, which resulted from a spell of sustained pressure on the Kent line.
Penalties in the 33rd and 38th minute made it 16-3 before Kent took advantage of a yellow card for Will Hudson (Bury St Edmunds) with Ben Dixon scoring in the corner from a lineout, Reynolds converting.
Counties started the second half slowly, Kent regaining the lead in the 55th minute through George Baker, Reynolds again adding the extras.
But penalties from Lyall in the 57th and 59th minutes, plus a pick up and go try from Venni in the 62nd which Lyall converted, put Counties firmly back in charge at 29-17. And, in contrast to the scrappy first half, they began to play some flowing rugby.
Reynolds reduced the arrears with a 69th minute penalty, but Counties kept the pressure on. Wade went over in the corner in the 75th minute, Lyall producing a superb kick to stretch the lead to 36-20.
Counties then briefly eased up, Kent taking advantage to send Courtney Horey over in the corner two minutes later. But Counties then comfortably ran down the clock.
Eastern Counties under-20s: Oliver Pescott-Frost (Bedford Blues), Luke Reinman (Bury St Edmunds), Luc Jeannot (Cambridge), Jack Ward (Cambridge), Will Hudson (Bury St Edmunds), Alex Grey (Bury St Edmunds), Ollie Walker (Cambridge), Tuidriua Uri (Ipswich YM), Ollie Vennie (Cambridge), Robert Smith (Nottingham Uni), Matthew Branfield (Bury St Edmunds), Patrick Lawton (Diss), Ben Murphy (Colchester), Jaid Wiltshire (Colchester), Aaron Forrest (Bury St Edmunds).
Replacements: Aubrey Grimes (Bedford Blues), Sam Lindsay (Easton College), Lewis Bunn (Norwich), Steven Douglas (Shelford), Scott Lyall (Bury St Edmunds), Ivan Karsten (Shelford).
Counties got the start they wanted to this national competition, winning their opening group game in style against a determined Kent at Bury St Edmunds on Sunday.
A first-half try from Alex Gray, playing on home turf, and four successful kicks from Robert Smith (Nottingham University) gave Counties a 16-10 interval lead.
Tries from Cambridge pair Olly Veni and Jack Wade, and ten points from replacement Scott Lyall (Bury St Edmunds), stretched the lead to 36-20 five minutes from time, with Kent’s third try too late to make a difference.
After a sluggish start, with Counties going behind to a 10th minute penalty from Frank Reynolds, the home side dominated much of the rest of the half, with good work from their front five the platform.
Smith kicked the first of his three penalties in the 19th minute to level the score, and then converted Gray’s 27th minute try, which resulted from a spell of sustained pressure on the Kent line.
Penalties in the 33rd and 38th minute made it 16-3 before Kent took advantage of a yellow card for Will Hudson (Bury St Edmunds) with Ben Dixon scoring in the corner from a lineout, Reynolds converting.
Counties started the second half slowly, Kent regaining the lead in the 55th minute through George Baker, Reynolds again adding the extras.
But penalties from Lyall in the 57th and 59th minutes, plus a pick up and go try from Venni in the 62nd which Lyall converted, put Counties firmly back in charge at 29-17. And, in contrast to the scrappy first half, they began to play some flowing rugby.
Reynolds reduced the arrears with a 69th minute penalty, but Counties kept the pressure on. Wade went over in the corner in the 75th minute, Lyall producing a superb kick to stretch the lead to 36-20.
Counties then briefly eased up, Kent taking advantage to send Courtney Horey over in the corner two minutes later. But Counties then comfortably ran down the clock.
Eastern Counties under-20s: Oliver Pescott-Frost (Bedford Blues), Luke Reinman (Bury St Edmunds), Luc Jeannot (Cambridge), Jack Ward (Cambridge), Will Hudson (Bury St Edmunds), Alex Grey (Bury St Edmunds), Ollie Walker (Cambridge), Tuidriua Uri (Ipswich YM), Ollie Vennie (Cambridge), Robert Smith (Nottingham Uni), Matthew Branfield (Bury St Edmunds), Patrick Lawton (Diss), Ben Murphy (Colchester), Jaid Wiltshire (Colchester), Aaron Forrest (Bury St Edmunds).
Replacements: Aubrey Grimes (Bedford Blues), Sam Lindsay (Easton College), Lewis Bunn (Norwich), Steven Douglas (Shelford), Scott Lyall (Bury St Edmunds), Ivan Karsten (Shelford).
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