Hornets fight back to win after sluggish start
ON PAPER the result looks like a relatively comfortable victory for the Hornets but when the action started, Reds were ahead in less than a minute.
Hinckley’s kick-off was collected, fed left, and winger Sam Rees, who was a handful all afternoon, was able to slice through a groggy Hornets’ defence for the try. Ash Groves converted and Hinckley were seven points down before many of the crowd had emerged from the clubhouse.
Seven became ten a few minutes later when Groves punished the Leicester Road men with a penalty from the 10m line and for much of the first quarter, Hornets were looking distinctly second-best.
There was almost half an hour gone before Hornets registered their first score after Joe Wilson had set up a penalty line-out 15m from the Reds’ line. Harry Bower took the catch at the back of the line, the pack drove to within a couple of metres, and Ben Pointon was able to snipe the try from close range.
Reds though soon extended their lead. With Hornets under pressure in their own 22m, a knock-on by Hinckley gave Reds a scrum 5m from the line. The ball was released quickly from the back of the scrum and, with the Hornets defence stretched, was touched down under the posts to present Groves with the simplest of conversions and a 17-5 lead as half-time approached.
There was time though for Hornets to peg one back. Reds were forced into a goal-line drop-out after Hornets were held up on their line.
From the drop-out, Hornets ran the ball back into the Reds’ 22m and won a penalty for not rolling away. Wilson set up the line-out 5m out, the pack almost made the line but it was Calum Dacey on the wing who eventually rounded the Reds defence for the score. Wilson hit the post with the conversion but Hornets were at least able to go in at halftime just one score down.
On the return, Hornets began to assert themselves. Ramshaw was held up over the line, and then, on 51 minutes, Hornets pushed the Red’s pack off their own scrum ball on halfway. Pointon made the break and Archie Heard was on hand to finish the move. Heard though couldn’t make the conversion, but Hornets were within two.
Reds made that 5 from a penalty 25m in front of the Hinckley posts but found themselves under pressure from the restart and a lovely break from Mitch Lamb on the Reds 10m line was fed to Shae Nixon to carry over for the score and the bonus point. When Heard converted, Hornets were in front for the first time.
Shortly afterwards, Heard suffered his injury and after a lengthy delay the game was transferred to the alternative pitch for the final quarter.
Perhaps fuelled by the emotion of the situation, Hornets took control. From a ruck 30m from the Reds’ line, Pointon fed Lamb, who majestically broke the defensive line and ran in for the try. Wilson converted to give the Hornets a 29-20 lead with fifteen to go.
With the Hinckley pack now pushing the Reds eight off the ball almost at will, Hornets turned the screw. Wilson opted to kick a penalty from 30m to extend the lead and repeated the act from a similar distance five minutes later with time virtually up. Hornets ended the game well on top. It was quite a turnaround from the first quarter.