Bonus Point Win worth the Long Trip

Trowbridge bonus point win against relegation candidates Bletchley was well worth the long trip although it was a typical end of season clash on a windswept wet afternoon with accuracy at a premium both in terms of individual skills and team plays. Trowbridge were forced into making several changes to the original side Alan Chadwick, Dan Smith, and Matt Johnson were all unavailable being replaced by Scott Williams, Alistair Lund, and in at nine youngster James Carruthers.

Trowbridge got proceedings underway kicking off with a strong wind at their backs and it was not long before they were camped on the Bletchley line but unable to open the scoring due to making simple mistakes by losing the ball forward that eased the pressure on the home side allowing them to turn defence into attack taking play back into the Trowbridge half, but with some good tactical kicking from Lloyd Davis using the blustery conditions the visitors were soon back to put pressure on the home defence this time with the pack forcing lock Scott Williams over to score in the corner, Lloyd Davis was unable to add the extra’s in very difficult conditions (0 – 5). Not long after the restart youngster James Carruthers sustained a shoulder injury forcing the visitors into changing their line up Dave Finlay moving from centre to nine and Alistair Lund coming off the bench into the centre slot, even with the enforced changes the visitors still looked the stronger keeping play in the home half stretching the home defence until they forced an overlap allowing Matt Howard in to score out wide, this time Lloyd Davis added the conversion ending the first half nil – twelve (0 – 12).

The second half started with much of the same play with Trowbridge forcing the home side onto the back foot despite them having the blustery conditions in their favour, again the visitors stretched the home defence ending in a well taken try for winger James Macfarlane and a missed conversion from Lloyd Davis (0 – 17), Bletchley now started to use the conditions to much better advantage with long kicks out of defence pushing the visitors back into their twenty two and on the defensive, and by stealing the ball from a Trowbridge lineout forced their way over the visitors line to score their only points, the conversion was missed making the score five – seventeen (5 – 17), now into the last quarter of the game and again the visitors forced the home side back in defence, the visitors now looking to gain a bonus point from a fourth try were not to be disappointed with possibly the best team play of the game with forwards and backs working together to send Adam Sullivan in to score under the posts making an easier conversion for Lloyd Davis to end the game five – twenty four (5 – 24).