Silhillians 10 – 20 Barkers Butts

Saturday afternoon saw the Sils lose a closely-fought encounter with local rivals Barkers’ Butts.

Having beaten the visitors earlier in the year at the Bob Coward Memorial Ground, hopes were high that the Sils could secure the double on their way to a successful conclusion to this roller-coaster league season.

Ten minutes in and it appeared on the cards, with the faithful on the touchline witness to another strong start as the Sils arrived buzzing onto the pitch, determined to make their mark on this game.

Some intelligent decision-making off the back of good incisive running soon put the home side over in the corner for the first score of the game. Good tempo to the phase play and some determined line-breaking runs were all apparent in the run up to the try, with the superb interaction between backs and forwards being something, in particular, that boded well for the rest of the match.

The Sils continued to apply the pressure, and spent much of the first quarter of the game camped in the Barkers’ twenty-two. The pack made excellent use of the rolling maul and came close to going over with one huge effort, before being blown up for an unfortunate technical infringement. Unperturbed, the home side pushed on, though Barkers were to soon spring the trap as the ball went agonisingly loose from a Sils hand. A fine break and offload by the visiting winger territory saw the stunned home side concede from a move started deep within the opposition territory. 5-5 apiece.

The Sils quickly replied with a well-worked score of their own, the backline scything through a retreating Barkers’ defence following good phase-ball from the forwards. Full-back Dave Grey, tearing away for the line, cut inside to avoid the covering tackle of former Silhillian Chris Cove only to have the ball knocked out of his hands by a flailing arm. As the ball bounced backwards, winger Pablo Hollier was on hand to scoop it up under the watchful eyes of the scrambling defence and dot down for the try. 10-5 to the home side.

The scoreboard was to remain unchanged for the remainder of the half, though not without a huge rearguard action from the Sils. As the Barkers’ pack desperately tried to burrow over before the whistle, some excellent defence ensured the home team made it to half time with their noses ahead. The highlight of the period had to be the forty-metre break by the Sils’ very own Shane Williams, second-row Jimmer Hibbard, whose vicious side-step meant the sound of ankles breaking must surely have been heard back in Somerset.

In spite of the promise shown in the first half performance the second forty minutes was to ultimately prove a huge disappoint to all involved as the visitors crossed for fifteen unanswered points. The first score, a pushover effort, came soon after a similar attack by the Sils had been deemed to have been held up. The second saw the Barkers’ thirteen win a footrace following a well-judged (if lucky bouncing) chip behind the onrushing defence. The Sils were left rueing their bad luck, but perhaps more so the fact that opportunities aplenty had presented themselves in this game to secure the win. Once again, the commitment shown could not be faulted, and it was perhaps in the error count that the answers could be found as to why the team were on the wrong end of the result – something to rectify in the next game.