All for nothing

SEDGLEY will wonder for many a long day how they managed to lose this one.

The pack dominated the scrums, possession was plentiful, territorial advantage almost total - but all the team had to show for 80 minutes effort was a late, too late, converted try.

The game began scrappily, as it was to continue, with spilled passes and a spate of penalties.

After eight minutes the home side took the lead, a simple kick for full-back Ian Morgan.

But Sedgley came back well, getting a drive on through the pack to create a similar chance for Colin Stephens but, astonishingly, the hero of recent matches was off target.

He missed again, narrowly, a well struck kick from long range, before his teammates squandered the first of many try scoring chances.

Paul Arnold caught the line-out throw and the try-line beckoned, but the over elaborate move that followed was clearly obstruction.

Sedgley were beginning to pick up the pace with strong running from Arnold and Richard Senior and the occasional thrust from Rob Moon out wide. Newbury defended well and would do so to the end.

The usually immaculate Stephens missed twice more before half time and Sedgley, training 0-3, were already beginning to show signs of frustration.

Three minutes into the second half Newbury increased their lead. A kick ahead looked harmless enough until a late tackle gave the home side a penalty where the ball landed and, once again, Morgan stroked the kick over with ease.

It seemed only a matter of time before Sedgley scored. They enjoyed a huge advantage in the scrums with Huw Thomas again making an impact.

The line-out was less impressive but Newbury were little better and play was confined almost completely to their half, and much of it to the 22.

Patience was needed, and a bit of confidence but Sedgley began to lose the plot. The simplest of penalty chances was ignored in favour of a kick to the corner, a chancy tactic in view of Sedgley's line out problems; as it turned out they didn't even get the line-out, the penalty kick going dead in goal.

Two more penalties were kicked at goal with Rob Moon taking over the place kicking but with the same result as earlier.

So it was that after defending desperately for 15 minutes, Newbury broke out with one long kick. A bit of foul play, spotted by the touch judge, and Morgan made it 0-9 - it was beginning to dawn that this might not be one of Sedgley's days for all their dominance of play.

Scrum half Dave McCormack had been introduced at half time to inject some much needed pace and he had begun impressively, almost getting into the clear a couple of times.

But with the line at his mercy he dropped the ball.

Worse was to follow, Sedgley's scrum had been so much in charge, but the ball was lost against the head at an attacking five metre scrum. A few minutes later wint Mike Wilcock was tackled just short of the line.

By the time Senior scored, with Stephens converting, it was too late. Newbury had tackled heroically, Morgan had been flawless with the boot, but they hardly contributed an attacking moment apart from a few strong runs by number eight Craig Davies; wing Kieron McCormick had looked a possible threat if he had had some ball to work with.

SEDGLEY PARK: Moon, Wilcock, Hassan, O'Hare, Morris, Stephens, Smith (McCormack), Alcock (Latham), Treco, Thomas, Arnold, Rees (Stockdale), Senior, Yates, Fourie.

Sedgley have an immediate chance to make amends when Newbury visit Park Lane tomorrow.