Rugby Union: Simply the best!

SEDGLEY Park thrilled their supporters with this brilliant display of fifteen man rugby during which six tries were scored against a muscular and well-drilled Whitchurch.

Sedgley knew they had to hold the heavyweight Whitchurch pack and with the front row of Young, Byford and Davis doing well, the scrums never posed a problem, but the driving maul from the line-out, very much Whitchurch's speciality, proved difficult to counter.

The line-out, however, proved Sedgley's most profitable source of possession and with Radacanu and Kimmins providing quick ball for the backs, Sedgley repeatedly cut holes through the centre where Cohen and O'Hare had a field day.

The first try, after only four minutes, came from this source, Duncan's short pass putting Cohen through a gap and after a swiftly won ruck, prop Young scored.

Ten minutes later, from another line-out, Sedgley's midfield backs worked a bewilderingly complex move - no action replay, sadly - and left wing Kinsey scored from a break by full-back Wilcock.

Moments later, this time from a scrum, Cohen once again made the hole and the try was made for captain Radacanu by good work from flanker Jarrold and the rest of the supporting pack. All three tries having been improved by the excellent Moon, Sedgley led 21-0 and only 17 minutes had passed.

But teams like Whitchurch never lie down and die, and the Shropshire lads were to dominate play up to the interval and beyond.

Sloppy Sedgley marking was at fault for the visitors' first try, left wing Macgillivray benefiting from a huge gap as Sedgley failed to fill in on the narrow side.

Moon kicked a penalty for Sedgley following a good run in broken play by right wing Fenn but then Whitchurch camped ou;on Sedgley's line for five long minutes.

Heroic defensive efforts by the Sedgley pack seemed to have lifted the siege but a handling error gave Whitchurch a second chance.

One 'try' was disallowed but there was no doubting the legality of flanker Appleby's touchdown from a line-out catch and drive and Sedgley led 24-10 at half-time.

Down a slope, but facing a strongly gusting wind, Sedgley knew the game was far from won and early pressure from Whitchurch seemed to suggest a desperately close result but after surviving those first ten minutes Sedgley were to blow their opponents away with the sort of rugby teams dream of playing.

Moon kicked a penalty following another strong run by Fenn and then O'Hare went over, picking up a loose ball brilliantly after Moon, Cohen and Fenn had combined down the right.

Another Moon penalty made the game safe at 35-10 but some of the best was still to come.

An all-enveloping tackle by the excellent Jarrold provided the possession for Fenn a young man growing in confidence with every touch of the ball, and the teenage winger left a trail of defenders grasping at thin air as he raced into the corner.

More good handling by the backs, with scrum-half Smith doing wel to keep a faltering move alive, was the prelude to the final try, in the same corner, with Cohen the provider and lock Kimmins the scorer.

The news that New Brighton had lost and that Sedgley Park were top fo the second was the final layer of icing on the cake.

Tomorow the team travels to Abbeydale Park, Sheffield, kick-off 2pm. Same again lads, please!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.