Crows Vs Tadley II

Recap

The Crows returned to the Nest on the 10^th of October for yet another unseasonably sunny October day. 

This match went ahead in very unusual circumstances but everyone at Crowthorne had huge admiration for Tadley 2’s for doing everything they could to ensure a game of rugby went ahead. To add context, this weekend was not originally a scheduled league weekend. However, due to the season being delayed by the Summer drought, there was now a full list of fixtures. This had a huge impact on teams all over the Country, with many games not going ahead. The Crows themselves had several players unavailable, having made other plans when the original calendar came out. Tadley 2’s only had 12 players available, but a match was able to go ahead under the RFU game on rules. This meant a 12 aside game (6 forwards and 6 backs), with uncontested scrums. Crucially, by playing the match, Tadley avoided a minus 5 points deduction, which is a welcome change to the rules that in the past would have meant a points deduction regardless of whether a game went ahead.

In the home team line up, there was a welcome return for the Crowthorne Express, Josh Breare, having recently returned from a holiday in New Zealand. Also in the backs, Kieran Alexander returned, as well as pint sized utility back, Henry Wareing. In the pack, skipper Sam Turner returned to lead the troops, back row, George Castle was back after an appointment with the tooth fairy and there was a club debut for hooker George Evans. Finally, there was a club debut from the bench for young winger, Thomas Costello.

Given the reduced numbers, the Crows decided to play on their smaller training pitch, a short walk from the changing rooms. The game started at frantic pace and the Crows were able to keep the ball well and scored several first half tries. Special mention to Wareing, as he put his hand up to play the first half in his break from work, before heading back for the evening shift. In that time, he managed to score a hatrick, mostly from the wing but also filled in at 10 and successfully slotted a conversion. Quite a cameo! 

A difficult first half for Tadley was made worse when their young 10 was unfortunately sent off for an ill-timed tackle. Perhaps the highlight of the first half was a perfectly timed 20 metre left hand spin pass from Turner to feed Breare for a try in the corner.

After a few half time changes, the 2^nd half continued in similar vein. The line out was much improved this week, with Evans frequently hitting Stock to provide good ball for MacKenzie at scrum half. There were 2 key highlights of the 2^nd half. One was try from a kick off, where there must have been 20 passes as the ball was shipped left, then right, ultimately leading to a try. Fantastic hands! Secondly, an individual effort from Josh Breare, where a sharp break was finished with a lovely chip and regather to score, before slotting the conversion.

In terms of who scored on the day, there were 2 for local dating expert Taff, 3 for Wareing, 1 for Castle, 1 for Derlacki, 2 for Alexander and 2 for Breare. An odd match but all in attendance were delighted that a game went ahead and it was a useful run out for both sides. Best of luck to Tadley for the rest of the season and we look forward to visiting Frank Jose Park on the final day of the season in April.

For the Crows, another home game awaits, as we welcome Thatcham to the Nest this weekend. In team news ahead of that one, supporters can expect the return of Ollie Penn, Dan Nicholson, Nick Collis, James Horton, John Holden and Declan Ellis to bolster the team further. Up the Crows!