Loughborough RFC are edged out by Dronfield

DRONFIELD 23 LOUGHBOROUGH 16 LOUGHBOROUGH kicked off down the slope to start the game and looked to make an immediate impact in the game, putting together a string of useful and purposeful phases which failed to reap any reward.

And from a lineout, Boro were penaalised and Dronfield opened the scoring with a 40m penalty to make it 3-0.

Following the restart, Loughborough again built some strong pressure in the Dronfield 22m. Powerful carries from centers Aaron Brown and Simon Taylor kept Loughborough on the march forward.

It was debutant center Simon Taylor who scored the first try of the match, a pick and go a metre from the line gave him the chance to bully his way over the line. The try was converted by Greg Biddle to give Boro a 7-3 lead.

Dronfield managed a short but effective attack following the restart, but fizzled out thanks to solid defence from Leon Fifield on his debut.

Loughborough were in the ascendancy, but a chip over the top saw the Loughborough defence caught isolated at the back and concede a penalty which Dronfield put into the corner.

From the lineout a handling error in the midfield gave Loughborough a scrum under the posts, unfortunately a slip in the back line gave the oncoming Dronfield players the opportunity to dive on the loose ball to score and the conversion gave the home side a 10-7 lead.

From the restart Loughborough didn’t let the pressure drop, gaining a penalty as a reward for their hard work up front. Greg Biddle stepped up to hammer it home to make it 10-10.

Loughborough made hard work of dealing with the restart, with a lineout being forced deep in the Loughborough 22m. A crooked throw gave the Loughborough pack the chance to put things right. Tireless work in the front row by Stephen Duffus, Jez Thewlis and Lee Gunton had the Dronfield pack march- ing backwards again, earning a Loughborough penalty in the process.

Once again Loughborough let Dronfield off the hook, with a knock-on and then a high tackle giving the Dronfield kicker another long range shot at goal, which he nailed to make it 13-10.

But a Greg Biddle penalty just before the break ensure the scores were level at the interval.

From the restart Boro were again guilty of making life difficult, a loose pass knocked on within the 22m gave Dronfield a scrum to attack from.

The Loughborough pack had other ideas, and drove them off the ball on two occasions before the referee awarded Dronfield a penalty which they converted to regain the lead at 16-13.

For the next 10 minutes Loughborough had the lion’s share of the possession, most notably a powerful break from Waylen Bradley coming undone with a misdirected offload.

Another penalty around Loughborough’s 10m line gave Dronfield another shot at goal and a yellow card for Loughborough’s Gary Bottomley but fortunately for Loughborough the kick was missed.

The ball fell to Jacob Abraham who set off on a mazy run upfield. A kick ahead put the Dronfield fullback under pressure to clear, handing Loughborough a lineout inside the Dronfield half. A penalty at the scrum after some good Loughborough play gave Greg Biddle another shot at goal, which he gladly took to level the scores again at 16-16.

Dronfield then had a 5m scrum in front on the posts. An uncharacteristic steady scrum for the home side gave their number 8 a relatively clear route to the line for a converted try to make it 23-16 and Boro were unable to find their way through the Dronfield defence to get back level.

After the game Captain Jamie Grice said: “We are obviously disappointed to not get the full haul of points, we felt we dominated the vast majority of the game. But to get a point on the road is still a positive.”