1st XV Match Reports
Powergen London Four South West
Camberley 53 - Andover 7 20th Dec 2008
Cam gave themselves and their supporters an early Christmas present with an outstanding display of 15 man rugby to overwhelm Andover by 9 tries to 1 in their last game of 2008.
For the first time this season they started to play quality rugby right from the kick off and had scored 6 excellent tries in the opening 25 mins to give them a lead of 36-0.
The scoring started when, after an unsuccessful penalty attempt by Andover play quickly moved into the Andover half and following a break from the base of the scrum Cam recycled the ball quickly and a clever chip by Dan Lewis saw JJ cross for the first try.
From the restart Cam stormed back through Jack Batey and then outside half Andy Dowan made a smart break, collected his own little chip ahead and fed Graeme Fleming who touched down close to the posts.
The scoring continued when Andy Dowan made a half break and passed to fullback Doug McNicholl who scored the third try after only 13 mins.
Again Cam dealt with the Andover restart well and took play back into the Andover half and following an electrifying break by scrum half Andy Wreakes, supported by Robbie Nicholas, full back Doug McNicholl was on hand to take another scoring pass.
From the restart the ball was moved quickly from the forwards to the backs and eventually having passed through at least a dozen pairs of hands it was left to Doug McNicholl to score his third and Cams fifth try with only 19 minutes played. It was good to see Cam at last dealing with restarts confidently as this had been a recurring problem earlier in the season.
Cam continued to play all of the rugby and after 25 mins scored again when young flanker Dave Rees supported a break by Andy Walsh to score the sixth try of the afternoon.
After all of this excitement the game became a little less structured and, despite several good moves, Cam were unable to add to their score before half time. The second half started slowly for Cam and some casual handling and tackling saw Andover score close to the posts after 5 mins to make the score 36-7.
This however was to be the last real threat from Andover as Cam continued to play good attacking rugby with great interplay between forwards and backs. On a number of occasions Cam were held up just short of the try line by a gallant Andover defence but they scored 3 more tries through winger Greg White and 2 from centre Dan Lewis.
On 25 minutes forwards and backs again combined to send winger Greg White over in the corner and from the Andover restart Cam won a scrum against the head releasing winger JJ who returned the favour for his try by chipping ahead for Dan Lewis to collect and score.
In the closing minutes Dan Lewis and JJ again combined effectively with Dan Lewis eventually being driven over for his second and Cams ninth try.
On a difficult day for kicking Andy Dowan managed to convert 4 of the tries making the final score 53-7.
With injuries to some key players Cams fluency and control in the second half suffered somewhat particularly when influential scrum half Wreakes was injured (thats for Walshy!!!) but this was an outstanding team performance with coach Jon Cant at last smiling as he watched his training park drills being carried into the match situation.
The Scruffs Man of the Match award deservedly went to Doug McNicholl for his three tries in only his third start for the 1stXV although this was a day when there were outstanding performances throughout the team.
In the forwards the front five played well with Alex ‘The Hoff’ Gould again outstanding and flanker Dave Rees had his best game to date for the firsts. The backs all had plenty of opportunities to showcase their skills and were managed well by the three Andys, Wreakes, Dowan and Walsh however perhaps the biggest improvements was seen in the back three where JJ, Greg White and Doug McNicholl all made big contributions in attack and defence.It was good to see club captain Robbie Nicholas come through a testing 60mins in his first game back after a long break through injury.
So with the cheers of the supporters ringing in their ears the players can now enjoy the festive season with no rugby until they return on Jan 3rd for their training camp.
Squad : R Mugford, J Batey, J Pengilley, A Gould, R Nicholas, G Fleming, D Rees, S Burgess, A Wreakes, A Dowan, A Wreakes, D Lewis, JJ, G White, D McNicholl, R Kirby, A Matheson, M Angell.
RogerB
Camberley 14 - Trojans 27 6th December 2008
Cam travelled to second placed Trojans aiming to put their recent disappointing performances behind them.
With 5 players returning, a serious mid-season evaluation by the squad and some quality training in the week coach Jon Cant was confident that his team would improve on their recent poor displays.
Although Cam allowed Trojans to win their kick off they quickly turned the ball over and a long kick by Dan Lewis took play into the Trojans half. Cam continued to pressure Trojans despite difficulties in the scrums and were rewarded after 8 mins when Andy Dowan kicked a penalty.
From the restart Cam again took play back into the Trojans half but some poor handling and a cheap penalty allowed Trojans off the hook and play moved back deep inside the Cam half with them scrumming down under their posts. Trojans maintained the pressure but great defence by Cam kept them out until 20 mins had been played when this pressure finally told and, after a series of 5m scrums, the Trojans pack drove over for an unconverted try.
Cam came back almost immediately when from a scrum on halfway scrum half Andy Wreakes was first to react when the ball skidded out from a Trojans put in and made 20m before putting the ball into touch inside the Trojans 22.
Trojans made a mess of their throw and number 8 Simon Burgess claimed the ball and although on the ground was able to get the ball away to his scrum half. The ball was then passed swiftly across the backs with winger JJ’s pace allowing him to see off the opposition and touch down wide out. The conversion was just short but this score saw Cam back in front after 25 mins.
Again good drills from the Trojans restart saw Cam quickly return to the Trojans half and the Cam forwards put in a series of telling drives which resulted in Trojans conceding several penalties. It was from one of these that Andy Dowan extended the lead to 11-7 on 30 mins with another good kick.
Trojans then came back but good Cam defence and poor execution by Trojans kept the scoreboard unchanged until 37mins when a neat Trojans threequarters move saw them retake the lead with an unconverted try. This made the score 12-11 to Trojans and this was the score when the ref blew for half time a few minutes later.
After such a promising first half performance it was disappointing to see Trojans running back the Cam restart and, taking advantage of some sloppy defence, taking play deep into the 22 from where a neat chip ahead by the Trojans stand off was touched down by the winger to take them into a 17-11 lead after 41 mins.
Cam stormed back and laid siege to the Trojans line and this pressure was rewarded when the Trojans prop was binned and Andy Dowan reduced the lead with another well struck penalty after 50 mins.
For the next 10 play moved between both sides 22m lines with both sides showing good attacking and defensive skills. Then on 60 mins Cam came close to taking the lead when from turnover ball quick hands saw Dan Lewis streaking away but with two defenders to beat he chose to chip rather than use his ‘special’ pace and the chip was marked under the Trojans posts.
From this position Trojans took play deep into the Cam half and in almost a replica move the Trojans winger won the race to touch down a chip ahead by the outside half. So after 65 mins with the score 22-14 to Trojans Cam were facing a tough task to claw the game back and with Trojans now attacking from all parts of the field only great Cam defence managed to keep them out but on 78 mins Trojans found a way to put their fullback through for the final score of the afternoon giving Trojans victory by 27-14.
This was a much better Cam team performance with many of the recent problem areas including restarts, first up defence and chasing kicks much improved and with the team showing a level of commitment which had been previously missing it was perhaps unfortunate to be playing a side which had only lost once in the League so far this season. However it is important that the squad retains its focus and that this overall improvement is now carried forward into the second half of the season.
Although it was a team performance special mention must go to Dave Harries who, having already played a special Old Boys game in the morning, had his first start at loose head prop and played out of his skin for 70mins The next game is at home against Andover on December 20th ko 2.15.
Squad : D Harries, W Masters, J Pengilley, A Gould, A Jackson, G Fleming, S Brown, S Burgess, A Wreakes, A Dowan, JJ,A walsh ©, D Lewis, G White, D McNicholl, J Batey, J Cruickshank, V Boardman
RogerB
Camberley 19 - Petersfield 26 29 November 2008
Despite having 7 players unavailable for selection this week due to long term injuries and the Dubai 7’s, plus an 11th hour withdrawal, coach Jon Cant was still confident that his team would be too strong for visitors Petersfield who arrived at Watchetts without a league win this season.
However a determined Petersfield XV had not read the script and on a cold afternoon, they benefited from a very poor Cam performance to deservedly record their first league points of the season.
The coach and loyal Cam supporters braving the weather, were soon on the back foot when the Petersfield kick off was not dealt with by Cam giving the visitors a good attacking position deep in the Cam 22 from which, after a couple of phases, they found space and poor defence on the blindside to score the opening try after only 3 minutes.
Cam then slowly got into the game and moved play into the Petersfield half to exert some pressure on the visitors and on 15 mins were awarded a penalty which was kicked by Andy Dowan to make the score 3-5.
However, from the restart Petersfield again found themselves in the Cam 22 and following several good phases their backs again exploited the blindside and more poor Cam tackling to score another try making the score 3-10 after 20 mins.
Then Cam gave their supporters something to cheer about when they retrieved their own restart and the front five forwards combined well to drive through the Petersfield defence and young flanker Dave Rees was on hand to take the scoring pass. The try was converted by Andy Dowan making the score 10-10 after 21 minutes.
Cam then tried to exert more pressure but made far too many handling mistakes when trying to force the game and as a result they only managed to add another penalty to their score before half time again kicked by Andy Dowan.
The serious looking halftime chat however didn’t seem to have been absorbed by the team as loose play and poor tackling saw Petersfield regain the lead with another try after 45 mins which was followed by a Petersfield penalty making the score 13-18 after 55 mins.
Cam then started to wake up again but poor handling, lack of control and also good defence by Petersfield restricted them to penalty attempts. However with one on 60 mins and another on 70 minutes, both kicked by Andy Dowan, Cam edged into a shaky 19-18 lead.
But their continued disjointed play didn’t give the Cam supporters any real confidence that they could hold onto this lead and these doubts were confirmed when, in the closing stages, Petersfield retook the lead with a successful penalty and then scored their 4th try from the last move of the match to make the final score 19-26.
This was a seriously poor Cam performance with too much possession being thrown away, too may tackles missed particularly when following kicks and a lack of control at set pieces.
What must concern coach Jon Cant, however, will be the squad’s inability to take the game plan fashioned on the training park into game situations and also that the try count was 4-1 in favour of the visitors.
The loyal supporters were more concerned about the apparent lack of basic skills on display such as passing and tackling and also the fact that their team, on the day, came a poor second in attitude and commitment.
However there were some hints at what might have been with winger Jayde Cruickshank cleverly collecting a crosskick at full speed and being held up just short of the Petersfield line. Prop Rocky Mullen also enjoyed several bullocking bursts and Andy Dowan kicked very well in difficult conditions but there is work to be done this week to prepare for the next game away to Trojans which also marks the halfway point in the League fixtures.
Squad: J Pengilley, J Batey, W Mullen, A Gould, D Harries, D Rees, S Brown, G Fleming, A Wreakes, A Dowan, M Angell, D McNichol, C Eccles, J Cruickshank, G White, R Mugford, A Walsh, S Burgess.
RogerB
Camberley 25 - Andover 16 15 November 2008
Cam travelled to struggling Andover determined to return to winning ways following their hiccup against Old Alleynians the previous week.
Playing down the slope in the first half Cam started poorly with several kicks being charged down and possession given away in the first 10 minutes and the travelling supporters were dismayed when, following some concerted pressure, Andover went ahead after 14 minutes with a penalty kick.
We then had glimpses of what we all know is possible when, from a quick penalty on their 10m line, Dan Lewis broke the first couple of tackles and then with some great handling between himself and winger JJ they saw off the rest of the Andover defence for Dan to touch down. The conversion was missed by Ricky Jones but after 20mins Cam had at last played some rugby and taken the lead.
Cam then continued to play rugby and both Ricky Jones and Chris Eccles were stopped from scoring by desperate last ditch Andover tackles.
In the end the Cam pressure told and Ricky Jones kicked an easy penalty on 25 mins.
However from the restart Cam were unable to clear the ball and allowed Andover to exert some pressure in the Cam 22 and eventually they conceded a penalty which Andover kicked.
Cam then returned to the Andover half and won an Andover lineout but following a knock on by an Andover player on the blind side of the ref Andover were able to break away and only a desperate tackle by Dan Lewis covering back saved a try.
The Cam defence held out and following a kick ahead and some poor Andover defence, play soon returned to the Andover 22.
Then, in what turned out to be the last move of the half, Cam were awarded a penalty in front of the posts for a deliberate trip on centre Dan Lewis and Ricky Jones calmly slotted the kick to give Cam a rather fortunate lead of 11-6 at half time.
The second half while still containing too many errors saw a big improvement in the Cam play and an attack by Dan Lewis, Ricky Jones and JJ soon took play to within 5m of the Andover line.
David Rees another of last years Colts, on as a replacement for the injured Southy, impressed the supporters with a 30m break but was unable to offload to the supporting players when he was tackled.
The pressure, however eventually brought its rewards and after 55 mins a sharp break by Andy Wreakes saw both JJ and Ricky Jones involved with Ricky going over for the try wide out which he converted with a magnificent kick.
From the restart Cam slowly moved back into the Andover ‘red zone’ and almost scored again when a miskick by Andy Walsh was collected by Dan Lewis who attacked the Andover line.
However with Cam conceding several penalties play moved quickly from the Andover 22 to the Cam 22 and when the ball mysteriously popped out of the side of a ruck the Andover winger was first to react and touched down wide out making the score 18-11 after 65 mins.
Cam came back almost immediately and from a scrum on halfway Dan Lewis kicked ahead and following up his own kick forced Andover into a series of errors with the ball finally going loose for winger Chris Eccles to collect and score under the posts. This was converted by Ricky Jones making the score 25-11.
Again, from the restart some scrappy play saw Andover return to the Cam 22 and casual defence saw them score again wide out.
With 5 mins to go from the restart Cam played somewhat more sensibly and eventually the final whistle came with no addition to the score.
So this result makes it 4 wins out of the last 5 league games although, despite a much better second half performance when playing up the slope, Cam were still seriously below par in a number of areas.
There were good performance in attack from both wingers with them feeding off the electric pace of Dan Lewis and Ricky Jones, a Colt last year, is clearly enjoying the step up to 1stXV rugby with another confident performance at fullback.
Andy Wreakes had a good game at scrum half and made a number of telling breaks. In the forwards, flanker Victor Boardman, The Hoff, and hooker Banjo Masters were all prominent in the loose and Dave Harries had a solid game at tight head.
The next league game is home to Petersfield on Nov 29th
Squad: J Pengilley, W Masters, D Harries, A Gould, A Jackson, V Boardman, S Brown, G Fleming, A Wreakes, A Walsh, M Angell, D Lewis, C Eccles, J Jarvis, R Jones, G Hutchison, D Rees, G White.
RogerB
Camberley 18 - Old Alleynians 19 8th Nov 2008
Camberley entertained newly promoted Old Alleynians and in a scrappy game, having been ahead from as early as the 15th min, contrived to lose by one point through an injury time penalty.
The game started brightly enough for Cam who at the first scrum, in the first minute, drove the OA’s back and won the ball against the head.
Playing into a stiff breeze Cam slowly came to terms with the conditions and gradually moved play into the OA’s half. On 15 mins, following pressure in the 22, Cam were awarded a penalty which was kicked by Andy Dowan.
Cam scored again on 20 mins following a break from midfield by Dan Lewis who cleverly kicked the ball wide for winger JJ to gather and score wide out.
Cam then went off the boil and OA’s, using the wind, began to play the game in the Cam half and managed to reduce the lead to 8-6 at halftime through 2 penalties.
Cam started the second half positively and within 2 minutes went further ahead. From the restart Cam forwards turned over OA’s and quick ball released fly half Andy Dowan whose mazy run took him past four OA’s defenders to touch down. Ricky Jones’s conversion attempt hit the post but with the score at 13-6 and playing with the elements the Cam spectators were in confident mood.
However instead of continuing to use the wind to play deep in the OA’s half Cam were guilty of too often trying to play an expansive game which did not suit the conditions. The OA’s backs, who always looked dangerous when they had the ball, capitalised on any Cam mistake and regularly had the Cam defence at full stretch.
In addition Cam seemed to lose discipline and started to concede a string of unnecessary penalties. In one case a silly off the ball incident changed an Cam attacking lineout on OA’s 22 to an OA’s attacking lineout on the Cam 22 creating unnecessary pressure.
This lack of discipline then resulted in prop James Pengilley being shown a yellow card for an offence under the Cam posts. OA’s chose to run the ball and although Cam defended this successfully OA’s maintained the pressure and eventually made the extra man count by scoring wide out to make the score 13-11 after 60 mins.
Again Cam attacked the restart and turned over OA’s and quick hands through the backs saw JJ run in for his second try. Again Ricky Jones’s conversion attempt hit the post so the score after 63 mins was 18-11.
Again Cam seemed to lose focus and allowed OA’s to develop some momentum and on 70 mins, following some pressure in the Cam 22 they scored an unconverted try to make the score 18-16.
Then deep into injury time with Cam attacking the OA’s line they conceded a penalty which relieved the pressure for OA’s and took play up to halfway. Again Cam conceded a penalty on halfway and OA’s took play deep into the Cam half. With OA’s now attacking, Cam conceded a third penalty which OA’s kicked to take the lead for the first time in the match. With only a minute to play from the restart Cam were unable to repeat their success from previous restarts so the final score was 18-19 to OA’s.
This was a poor Cam display with the lack of focus, inability to stick to the game plan and the habit of conceding soft/unnecessary penalties negating any of the rugby that was played in between.
Overall the pack had a good day and stayed on top in the tight even when reduced to 7 and in difficult conditions the lineout also worked well. The backs also showed glimpses of what they are capable of with three well worked tries but this was a day for simple, controlled rugby.
Coach Jon Cant and skipper Andy Walsh were both unhappy with the overall performance and they will not enjoy reviewing the video prior to training this week.Next week Cam travel to Andover – coach leaves Watchetts @ 12.00
Squad: J Pengilley, W Masters, W Mullen, A Gould, A Jackson, V Boardman, G Fleming, S Burgess, A Walsh ©, A Dowan, M Angell, D Lewis, J Jarvis, G White, R Jones, R Mugford, D Rees, C Eccles.RogerB
Camberley 18 - Old Wimbledonians 12 1st November 2008
Cam travelled to South West London for their league clash with bottom side Old Wimbledonians who were still waiting for their first win.
The weather was atrocious with a stiff breeze laced with icy rain blowing straight down the pitch. Coach Jon Cant’s concerns about the game were not helped when he lost lock Aaron Webb during the warm up with a calf injury.
The game started brightly enough for Cam when they went ahead in the first minute. Kicking off into the wind Cam quickly turned over OWs and a clever kick into open space by scrum half Andy Wreakes saw speedster Dan Lewis outstrip the defence to collect the ball and touch down under the posts. Dan also converted giving Cam the ideal start.
Unfortunately they were unable to build on this start and for the next 35 mins Cam were pinned in their own half as OWs clawed their way back into the game and although unable to cross the Cam line they had ground out a 12-7 lead after 35 mins with 4 successful penalty kicks.
Then on the stroke of half time Cam, on a rare visit to the OW’s half were awarded a penalty which was kicked by Dan Lewis to make the score at 40 mins 10-12.
With the wind at their backs in the second half the Cam supporters hoped that the advantage would be with their side but although more of the play now took place in the OWs 22 ball retention and the habit of conceding soft penalties proved very frustrating.
However after 55 mins, following some good pressure close to the OWs line Alex Gould was driven over to put Cam in front and although he missed the conversion Dan Lewis kicked a penalty on 65 mins to make the score 18-12 which proved to be the final score of the game.
Although happy with the win, both players and supporters were disappointed with the performance which was not helped by the atrocious playing conditions and also a plucky display by OWs which belied their dreadful run of results.
Coach Jon Cant was satisfied that his team had come through this test with their third successive win but was clearly not happy that again ball retention and lack of concentration had allowed his team to be blown of course so easily.
Next week Cam entertain Old Alleynians at Watchetts, ko 2.30, and players and supporters alike are hoping for a significant improvement in both the weather and the performance!!
Squad : J Pengilley, J Batey, R Mugford, A Gould, S Brown, V Boardman, G Fleming, S Burgess, A Wreakes, A Walsh, J Cruickshank, M Angell, D Lewis, C Eccles, G White, D Harries, R Nicholas, A Dowan.
RogerB
Season 2008/2009
Camberley 16 - Old Midwhitgiftians 15 25th Oct 2008
Camberley maintained their recent improvement with a narrow win against Old Midwhitgiftians, however the score did not reflect the amount of possession and territory they had during the 80 minutes.
Playing into a stiff breeze in the first half Cam spent most of the first quarter battering the Midwives line. On at least 4 occasions the ref, without the benefit of a video referee !!, felt he was not able to award a try when the Cam forwards drove over the line and so the only score for 20 minutes of pressure was a penalty after 5 minutes kicked by fullback Ricky Jones.
Then, on 21 mins, Midwives were awarded a penalty and on this rare visit into the Cam half their attack brushed aside some terrible Cam tackles to score wide out completely against the run of play.
From the restart Cam took play back into the Midwives 22 and although still unable to convert this pressure into tries, they regained the lead with a superb penalty kick by Ricky Jones from wide out on the 10m line after 30 mins.
At last Midwives started to exert some pressure of their own and only desperate defence by Cam kept them out. However a poor penalty kick by Cam which failed to make touch, was run back by Midwives who again brushed aside some appalling defence to score wide out making the score 6-10 after 35 mins.
Despite Cam missing another difficult penalty attempt before half time Midwives ended the half on the attack.
Cam started the second half as they had begun the match and took play into the Midwives 22 with Ricky Jones narrowly missing a penalty attempt after 3 minutes.
However they took the lead shortly after when Dan Lewis intercepted a telegraphed pass from Midwives following a quick tapped penalty on the Midwives 10m line and raced away to score. The try was converted by Ricky Jones and with Cam using the wind to good effect they continued to push the game deep into the Midwives half.
However from one of these kicks, and completely against the run of play, Midwives scored again. Despite pressure from Dan Lewis and Chris Eccles, Midwives somehow retained possession and launched an attack 10m from their line shredding some atrocious Cam defence to race 90m and score their 3rd try and so with 30 mins left and the score 13-15 Cam had it all to do again and only had themselves to blame.
Midwives then had another brief spell when they exerted some pressure and threatened the Cam line but slowly Cam regained the initiative and moved back into the Midwives 22. As in the first half Cam were denied tries after appearing to cross Midwives try line with Midwives frequently cynically killing the ball and regularly entering rucks and mauls from the side with impunity. For a period the quest to score a try became obsessive until on 70 mins skipper Walsh asked Ricky Jones to kick for goal from wide out. Despite the very difficult conditions he slotted the 3 points to take Cam back into the lead much to the relief of their supporters.
In the final 10mins Midwives had a final chance with a penalty from the Cam 10m line which was pushed well wide and then Cam put their training drills into action by playing ‘keep ball’ in the Midwives half to close out the game with a final score 16-15 and 2 more League points.
In the end this was a good win for Cam but one which they made real heavy work of and, as with other games this season, they seemed to allow the opposition back in much too easily by making too many basic errors with loose kicking, terrible marking and powder puff tackling again being their downfall.
The kicking of Ricky Jones was clearly a major difference between the sides although with a better rub of the green and more composure by the forwards in the red zone the game should have been beyond Midwives long before the last 10 minutes.
The forwards as a unit played well and were always in command with at least 5 strikes against the head being won by Banjo Masters and Rocky Mullen (yes props can hook too) and the lineout working well despite the poor conditions.
The threequarters had a day best forgotten with many of the planned moves breaking down and defensively often looking very naïve. However young wingers Jayde Cruickshank and Chris Eccles showed some promising touches are both benefiting from their run in the team and are clearly growing in confidence.All of the subs were used although the only injury was to Russ Kirby** who seemed to have aggravated the broken hand he sufferd in Wales
No doubt coach Jon Cant will again be working on defensive strategies this week in training before the visit to bottom club Wimbledon next Saturday.Squad : Pengilley, Masters, Kirby, Gould, Webb, Burgess, Boardman, Fleming, Wreakes, Walsh, Cruickshank, Angell, Lewis, Eccles, Jones, White, Mullen, Brown
** Russ has agreed to make a contribution to the end of season 'party fund' each time he gets a mention in a match report
RogerB
Camberley 38 - Gosport & Fareham 19 11 Oct 2008
Cam entertained strugglers Gosport and Fareham at Watchetts with the team eager to end its own run of disappointing results. Coach Jon Cant’s recent selection problems were eased slightly as several players returned from injury and the side started the game playing positive confident rugby with forwards and backs linking well and applying pressure on the visitors. The Cam scrum was clearly on top from and hooker Banjo Masters claimed 2 strikes against the head in these early stages.
This pressure brought its rewards when, after 15 mins no 8 Simon Burgess picked up from the base of an attacking scrum and quick hands by the backs saw full back Greg White score the opening try.
Then from the restart Cam showed just what they are capable of – somehow the forwards secured the ball after making a hash of the Gosport kick off and started to move the ball out of their 22 through several good phases of play. The ball was then released to the backs and when Dan Lewis received the ball on his 10m line his mazy run took him clean through the Gosport defence before he switched on the afterburners and scored under the posts. He then converted his own try to make the score 12-0 after 20 mins.
Cam were clearly the better side at this time and when a Gosport 22m drop out was collected by Mark Angell, he fed Dan Lewis and winger Chris Eccles was put through to score his first try for the club. Cam continued to play most of the rugby and on 30 mins Dan Lewis scored again when he collected a neat chip ahead by stand off Andy Walsh to make the score 24-0 after 30mins.With 10 mins to half time the game became quite scrappy and Cam allowed the visitors back into the game and on the stroke of half time they scored a converted try making the score 24-7 at the break.
The second half started much as the first half with Cam forwards working the ball into the Gosport 22 and then following a series of good rucks the ball was released to the backs and Dan Lewis was able to stroll over for his 3rd try which was converted by Andy Walsh.
Cam again managed to mess up the restart but the forwards secured the ball and slowly took play up to their 10m line with some good driving play. The the ball was then transferred to the threequarters with winger Jayde Cruickshank taking a great line through the Gosport defence to make 20m before giving Dan Lewis the chance to switch into overdrive and race to the line for his 4th try. This was converted by Andy Walsh making the score 38-7 after 50 mins.
Unfortunately that was the last scoring action from Cam who, with prop James Pengilley in the sin bin for a late tackle, seemed to ease off and allow Gosport back into the game and, to their credit, they started to play some rugby of their own and scored 2 consolation tries in the last quarter to make the final score 38-19.
For the first 3 quarters this was a much better performance with ball retention and tackling much improved although the handling of restarts, something they have not done too much of this season, clearly needs some work.
The forwards held the upper hand throughout and the return of Alex Gould clearly helped the forwards ball retention and driving abilities. All of the backs worked hard for this win with 3 of them on the score sheet and the back row gave Cam the edge in open play. However the key to the overall improvement was at no 9 where Andy Wreakes had an outstanding game maintaining the tempo demanded by the coach, skillfully linking the forwards and backs, and with his sniping breaks and quick tap penalties he was a constant threat to the visitors.
The team now have a break with their next game being against Old Midwhitgiftians at Watchetts on Oct 25th when the coach will hopefully have a full squad to select from again.
Squad : J Pengilley, W Masters, R Kirby, A Jackson, A Gould, V Boardman, S Brown, S Burgess, A Wreakes, A Walsh, M Angell, D Lewis, J Cruicjshank, C Eccles, G White rep J Jarvis, C Blandin, R Nicholas
RogerB back to top
Camberley 13 - Ellingham and Ringwood 16 4th Oct 2008
This was Camberley’s first ever visit to this progressive New Forest club, who had won Hampshire last season and had enjoyed some impressive performances in the Cup competitions in recent seasons. Their current ground is situated just off the A31 at Picket Post with extensive views over the forest but on a cold and windy day there was little protection from the elements.
We thought that the weather was going to be the most decisive factor but we reckoned without the impact that the referee had on the game from the outset. Virtually every ruck ended with him awarding a penalty to one side or the other which led to a very disjointed game, frustrating players, coaches and spectators alike.
Camberley had the wind in their favour in the first half and an early exchange of penalty kicks gave the visitors a 6-3 lead with Dan Lewis doing the business. Late in the fist half a sustained attack by Camberley led to a penalty being awarded under the posts and a quick thinking Andy Walsh took a quick tap and used his weight to cross the line with Lewis adding the extras. A 13-3 interval lead was a satisfactory outcome but with Ringwood about to enjoy the elements in their favour in the second half it was doubtful the lead would be sufficient.
Despite a good defensive display and occasional forays into their opponents twenty-two Camberley could not prevent the home side scoring a converted try and two penalties in the second half to run out close winners by 16 points to thirteen.
This was a better display by Camberley compared with the previous week with the side strengthened with the return of Robbie Nicholas and the inclusion of Simon Brown in the back row and hopefully this improvement will be maintained when Camberley entertain Gosport and Fareham at Watchetts next Saturday.
Camberley squad
Pengilley, Masters, Blondin, Jackson, Webb, Brown, Nicholas, Fleming, Hancock, Walsh, Cruickshank, Jarvis, Lewis, Eccles, White, Kirby, Wreakes and Jackson.
AlanF back to top
Camberley 10 Weybridge Vandals 63 27th Sept 2008
Selection for the visit of league leaders Weybridge Vandals had been a challenge for coach Jon Cant with 9 of the Camberley injury ravaged 1stXV squad unavailable and the inexperience of Saturdays side was brutally exposed by a big and skilful Vandals team clearly destined to be one of the front runners for promotion this season..
Following continual pressure from the kick off Vandals scored their first try after 8 minutes following a number of phases produced quick ball and stretched the Cam defence.
Cam then exerted some pressure of their own from the restart and eventually won a lineout 5 m from the Vandals line from which prop Christophe Blandin was driven over for an equalising score after 15 mins.
This stung Vandals into action and they collected an attempted penalty kick by Ricky Jones on their own line and ran the ball back at Cam taking play deep into the 22 from where they were able to score their second try.
Vandals then moved up a gear and played some excellent attacking rugby which was aided by some poor Cam defence, and they added a further 4 tries giving a half time score of 32-5.
Coach Jon Cant was quickly onto the pitch for his half time talk but from the restart the team continued to miss key tackles and turned over ball all to easily which against a side as good as Vandals spelled disaster.
Vandals continued to launch attacks from anywhere on the park and by the 75th minute, despite having apparently eased off in this half, had extended their lead to 58-5 with the addition of 4 tries.
Then on 80 minutes the ‘Camberley Flyer’ Dan Lewis, picked up a loose ball on halfway and using his ‘extreme’ pace won the race to the line for a consolation score. However this stung Vandals into action again and from the restart they launched another attack deep into injury time to score with the last action of the match making the final score 63-10 to Vandals.
This was a poor performance by Cam even allowing for the number of players missing and the fact that they were facing a quality side. Their inability to retain ball and make their tackles count have become regular features of this seasons play and were cruelly exposed in this game.
Clearly Jon Cant will be working hard on these basic skills in training this week prior to Cams visit to newly promoted Ellingham and Ringwood on Saturday..Squad: R Mugford, J Batey, C Blandin, A Jackson, D Harries, G Fleming, D Rees, S Brown, A Walsh, R Jones, J Cruickshank, D Lewis, M Angell, C Eccles, G White, Z Crabb, W Masters, R Kirby
RogerB back to top
Camberley 13 - Old Wellingtonians 19 20th Sept 2008
Cam travelled to Ewell for their morning game against Old Wellingtonians, one of the leading teams in this league last season.
OWs, fresh from their 56-11 win last weekend kicked off and for the first 15 mins play moved between the two 10m lines with Cam losing most of their lineouts and being pushed around in the scrums but recovering possession through good scrambling defence and a series of unforced errors by OWs.
As in the two games last season OWs showed real ability at the breakdown, winning many turnovers and their willingness to attack from any part of the field was always a threat.. Slowly this pressure told on Cam and OWs opened the scoring after 18 mins when, following a series of attacks their winger scored wide out.
This seemed to be the wakeup call that Cam needed and direct from the restart OWs were penalised on their 10m line and Ricky Jones calmly kicked the 3 points. The Cam forwards also stepped up a gear and suddenly were driving the OWs pack back at most scrums.
The game became very disjointed due to a number of injuries, mostly to Cam players who had used all of their replacements by half time. However Cam claimed the next score on 30 mins when Ricky Jones kicked a penalty after Cam pressure in the OWs 22 .
This pattern of play continued until halftime with Cam bravely defending the dangerous OWs attacks only to give possession back too cheaply by being turned over or by their kicks not finding touch. Cam found themselves desperately defending their line in the closing minutes of the half but when the whistle blew for halftime were still leading 6-5.OWs continued this pressure at the start of the second half but it was Cam who almost scored first when a breakout of defence by Ricky Jones and a kick and chase took play to the OWs line but the pressure was quickly over when OWs were awarded a penalty.
After 55 mins Cam did add to their score when an interception by Dan Lewis in his own 22 saw him burn off all of the OWs defence to score under the posts for Ricky Jones to convert, giving Cam a lead of 8 points.
OWs came back even stronger and their task was made easier with Cam consistently trying to attack from within their own 22 instead of using their forwards to protect the ball and move out of their 22. It was from one of these attempted attacks that OWs turned the ball over and after several phases scored under the posts cutting the Cam lead to 1 point after 60 mins.
The OWs fight back continued with their no 8 showing real class by picking up from the base of his own retreating scrum 15m from the Cam line, brushing off a couple of poor tackles by Cam and touching down close to the posts to make the score 19-13 to OWs after 70 mins.
Despite more attacks from OWs Cam held out and with the final score of 19-13 Cam were left to wonder if they could have turned the result around by following more closely the coach’s game plan of playing to their strengths rather than to attempt so much attacking rugby from deep in their own half.
This week it was the forwards who excelled in most phases of the game, the exception being the lineout, with props Richard Mugford and Christophe Blandin outstanding – Ricky Jones again showed what an asset he is to the side and Dave Rees another of the U18s from last season made a promising debut when he came on as a replacement for Simon Burgess.
Next Saturday Cam entertain the current leaders of the league, Weybridge Vandals, who are unbeaten and have a very healthy points difference.
Squad: R Mugford, J Batey, C Blandin, A Jackson, R Nicholas*, G Fleming, J Mearing, S Burgess, A Wreakes, A Dowan, J Pritchard, D Lewis, M Angell, G White, R Jones, D Harries, A Walsh, D Rees.RogerB
Camberley 13 - Kingston 10 13th Sept 2008
There are some difficulties in adding the text of the report to the website at present - to read the report please download here
Camberley 18 – Trojans 41 6th Sept 2008
Camberley, who are sponsored by Lucid Events, travelled to Southampton for their first round EDF Energy Senior Vase game against Trojans.
Playing into a stiff breeze Cam were soon under pressure from a mobile Trojans side who made good use of the wind. After 8 minutes Camberley conceded a penalty which was kicked by Trojans. more...
Camberley completed their pre-season programme with a game against a Presidents XV - both sides competing for the Carbury/Bartlett cup.
The Presidents XV, made up of ex Camberley players, was brought together again for this fixture by Toby Saunders.Camberley kicked off into the sun and a slight breeze and quickly found difficulty in playing the quick tempo game that they have been working on during training.
After 5 minutes of rather scrappy play a break by prop ‘Rocky’ Mullen and then quick hands saw the Presidents side penalised 5m from their line. From the resulting lineout a clean catch by Robbie Nicholas was fed to Alex 'The Hoff' Gould who was driven over for the first score. The conversion was missed by Andy Dowan .
The rest of the half seemed to be spent mostly in the Camberley half due to some clever kicking by Rob Smart and breaks by Tony Harbour, Toby Saunders and Neil Budd. However the Camberley defence was more than a match for these attacks but somehow were not able to secure enough good ball to mount their own attacks.
In addition the game was already becoming a tad disjointed with regular replacements being required and even the referee requiring attention from the physio.
So half time was reached with the score Cam 5 Presidents 0The second half continued in much the same vein and after 5 minutes Camberley found themselves defending a lineout on their 5m line. This time the ball was stolen by Graeme Fleming who made an impressive 30 m before kicking ahead deep into the Presidents half but a Camberley player then conceded a penalty which saw play return to their half.
Then Camberley enjoyed a period of good ball and after a number of neat moves won a lineout on the Presidents 5m line. The lineout was again won by skipper Robbie Nicholas and the ball passed to Alex Gould. When the initial drive was stopped by the Presidents forwards Camberley recycled quickly and James Mearing went over from close range. Again the difficult kick was missed by Andy Dowan giving a score after 60 mins of 10-0.At this stage both sides were suffering in the heat and the disruption of ‘rolling’ substitutes was clear to see however the Presidents team kept probing the Camberley defence and on 70 mins Toby Saunders broke through to touch down near the Camberley posts. This try was converted by Nick Dalby Walsh making the score 10-7.
The final 10 minutes saw both sides struggling with the conditions and there was no further scoring – so a tight victory for Camberley.After the game coach Jon Cant was pleased with the win but disappointed that his side had been forced into a dog fight rather than being able to impose their own game plan.
The Carbury /Bartlett trophy was presented to the Camberley skipper Robbie Nicholas by the new Camberley President Roger Chamberlain.
Camberley team :Ricky Jones, Jayde Cruickshank, Dan Lewis, Marc Angell, Jon Pritchard, Andy Dowan, Andy Wreakes, James Pengilley, Jack Batey, Rocky Mullen, Alex Gould, Robbie Nicholas © , Al Joyner, Graeme Fleming, Simon Burgess, replacements Dave Harries, Greg White, JJ Jarvis, Andy Walsh, James Mearing
Camberley 33 Shipston 12 16th August 2008
Saturday saw the second pre-season game with us entertaining Shipston who are in an equivalent league in the Midlands division.
Although missing a number of 1st choice players through holidays or injury Cam started well playing into a stiff breeze and quickly opened the scoring with a try by Dan Lewis in the corner which was not converted.
For the next 20 minutes Cam had the better of the game and following quick ball from the forwards Andy D made a half break before off loading to Dan Lewis who burned off the opposition in a sprint from the halfway line. This try was converted by Andy D making the score 12-0 after 25 minutes.
Cam continued to play most of the rugby and after a period of pressure on the Shipston line the forwards eventually decided to let the backs have a go and quick ball from Wreaksy saw Andy D slip through the defence to score close to the posts and also slot the conversion.
Shipston meanwhile had not really threatened the Camberley line although they did have a couple of attacking lineouts on the Cam 5m line. However the Cam defence was more than a match for this and repelled the attacks.
The Shipston threequarters were not able to function as a unit and on one of the few times they tried to throw the ball about Dan Lewis read the telegraphed pass, intercepted and scored again from halfway. Again this was converted by Andy D giving a score of 26-0 at halftime.
This, of course became an extremely expensive try for the Camberley Flyer as jugs of Guiness are no longer cheap!!!
The second half saw more changes in personnel and for the first 20 minutes Cam continued tryng to play some attacking rugby. They were the first to score again when following a neat chip ahead by Andy D, Dan the Man again outpaced everyone to collect the ball and touch down under the posts giving Andy D a simple conversion.
This made the score 33-0 and at this stage Cam began to lose some of their discipline and focus with the game becoming scrappy. To their credit Shipston kept trying to play rugby and were eventually rewarded with 2 late tries to give a final score of 33-12 to Cam.
This was another good workout for Cam with Jon Cant trying a number of different players in key positions and I'm sure that he learnt a good deal.
It was good to see some of the new players linking in and making such an impact on the game and very heartening to see a couple of last years U18s put in solid performances.
Again it was exciting to see that Dan Lewis has not lost any of his 'Extreme' pace and it is already clear that Andy D and Marc inside him will be trying to create space for him to stretch his legs and burn off the opposition as his pace is something special.Camberley Squad
James Pengilley, Banjo Masters, Graham Hutchinson, Aaron Webb, Andy Jackson, Robbie Nicholas (c), Al Joiner, Andy Wreakes, Andy Downey, Jon Pritchard, Marc Angell, Dan Lewis, J Jarvis, Ricky Jones, Zac Crabb, Muggy, Jack Batey, Jayde Cruickshank, Dave Harries, Robert Bamford, Rhys Lewis.The next warm up game is at Aldershot and Fleet on Tuesday, Aug 26th ko 19.45
RogerB
Season 2007/2008
Camberley 59 Old Paulines 0 12 April 2008
Camberley entertained Old Paulines for the final league fixture of the season and defended the clubhouse end for the first half.
Right from the kick off Camberley showed their intentions and within the first minute were pushing an OP's scrum back 10 metres and turning over the ball deep in the opposition 22.. This gave scrum half Paul Hancock the chance for a cheeky dummy which cleared the way for a score close to the posts which was converted by Ali Gonse.
For the next 10 minutes although the forwards continued to dominate the game became a little scrappy but after 25 mins a great drive from a Camberley lineout saw the ball recycled quickly and full back Greg White joined the line to score another very good try which was converted. Camberley continued to play good attacking rugby and an interception and break by Neil Budd saw the ball eventually reach prop Russ Kirby who was held up just short of the line after a burst of at least 10m.
During this period OP's sustained several injuries and had used all 3 substitutes and the continuous pressure brought another try before the interval. This time a great drive from the lineout by 'The Hoff' was pulled down by OP's and the referee awarded a penalty try which was converted to give a half time score of 21-0.
By this time OPs had run out of front row players and so the game moved to uncontested scrums which took away one of Camberleys main attacking options but this just encouraged them to move to a more expansive game.
The second half continued with Camberley trying at all times to play 15 man rugby based on the domination of the pack and a 60m run by Dan Lewis saw play move deep inside the OPs 22 and from the maul Jacko was driven over for a try which was again converted.
After 55 minutes another excellent passage of play saw Camberley attacking first right and then, with most of the OP's side committed play switched left for lock Alex Gould to canter over from 15m for a well deserved try.
By this time all of the Camberley side were running ball from anywhere and a good move between Greg White and JP saw play move again deep inside and from the resulting scrum Greg provided the extra man in the threequarters to score his second try.
From the restart we saw Camberley at their best. The kickoff was fielded by 'The Hoff', who made ground and fed Morgan Danaher who linked with Banjo Masters for Jon Pinto to score an outstanding try.
We then had a period when Camberley allowed OP's to have some ball but after 75 mins a series of attacks saw quick ball delivered to Gonse who found Pinto with a good inside ball to allow him to canter over from 15m for his second and the sides 8th try. This was a just reward for the openside who has clearly been one of the standout players of the season.
After a relatively quiet afternoon in attack Dan Lewis just had time to show his awesome pace by scoring the final try. From the OP's restart the ball was recycled to Morgan, who had quite an impact on his return from a long break due to a knee injury, who fed Gonse then Dan who burned his way 60 m to score under the posts.
This final try was converted by Neil Budd who was playing his last 1st XV game after many years as the first choice centre. During his time in the 1sts he will be remembered for his awesome tackling - there are many 3/4 in the area who still flinch at the memory of a Buddy tackle. His partnership with Ali Allen (both during and after matches) over a number of seasons always provided Camberley strength in attack and defence and his will be a hard position to fill for the Camberley coach.
The Club owe a big debt to Neil and we all wish him well in his career and forthcoming marraige although I'm sure that his boots will be cleaned and ready for the occasional runout next season.
This was an outstanding performance by Camberley to finish the season on a high and was at last reward for the hard work put in by the players and coaches Jon Cant and Andy Walsh during the season in building this new side.
Details of pre season etc will be posted on the 1stXV page during the 'off season'
Team : Greg White, JP Jefferey, Dan Lewis, Neil Budd, Jon Pritchard, Alistair Gonse, Paul Hancock, James Pengilley, Will Masters, Russ Kirby, Alex Gould, Andy Jackson, Robbie Nicholas (c), Graeme Fleming Jon Pinto rep Morgan Danaher, Jack Batey, Andy Wreakes
RogerB
Camberley 3 Weybridge Vandals 20 29th March 2008
Camberley travelled to Weybridge Vandals, after a 3 week break, looking to continue their recent successes and finish the league season with a winning sequence.
The first half saw them facing a strong crosswind but despite this the early play saw them deep inside Vandals 22 following a couple of good penalty kicks. However the lineout was lost and Vandals quickly took play into the Camberley half again.
Vandals kept up this pressure and it was only their ability to infringe regularly which allowed Camberley to relieve the pressure on several occasions however on 10 minutes a Camberley mistake resulted in an easy penalty for Vandals.
This pattern continued from the restart with the Vandals pack creating havoc at the scrums and winning several put ins against the head.
However Camberley continued to defend resolutely and on one occasion cleverly turned the ball over following a Vandals rolling maul which looked certain to result in a try.
After 25 mins Camberley conceded another penalty which was converted and despite more Vandals pressure this proved to be the final score of the half - half time score 6-0.
With the elements in their favour Camberley started the 2nd half with much more confidence and soon had reduced Vandals lead to 3 points following a penalty by fly half Alistair Gonse.
There then followed a period where Camberley saw much more of the ball but they managed to spill the ball on numerous occasions without threatening the Vandals try line.
Then the Vandals forwards started to take control again and moved play deep into the Camberley 22 with a series of rolling mauls one of which was brought down and resulted in a yellow card for Graeme Fleming.
From the resultant penalty Vandals drove over from the 5m lineout and the referee awarded a penalty try for another infringement by Camberley. This was converted to give Vandals a 13-3 lead.
With the weather taking a turn for the worse Vandals scored a second try following turnover ball and a long kick and chase. The try was scored close to the posts despite the valiant tackling of full back Greg White. This made the score 20-3 and despite a couple of Camberley attacks which were stopped just short of the line this proved to be the final score.
This was a disappointing result for Camberley as at 6-3 down with the strong wind behind them a win was well within their grasp. However the inability to stick to a simple game plan, secure their own ball and use the elements proved to be their undoing.Team : Greg White, Jayde Cruickshank, Dan Lewis, Neil Budd, Jon Pritchard, Alistair Gonse, Paul Hancock, James Pengilley, Will Masters, Russ Kirby, Alex Gould, Andy Jackson, Robbie Nicholas (c), Graeme Fleming Jon Pinto rep Al Joiner, Jack Batey, JP Jeffery
RogerB
Action photos courtesy of Lee Crabb can be seen on scrumpix.co.uk
Camberley 34 Farnham 5 8th March 2008
Camberley entertained Farnham for this local derby, with the visitors keen to reverse their defeat at the beginning of the season.
The kick off was preceded by a one minute silence in memory of Bill Fletcher the Camberley fixture secretary who died suddenly in Frimley Park Hospital on February 29th at the age of 66. Bill, a Life Member of the club, joined Camberley in 1960 and was fixture secretary for more than 30 years.
The first half saw Camberley, who were playing into a stiff breeze, start brightly from the kick off only for the ball to be given away cheaply when they had worked a good attacking position – a habit they seem to have carried on from the previous week.
This continued for the first 15 minutes with Camberley making ground only to lose possession at key moments.
After 20 mins they managed to string some good phases of rugby together and from a ruck on the Farnham line following a drive by ‘The Hoff’ the ball was quickly recycled and Andy Jackson forced his way over for the opening score.
The Camberley pressure continued after the restart but fullback JP was forced to concede a 5m scrum after a Farnham break from their own line. At this stage many of the Camberley team seemed to have switched off and Farnham deservedly equalised on 35 mins after a quick break and a kick and chase.
This acted as a wakeup call for Camberley who then started to play some good rugby and this resulted in a try on half time for Dan Lewis following s quick penalty 10 m from the Farnham line. The try was converted by Alistair Gonse giving a half time score of 12 – 5.
Whatever was said at the break Camberley started the second half with much more purpose and within 2 minutes had gone further ahead with a try by Dan Lewis following a move which started in the Camberley 22 and saw Dan ‘burn off’ the Farnham defence in a 60 metre sprint to the line.
Straight from the restart Camberley were attacking the Farnham line again and scored again when prop Rocky Mullen spun off an attacking maul to score wide out after 45 minutes making the score 22-5.
Playing with the breeze Camberley continued to dominate and soon scored again through Graeme Fleming who dived over following another quick penalty close to the Farnham line making the score 27-5 after 50 minutes.
Then the game became very scrappy, not helped by the onset of driving rain which made conditions difficult for both sides. To their credit Farnham refused to ‘roll over’ despite their scrum being marched back on several occasions. This disjointed play continued until close to the final whistle when a break by Dan Lewis saw him split the Farnham defence and score his 3rd and Camberley’s 6th try of the afternoon which was converted by Gonse to make the final score 34-5.
This was, in the end, a well deserved win for Camberley but they could have made it so much easier for themselves simply by sticking to the game plan for the entire 80 mins.
Despite another patchy performance however this new side is continuing to mature and improve and with better levels of concentration could challenge all of the sides in this league next season.
Again the forwards provided a good foundation both in the scrums and lineouts with hooker Banjo Masters and openside Jon Pinto again to the fore.
The SCRUFF Man of the Match award this week was again a difficult decision and was finally given to Banjo for his overall contribution for 80 minutes (despite his repeated ‘conversations’ with the referee!!! )Team : JP Jefferey, Jayde Cruiclshank, Dan Lewis, Neil Budd, Jon Pritchard, Alistair Gonse, Paul Hancock, James Pengilley, Will Masters, Wayne Mullen, Alex Gould, Andy Jackson, Robbie Nicholas (c), Graeme Fleming Jon Pinto rep Russ Kirby, James Batty, JP van der Bijl
RogerB
Camberley 17 - Petersfield 5 March 1st 2008
With the number of teams to be relegated from this league still uncertain Camberley made the trip to Petersfield for the first of four '4 pointers'.
The opening quarter of the game was strewn with errors by both sides which could have been attributed to nerves or more likely to the very strong wind which was blowing across the pitch.
Then after 25 minutes, and somewhat against the run of play, Camberley scored their opeining try. Some superb rugby skills by Dan Lewis who picked up scrappy ball on his 10m line, danced past 4 Petersfield defenders and then used his electrifying pace to outpace the rest of the defence to score wide out.
Petersfield, who used the quick tap and go penalty move to great effect throughout the game, came back and, following a couple of quick penalties and some dreadful Camberley tackling, they scored a try to level the scores at 5-5.
Finally Camberley started to play much more controlled rugby with the forwards combining to take play into the Petersfield half and the backs finished it off with a well worked try scored by Neil Budd to make the half time score 10-5.
Camberley continued the improvement into the second half and there were several occasions when a better final pass would have produced a score. At this time the forwards were going so well that the crowd were treated to the sight of tight head prop Russ cantering 25 metres to take play deep into the Petersfield 22.
At that point he was replaced by Rocky Mullen (was this so that he could enjoy the applause from the crowd or was he just tired??) Anyway the substitution took nothing away from the forwards domination and Camberley took the next 2 Petersfield scrums against the head. (Later in the game and just to show the amazing skills of our current props, Rocky also had a 20m charge but it was called back for a forward pass).
However good field position was repeatedly lost by loose passing and also conceding silly penalties.
Then another excellent phase of rugby saw Camberley score. From a lineout on halfway the ball was moved well through the threequarters with Greg White making good ground before sending Dan Lewis in for his second try which, despite the strong wind was converted by Ali Allen to make the score 17-5 after 65 mins.
The final 15 minutes saw the previous pattern repeated with Camberley applying pressure,losing the ball and then being forced to defend a Petersfield breakaway. However there was no more scoring by either side giving Camberley a well deserved win and a vital 2 points.
Again the Camberley success was based on some excellent work by the forwards. The lineout is clearly the most improved aspect of their game at the moment with most of their own ball secured in very difficult conditions for throwers - well played Banjo Masters who was making his debut at #2. In addition Jacko and Robbie won a number of opposition throws - overall a massive improvement from earlier in the season.
The backs also combined well in difficult conditions and the centre partnership of Neil Budd and Dan Lewis along with returning half backs Paul Hancock and Ali Allen could prove key in the final 3 games of the season.
'The Hoff' and Jon Pinto continued the improvement they have shown over the last weeks and both were prominent in making vital tackles to halt some of the Petersfield breakaways in the final quarter.
The SCRUFFS Man of the Match award went to Russ Kirby - after his little jog down the park were there any other contenders????Team: Greg White, JP Jeffries, Dan Lewis, Neil Budd, Jayde Cruickshank, Ali Allen, Paul Hancock, James Pengelly, 'Banjo' Masters, Russ Kirby, Andy Jackson, Alex Gould, Jon Pinto, Graeme Fleming, Robbie Nicholas (c). Replacements Wayne Mullen, James Batty, Markus Bucham.
RogerB
Camberley 5 Trojans 20 - 16 Feb 2008
Camberley welcomed Trojans to Watchetts for the 3rd meeting between the 2 sides this season.
The opening minutes found both sides trying hard to dominate and it was Trojans after 10 mins who opened the scoring with a try following a blindside move from a scrum on the Camberley 5m line.
Camberley came right back into the game, and after 25 mins, from a rare winning lineout, the forwards drove Dave Jolliffe over for an unconverted try. The Camberley forwards at this time were gaining the upper hand and were unfortunate not to benefit from a number of good driving mauls which were pulled down close to the line. This pressure almost paid off on the stroke of half time when Neil Budd had the ball knocked from his hand as he was about to score under the posts. Half time 5-5.
Trojans were soon on the attack at the start of the 2nd half and were rewarded with a penalty. Almost immediately from the restart Camberley had the chance to equalise but missed a very kickable penalty.The game became quite scrappy and Trojans started to pull away when they scored another try after about 55 mins. Camberley showed plenty of spirit but another missed tackle saw Trojans close the game out at 20 - 5.
This was a much better performance from this young Camberley side still in the process of rebuilding with the forwards again having a good game despite the rash of lost lineouts at the start of the game.
Rob Clarke making his 1st team debut in the centre showed a lot of promise and Paul Hancock had an influential game on his return to the team. There were a number of candidates for the MOM which included most of the forwards and in the end the SCRUFFs awarded it to Pete Jackson.
Clearly the side benefitted from having many of the first choice players available - something which has not always been the case this season and they will certainly need to maintain this level of performance in their final games to ensure the comfort of a mid table finish.
Team : Greg White,Jean vd Bijl, Rob Clarke, Neil Budd, Jayde Cruickshank, JP Jefferey, Paul Hancock, James Pengelly, Dave Jolliffe, Russ Kirby, Alex Gould, Andy Jackson, Pete Jackson, Jon Pinto, Graeme Fleming (c) reps Richard Mugford, Richard Thompson, Jon Pritchard.Action pictures of the match by Lee Crabb can be viewed on scrumpix.co.uk
RogerB
Camberley 5 London South Africa 51 - 9th Feb 2008
Camberley entertained London South Africa missing a number of key players from the side which had beaten G&F the previous week.
Despite this they started brightly and were soon in the opposition 22 but failed to convert an early penalty. However from this pressure LSA turned over possession and from deep in their own half brushed off a series of weak challenges by Camberley out wide to score their opening try after 5 minutes.
This pattern was continued throughout the first half when they added a further 5 tries to give a half time score of 34-0. Camberley were also hampered during this period with an injury to scrumhalf Andy Wreakes who damaged his ribs after 15 minutes and took no further part in the game.
The second half threatened to be a repeat of the first when LSA scored again early on from a drive from a 5m lineout. However the Camberley forwards continued to work hard and LSA were restricted to further 2 breakaway tries, both starting from deep in their own 22 while Camberley scored a try through Jon Pritchard as some compensation for an improved 2nd half display.
This was a match where the inexperience of the squad in key positions was exposed by a strong, physical LSA side. Depite the final scoreline it was good to see that the recent improvements in our lineout were maintained. In addition the forwards competed for the full 80 minutes and the replacements all made positive contributions in the second half.Team James Jarvis, Jon Pritchard, J vd Bijl, Neil Budd, Angus Chisholm, JP Jeffrey, Andy Wreakes, James Pengelly, Jack Batey, Wayne Mullen, Alex Gould, Andrew Jackson, Robbie Nicholas(c), Graeme Fleming. rep Dave Jolliffe, Pete Jackson, Richard Thompson.
Action pictures, courtesy of Lee Crabb, can be viewed on scrumpix.co.uk
Rogerb
Camberley 19 Gosport and Fareham 12 - 2 Feb 2008
With both sides finding themselves in the relegation zone this game was clearly a '4 pointer' with Camberley focussed on reversing the 44-0 defeat at Gosport earlier in the season.
Camberley started by playing up the slope and were quickly on the attack after a break by centre Dan Lewis which only produced a penalty. JP missed the penalty and there followed a period of pressure from the Black and Ambers during which another kickable penalty opportunity was spurned.
Then from a Gosport attack deep in the Camberley half Dan Lewis made an excellent interception and ran the length of the field to score a try under the posts which was converted by JP.
The next period of the game saw Camberley mount a series of attacks. In one of these Dan Lewis was unlucky not to be able to touch down his clever kick ahead and at this stage it was clear that his pace was troubling Gosport. During this pressure Gosport were forced to defend illegally on several occasions but unfortunately Camberley were not able to convert those opportunities into points.
Then, after 25 mins and rather against the run of play Gosport broke out from their own half and from a kick ahead scored a try which was converted.
Camberley came back strongly and after 35 minutes and following a 30 metre charge by prop Russ Kirby they set up several attacking drives which finally resulted in lock Alex 'The Hoff' Gould scoring a try ( his second in 2 weeks) which was not converted.
The Black and Ambers continued the pressure at the start of the second half and camped on the Gosport line for some time but, depite being awarded countless penalties for Gosport infringements, they were not able to convert that pressure into points.
The game then became more scrappy with both sides guilty of making basic errors and from one of these Gosport launched an attack which resulted in an unconverted try.
Camberley again raised their game and following more pressure on the Gosport line missed another very kickable penalty opportunity.
However this was followed shortly after by an outstanding try by JP who appeared above a group of Gosport defenders to collect his own chip ahead and force his way over for a try near the posts which was converted by Ali Allen.
The final few minutes saw Camberley hanging on desperately as Gosport strived in vain for the equaliser.
Overall a well deserved win for Camberley and as with the game last week it was built on doing the basics better than earlier in the season.
Again the front five all had big games, the improvement in the lineout continued this week with Jacko and Robbie securing most of the Camberley ball and also managing to win a number from the opposition.
Flanker Jon Pinto had another strong game and has become a key member of the side.
In the backs Dan Lewis aways threatened with his electrifying pace and Neil Budd's devastating tackling halted many Gosport attacks.
Coach Jon Cant was pleased with the result and with the improvement in the sides rucking and ball retention.
Next Saturday sees the first league visit of London South Africa to Watchetts, with Camberley clearly keen to consolidate on their improved form.Team: Greg White, Jon Pritchard, Dan Lewis, Neil Budd, Jan vd Bijl, JP Jeffries, Ali Allen, James Pengelly, Jack Batey, Russ Kirby, Alex Gould, A Jackson, Robbie Nicholas, Jon Pinto, Graeme Fleming. rep Al Joiner, Dave Jolliffe, Jayde Cruickshank.
Rogerb
Camberley 5 Warlingham 29 26th Jan 2008
Camberley visited league leaders Warlingham for their first league game of 2008. Playing up the slope and into a fresh breeze we went behind after 5 mins to a penalty conceeded at a set scrum.
However the Black and Ambers were soon back in the opposition half thanks to an electrifying burst by Dan Lewis and almost scored when JP collected the rebound from his own unsuccessful kick at goal. The subsequent attack was well defended by Warlingham. The game was evenly balanced at this stage with Camberley resisting the intense pressure exerted at the set pieces.
After 20 minutes Warlingham took advantage of a 'wind assisted' throw at a lineout in their own half and following some excellent handling by forwards and backs they won the race to touch down the kick ahead.
Despite this setback Camberley fought back well and threatened the Warlingham line on several occasions however Warlingham are not league leaders for nothing and they also mounted several dangerous attacks - one of which was halted by an outstanding tackle by fullback Greg White.
Then on the stroke of half time Warlingham won a scrum against the head in their own half and showed great pace and skill to score a breakaway try which was converted.
Camberley started the second half in much the way they had played much of the first by camping in the Warlingham half but were knocked back when a long pass was intercepted deep in the Warlingham 22 and the grateful centre raced the length of the field for another converted try.
Warlingham then had a period of pressure and after a series of attacks, which were well defended, scored a straightforward try from a scrum close to the line.
But Camberley did not give up and again camped on the Warlingham line and after a series of lineouts the forwards, who were by this time gaining the upper hand managed to drive Alex Gould over for a well deserved try and the final score of the game.
This was all round a much improved performance by this young side still in the early stages of development (12 of the 18 are new to the 1st XV this season). It was good to see the lineout function so well with Pete Jackson, who had his best game this season, starring with hooker Jack Batey.
Despite being under pressure in the scrum early in the game the tight five stayed strong throughout and gave the Camberley supporters much to cheer when they marched the Warlingham pack back 5 meters in the last scrum of the game.
The general mood after the game in the Camberley camp was one of optimism having seen probably the best team performance of the season todate we are all now looking for this trend to carried into the remaining matches.
Team - Greg White, Francois Miller, Dan Lewis, Neil Budd, Jon Pritchard, JP, Andy Wreakes, James Pengelly, Jack Batey, Russell Kirby, Robbie Nicholas (c), Alex Gould, Pete Jackson, Graeme Fleming, Jon Pinto, rep (all used) Jayde Cruickshank, Al Joiner, Richard Thompson
rep by RogerB
SOUTH WEST FOUR CAMBERLEY v PETERSFIELD
Camberley entertained Petersfield at Watchetts last Saturday in the club’s first home league of the season, giving the home supporters the chance to observe what is largely a new squad for the first time.The game got off to an explosive start as centre Neil Budd, obviously exploiting a planned move, adroitly caught fly-half J.P.’s short kick-off. Two passes later the ball was in the hands of other centre Dan Lewis and he scored with ease. The game then took on a pattern which was to pertain for much of the rest of the day. Petersfield’s heavy pack enjoyed the bulk of possession but were unable to penetrate some good Camberley tackling and covering and Camberley looked dangerous every time they got the ball but were guilty of over elaboration. The visitors did reduce the deficit with a penalty but Camberley increased their lead when a kick ahead by J.P. was crucially allowed to bounce by the visitors defence. J.P. following up took the ball himself and his quick pass released Budd who outpaced the cover and touch down wide out. Petersfield responded with another penalty to leave the half time score 10-6.The game continued in similar vein in the second half but Camberley were gradually gaining more possession but mistakes continued to allow Petersfield greater territorial advantage. However a fine break by Lewis which took him more than half the length of the field led to Camberley’s third try as Budd gathered the loose ball and powered over for his second try. J.P. converted and added a further penalty shortly thereafter. At this stage it was all Camberley and after a further sustained attack, full back Dene Richards capitalised on a strong run by winger Sevi to score another try. The referee then seemed determined to bring the visitors back into the game as he awarded a string of penalties against the home side and eventually Petersfield crossed the line and he awarded a try although it seemed that the ball had been dropped over the line rather than touched down. This try was converted to make the final score 25-13.Although the Camberley backs scored all the points, the efforts of the pack cannot be ignored. The back row covered and tackled all afternoon, the club finally has an accomplished line out specialist in Peter Jackson and the front five generally held their own against a heavier Petersfield outfit. The young squad has clearly benefited from the coaching skills of Jon Cant and look competitive at this level. New scrum half Will Kelly is worthy of special mention as he harried his opposite number all afternoon as well as providing a good service to J.P.Next week Camberley have a friendly fixture against the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Camberley SquadJames Pengelly, Dave Jolliffe, Wayne Mullan, Andrew Jackson, Andy Jackson, Robbie Nicholas (Capt), Graeme Fleming, Morgan Danahar, Will Kelly, JP Jeffrey, James Jarvis, Daniel Lewis, Neil Budd, Sevi, Dene Richards. Subs Tyrone Warburton, Alex Gould, Andy Wreakes
Camberley v Farnham - 15 Sept 2007
Camberley 18 - Farnham 10
On one of this summers hottest days Camberley launched their new season with a squad including 8 players making their 1st XV debuts however with a good pre season training programme completed under new coach Jon Cant there was an optimisim amongst them as they travelled to Farnham.
Cambereley were quickly into their stride and started to dominate the set pieces and after the first quarter had lead 6-0 courtesy of 2 well struck penalties by JP.
Farnham kicked a penalty shortly after but following an excellent move by the Camberley backs Dene Richards touched down in the corner for an unconverted try. This gave a half time score of 11-3.
The second half continued in the same vein and a beautiful break by JP saw him score a try under the posts which he also converted making the score 18-3.
The game then became more scrappy as the heat and pace took their toll on the Farnham side - the second half took almost an hour to cover the multitude of stoppages. This affected Camberley's rhythm and following a couple of Farnham attacks they managed a pushover try in the closing stages giving a fibnal score of 18-10.
Overall this was an extremely promising performance which certainly pleased the SCRUFFS who were out in force supporting the team. There were a number of candidates for the SCRUFFS MoM and after much deliberation it was given to Morgan Danaher for his performance at no 8.
The Camberley squad was:
Dene Ruichards, Sevi, Neil Budd, Dan Lewis, James Jarvis, JP Jeffery, Will Kelly, Ian Goldsmith, Dave Jolliffe, Russ Kirby, Andy Jackson, Alex Gould, Graeme Fleming, Robbie Nicholas (c) rep (all used) Andy Wreakes, Chris Blackman, Wayne Mullan.