SEDGLEY PARK...21

HARROGATE...17

A NEW season with high hopes of success and to start with a home win over Harrogate who finished third in the league in the last campaign.

The weather was fine but only for the first half so that Sedgley faced the rain in the second period.

The pitch was perfect and the play intense. Harrogate are a very big side and the difference between the packs was highlighted after half an hour when Paul Arnold had to be substituted due to an ankle injury.

His replacement was new boy Richard Oxley nearly a foot shorter but with a heart like a lion. The rejigged scrum continued to hold its own and won one against the lead.

The lead changed hands five times and no-one could deny that either team could have won, but the sheer determination of Sedgley was the difference.

Not everything went to plan as twenty points went begging from six missed penalties and one missed conversion, even though three goalkickers were tried.

On the credit side Chris Glynn on the left wing showed no ill effects of his cheek bone injury late in the last season.

Tim Fourie still demonstrated his boundless energy and leadership and Arne de Jager and Dave McCormack all their play-making abilities.

There were several debutants on show who all at some time or other had to make fearsome tackles without points to show for their efforts.

The new names were Mark Lloyd in the back row, soon joined by Richard Oxley after Arnold went off, Ryns Veckermann at out half and Ian Voortman in the centre.

As to the play, Sedgley immediately put the pressure on and after six minutes a five or six man move from the right to left wings, saw Veckermann pass to Chris Glynn to make the try which De Jager converted.

Harrogate scrum half Rhys Morgan sold a super dummy to make the break which led to winger Thornton replaying in kind, converted by Duncombe.

Next Harrogate's huge pack pushed a maul over the line for prop Hall to ground, 12-7 to the Yorkshire men.

De Jager then landed two penalties either side of half-time to take Park back in the lead 13-12, before Harrogate repeated the rallying maul move for Irven to score, but that was the end for the White Rose.

However, Sedgley would not be denied and it was Chris Glynn on the left wing who made the break, the ball progressed through five passes to Ross Bullough on the right wing to cross the line.

At 18-17 to Park and with more pressure on them, Harrogate conceded two more penalties one of which Chris Glynn converted.

Not a game for the faint-hearted on or off the field, but a tremendous win to start the season.

Tomorrow, Sedgley travel to Nuneaton, kick off 3pm. As Nuneaton have just been promoted they will be fired up but Sedgley should prevail.

Sedgley Park: De Jager, Bullough, Hassan, Voortman, Glynn, McCormack, Veckermann, Roberts, Keys, Thomas, Arnold (Oxley, 33), Stockdale, Lloyd, Yates, Fourie.