Rugby - Matt puts boot into Lutterworth

Midlands League 3ESHuntingdon 14, Lutterworth 10NOT for the first time this season, Huntingdon were grateful for the assured kicking of young fly half Matt Durrant. His touchline penalty, minutes from the end, gave Stags the lead for the first time, and handed the hosts sweet revenge for the hammering inflicted upon them earlier in the season by the Leicestershire club.In the sticky conditions, Lutterworth's pack had the better of the first half and led by seven points as the interval beckoned. However, a Durrant penalty, on the stroke of half-time pulled back three valuable points. The second half saw a revitalised home team and with back-rower Gwyn Stubbings on the rampage, it looked likely that Stags would stage a fight back even though Lutterworth extended their lead to seven points with a penalty. Stags' pressure was rewarded after good work from the forwards when Stubbings crashed over for a try which was converted by the reliable Durrant. The game was nicely poised for a grandstand finish with the scores locked at 10-10 with 20 minutes to go, but both defences had stood firm during the game and a draw seemed a distinct possibility. Durrant turned down chances of a couple of long range kicks out of the mud but when a penalty was awarded wide out he backed himself and cooly knocked the ball between the posts. Stags clung on, under some pressure, to get the much treasured two points.Huntingdon's delight was marred by the news that tough Aussie flanker Tom Beattie suffered a broken leg during the game.Junior Rugby St Ives U12 5, Rushden and Diamonds 7IN what was a tight affair, St Ives lost to Rushden, despite having the better of the early exchanges.From the kick off, Harry Martin caught the ball and ran straight at the Rushden defence and only some strong tackling from Rushden kept St Ives from scoring.Rushden fought back and scored a converted try late in the first half.The hosts battled hard after the break, and a quick break from the backs lead to a maul right on the Rushden line. A sharp pick-up from Nathan Dewar saw him drive over the line to score. Unfortunately the conversion was unsuccessful and the visitors took the win.St Ives U12 40, Oundle 12STRAIGHT from the start, St Ives showed their intentions and pushed forward, both backs and forwards combining well. Dan Malem broke the deadlock after his incisive run broke several tackles before he powered over in the corner. The hosts scored again after the restart but Oundle pulled themselves back into the game with a converted try.However, further tries from Dan Malem, Nathan Dewar (3) and Alex Brown along with five successful conversions from Jack Topham gave St Ives a comfortable win.St Ives U11 5, Rushden U11 14COLD, damp conditions and an under-strength team combined to produce a slow start for St Ives which Rushden took advantage of, scoring two converted tries in the first half. Ives rallied in the second half, however, and their scrummaging in particular started to produce good possession, culminating in Jacob Milner running in a 20 yard try. Stout home defence then prevented any further scoring.St Ives U11 14, Oundle U11 14WITH injuries further depleting their team, St Ives watched Oundle run through them to again score two quick converted tries early on in the first half. The home team then regained their composure and with a combination of forceful forward play and tactical kicking, they asserted themselves on the game and ultimately the backs did their job and Innes Christison went over for the first try. A repeat of these tactics saw Lawrence Kay stroll over for the second, with both tries successfully converted.St Ives U9 10, Rushden U9 20A SLOW start and too much Christmas pudding allowed Rushden to build an early two try advantage in the opening match. St Ives gradually got into their stride and from a scrum, Tyler Elstub put stand off Sam Hirons into the clear. With a burst of pace he evaded the cover defence to score an excellent long range try to put Saints back into the game. Strong forward play allowed the home side to press again as half time approached but a dropped pass close to the line cost them dear as a Rushden defender intercepted the loose ball and ran the full length of the pitch to restore the two try cushion at the break. The second half was evenly matched and although Elstub dodged through the entire Rushden defence to score and set up a grandstand finish, Rushden again stretched their lead to 10 points before the final whistle with another well taken try.St Ives U9 0, Oundle U9 20HEROIC defence allowed the young Saints to restrict a very powerful Oundle side to just four tries in the second match, but there was never any serious danger of the home side threatening the Oundle line. Last ditch tackling and difficult handling conditions helped to keep the score down, but strong forward play from the visitors ensured that the whole match was played on the Ives try line and the tired players were glad to hear the final whistle.St Ives Reds U8 15, Oundle U8 25OUNDLE were quicker out of the blocks, building a two-try lead before the hosts had the chance to reply. Saints fought back, thanks to a hat-trick of tries from Peter Ford, but the visitors responded each time and were successful in holding onto their lead to take a deserved victory.St Ives Blues U8 65, Rushden U8 50AN extraordinary match, which was played "end-to-end" to such an extent that the spectators might well have been nursing sore necks by the final whistle. Saints opened the scoring, and the two sides traded tries until the score was level at 20-20, at which point the hosts eased into a four-try lead going into half-time. The second half was no less frenetic but the scoring was rather more even, Rushden managing to reduce the hosts' lead by one try by the end. The try scorers for Saints were Reuben Patrick (7), James Digby (4) and Max Darer (2).St Ives Blues U8 35, Oundle U8 35IN what was another very close and exciting game, Oundle took the lead several times only for Saints to respond with tries of their own.The scorers for the hosts were Lewis Smith, James Digby, two from Max Darer, and a leggy hat-trick in the second half by Reuben Patrick.