Whitchurch 2nd’s 0 vs Barton-Under-Needwood 107

Barton got off to a quick start with 2 tries in the first couple of minutes, which knocked us off our stride. The Barton half backs were on good form and moved us around a lot which carved openings and mismatches but the Whitchurch lads were giving everything to keep them out. Barton also had an effective 10 and 12 axis that pinned us back with well placed kicks that undid a lot of our work in gaining territory.

Our pack were competitive for the full 80 minutes and we were able to gain a good number of turnovers and did well at scrum time in particular. Scrum Half Jake Astley put in a massive shift and was voted as our man of the match by Barton and his work at the breakdown meant our spells of possession showed promise and gained territory. We tried to keep the ball rather than play too expansively though we were constantly under pressure by a skilled first XV. Josh Skover and Mike Oakden were leading the way in terms of successful tackles and we did have spells when our defensive work kept Barton back and forced them into mistakes but we suffered in a few expensive spells that only fed Barton with confidence. We just weren’t able to score and get into the game but were deserving of some reward. The lads stuck at it admirably on a difficult day and despite the scoreline came off with a lot of respect from the opponents. Thanks to everyone who came and did their best for the club.