Golden performance as Colts register 50 unanswered points
HINCKLEY Colts maintained their unbeaten run of the season with a crushing victory away at Old Coventrians (OC), in a spell-binding but somewhat ill-tempered friendly, scoring eight unanswered tries on a warm Halloween-eve afternoon.
Despite a fairly depleted squad and with some players playing out of their normal positions, Hinckley dominated the game after the first quarter, when OCs’ resistance finally waned.
Hinckley kicked off and found themselves defending a series of early OC attacks, but the black and ambers’ defence held firm as Toon, Beck, Kew and Wilson put in bonecrunching tackles. Hinckley eventually turned over the ball and their initial try came from the first scrum of the game, as number eight Wilson crept from the base of the set-piece with Carey in support, whose superbly weighted pass found Beck on the right wing who screamed over in the corner. Kennerson added the extras with a candy-sweet struck conversion from the touchline to give Hinckley a 7-0 lead.
OCs’ tails were up as the game recommenced and the subsequent 10 minute spell was relatively evenly matched, Hinckley attacking through fiendish breaks by A.Whittingham, Wainde, Toon, Duggins, Fountaine, Kew and Wilson. OC retaliated but were struggling to gain any real territorial advantage as spine-chilling tackles by Fountaine, Miller, Connolly, Bosworth and Toon curtailed the threat and Kennerson’s booming downfield kicks pinned them in their own half.
Hinckley regained possession and promptly scored their second try, Toon and Wilson making menacing breaks and a ghoulish steal by Bosworth set up Fountaine who spirited down the left wing to touch down under the sticks. Kennerson split the uprights, extending Hinckley’s lead to 14.
Hinckley maintained their defensive discipline and then their pack set-up a fantastic driving maul from the resulting line-out from which Buckler appeared from nowhere, tricking the opposition to ghost over unchallenged in the corner for a treat of a try, taking the score to 19-0.
Hinckley scored their fourth try just before the interval, Miller with a devilish tackle and steal followed by strong runs from Bosworth, Fountaine, Kew, Connolly, A. Whittingham and Bradshaw taking the visitors into OCs’ 22. The ball was superbly recycled and popped to Bosworth who scampered over the whitewash. Kennerson’s neatly struck conversion increased Hinckley’s advantage to 26-0 at half-time.
Hinckley brought on all their two replacements for the second period and continued the onslaught, Barnes catching the ball from the kick-off to set up Kew who went on a wicked run downfield, taking half the OC team with him. Beck was in support to take Hinckley into OCs’ 22 before the ball was quickly recycled and popped to Bosworth in midfield to carve through for try number five. Kennerson made the score 33-0 with another conversion.
Tempers in the Coventry cauldron finally boiled over as the game recommenced, sparked by a high tackle on Barnes. A fracas soon ensued, involving most of the players from both sides, including the OC replacements.
The game was temporarily suspended and, following a stern discussion with the captains and coaches, a player from each side was sent off.
The match finally re-commenced and a dominant Hinckley side ran in another three unanswered tries to make it 38-0.
Miller galloped in for Hinckley’s penultimate try shortly afterwards and then ran in their eighth and final try, Drakeford burrowing over from a driving maul 5m out. Bosworth notched up the half-century with a superb conversion and the referee decided that OC had received enough punishment for the afternoon and ended the game slightly prematurely at 50-0.