Rugby: Buzzards’ promotion hopes suffer blow
BUZZARDS’ Midlands 2 East (South) promotion hopes suffered a blow as they lost 21-17 at Market Harborough on Saturday.
After a three week break from rugby because of a game being called off and the Christmas period, Buzzards were hoping for revenge against a side who had beaten them at Wrights Meadow earlier in the season.
Market Harborough ran out 32-27 winners when the sides previously met, and another close battle was fought out in Leicestershire, but it ended in a third defeat of the season for the promotion chasing Buzzards who must return to winning ways – starting with the visit of Oadby Wyggestonians this weekend.
The game started very much like a game where neither team had played much rugby. It took 10 minutes before either team started to look like scoring and it was Harborough who scored the first try through a well worked effort by fly-half Will Taylor who then stepped up to convert his own try,
This seemed to spur Leighton into action and after some good phases of play through the whole team, the ball was passed out to captain Ryan Fraser who found himself free in the centre to touch down for a well worked try that was converted by Dan David.
The game then settled down with both teams coming close to scoring, but it was Leighton who scored next through second row Gavin Taylor who intercepted the ball from a long pass on the halfway line and then had the legs and speed to score in the corner.
With the half coming to a close the ball was kicked long from the restart and after a couple of phases of play the ball was passed out to David to clear the 22 metre line. But he had not seen the open side flanker approaching him and the Harborough man managed to charge the ball down, and second row Tom Lockwood was first to the ball and scored under the posts, converted by Taylor.
The try against them just before half time had taken the wind out of Leighton’s sails and it was Market Harborough who began much the brighter of the two sides. However, it was the visitors who would score the next try.
The ball was turned over on the halfway line by the Leighton forwards who then got the ball through the backs hands and it was Euan Irwin who crashed over out wide to score again near the corner. The conversion was again missed by David.
With the match approaching 60 minutes, Leighton gave away a couple of penalties and found themselves only 10 metres from their own try line, and it was from this lineout that the home side would score their last score of the game through Lockwood again who was the person who came up with the ball after a driving maul by their forwards.
Leighton did have chances to win the game but either lost control of the ball at vital times or gave away a penalty as Harborough saw out the game to win 21-17.
Buzzards dropped to third in the table as a result of the defeat, with leaders Huntingdon & District now seven points clear and second in the table Dunstablians three points better off.
A home game against struggling Oadby Wiggstonians represents a good chance to bounce back to winning ways at Wrights Meadow this Saturday.
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North west
