Silhillians 7-3 Newbold on Avon

Unable to play since mid-December, it was inevitable that both sides would be rusty in the first outing of the New Year. So it proved, though each team showed some impressive phases of play in a free-flowing game that was there for the taking right up until the final whistle.

The Sils started the better of the two teams, setting up camp in Newbold’s half and making good use of the driving maul. A break by Dave Grey after ten minutes put the Sils backs behind the Newbold defence, with winger Nic Powell dragged down just metres from the line.

The only try of the game came shortly after. A midfield scrum allowed number eight Peter Nicholls to peel away and feed fullback Jim Roper. An inside pass to brother Alex gave the Sils open-side the opportunity to show the covering defence a clear pair of heels, finishing under the posts from thirty metres out. 7-0 to the home side.

Newbold had several opportunities to potentially level the scores, a succession of overlaps giving the Sils faithful cause for concern on the touchline. Good covering defence, however, snuffed out any chance of levelling before half-time, with the visitors limited to a solitary penalty in front of the posts. 7-3 at the break.

A scoreless second half saw both teams looking to put the game to bed, with the resulting stalemate evidence, perhaps, that each side’s legs were proving more tired than usual. As the game descended into a war of attrition, with defensive play very much having the upper hand, some fine individual performances were to ultimately prove the difference between the two sides - Sils man-of-the-match Laurence White, in particular, standing out. Final score 7-3 to the home team and two league points in the bag.