Windsor U15s v Phoenix
23rd January 2005by Dr FT Bosh (with Messrs Clive Lewis and Peter Eccles)
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This fixture was arranged with just a few days notice and gave a Windsor side, missing 10 players on County duty (possibly a club record), a chance to see how much strength they have in this year's extended squad. The players demonstrated that they have developed enormously as a unit, by convincingly beating an improved and spirited Phoenix side by 48 points to nil.
In recent matches too little cohesion in the forwards and too much greed in the backs had begun to cost the home side points and matches against weaker opposition. There was none of that in this performance. The forwards played superbly, taking control of the set pieces and driving Phoenix off the ball in the loose. This set up great quality ball for the backs. Fly half Jonny Whitehead and “Man of the Match” inside centre Andrew Pedder orchestrated things superbly, both enjoying the opportunity to run at the opposition.
Phoenix kicked off and Windsor were instantly looking to put players into space, they quickly had Phoenix on the back foot with a combination of spinning the ball wide and punching into the gaps this created. Flanker Lewis Woolman was first over for Windsor when he broke from a maul and crashed over for an unconverted try.
Phoenix came back at Windsor and looked organised and committed in the pack. Baldeep Sahota, Windsor’s mighty second row, was very strong in his first game back from injury and took the Phoenix forwards on. Supported by prop Shiv Khara and Flanker Jamie Fleming the initial Phoenix attacks were broken up and the ball returned to the Windsor three quarters. Pedder picked the ball up in his own half and jinked to the outside, running half the length of the pitch in the wing channel, he scored Windsor’s second.
Soon after the restart Whitehead stepped inside his man and sprinted for the Phoenix try line. Tackled well in the Phoenix 22, a supporting Sahota took the offload and went in for a richly deserved try.
Pedder continued to be a thorn in the side of the Phoenix backs when he broke through their line again, this time to make a score for the hard working Jamie Fleming.
Phoenix spirits were lifted when Windsor knocked on from the re-start, but were dashed when a harrying Tom Bates at scrum half tied up his opposite number and delivered him to the Windsor pack. The ball was retrieved and re-cycled and Whitehead broke up the blind side. The Phoenix defence was caught in no man’s land and the elusive Windsor fly half won the footrace to the Phoenix end of the pitch and then converted his own score, to close the half down.
In the second half, Windsor made five changes, including the long-awaited return of Sam Turner, their flying wing who has had a torrid time with injuries. This was just the sort of game for his comeback; beautiful sunshine, a firm pitch and lots of quality possession. Turner was quickly brought into the game, leaving the opposition clutching air as he sprinted half the length of the pitch to score a try converted by Whitehead. The spectators were delighted to see him back and so were his team mates. A few minutes later he was at it again. This time he had to work a little harder with a step off his right foot and an impressive piece of acceleration to take him clear and in for his second, again converted by Whitehead.
Windsor were by now dominating the game and a series of attacking runs from the three quarters, ably recycled by a mobile pack, led to Whitehead’s third try, which he then converted.
All in all a very satisfying morning for the home team and a great testament to a squad of players who, rightly, have decided to make it as difficult as possible for the County players to feel comfortable in their various positions.
RESULT
Windsor 48 - Phoenix 0
Scorers:
Trys: Whitehead (2), Turner (2), Pedder, Smith, Sahota, Fleming.
Conversions: Whitehead (4),