Buzzards leave it late to secure bonus point win

Whilst Buzzards controlled territory and possession for long periods, it was not until midway through the second half that they took the lead. The game was heavily influenced by two factors – with neither the weather nor the referee’s frequent whistle conducive to an open running game.

Northampton Casuals kicked off in squally conditions with the slight advantage of the crosswind. Leighton came close to open the scoring after five minutes. After a number of phases, Ewan Starling glided past the initial defensive line but the final pass went loose and was picked by a Casuals back. Showing considerable pace, he went the length of the pitch to score under the posts. With the conversion the home side led 7-0. Ten minutes later and with their next sortie out of their half, Casuals added a penalty to extend the lead to 10-0.

The penalty count was beginning to hurt Buzzards and, after eighteen minutes, Tom Maynard was shown a yellow card for repeat offences. Despite this set back, Leighton maintained a territorial advantage but only rarely threatened the try line. The referee’s interpretation of the tackle and breakdown area was making it difficult to play multi-phase rugby, resulting in more kicking than originally planned.

Although James Brett had come close to scoring with a quickly taken free kick after twenty-three minutes, Buzzards ended the half pointless. However, they could take encouragement that playing into the wind and having a penalty count of 13-1 against them, they had controlled much of the possession and territory.

Leighton finally opened their account with a James Brett penalty after eight minutes of the second half and Tom Maynard added the first try seven minutes later. The difficult conversion was missed, leaving Buzzards trailing 10-8. Midway through the half Casuals had a chance to extend their lead from a controversial scrum penalty. However, justice was served as the kick drifted wide.

Buzzards were now exerting more control with the excellent half back combination of James Brett and Ewan Starling kicking well. Additionally, the fitness and athleticism of the pack, including from debutant Oli Garbett, was now exerting pressure on a doughty opponent. Calum Creber, who had an excellent game, added a try with fifteen minutes left which, with James Brett’s conversion, put Leighton 10-15 ahead. With ten minutes left Raef Braithwaite scored a third try to extend the lead to 10-20. Then, with the final play of the game, Jacob Murtagh, who was hugely influential throughout the match, scored Buzzards fourth and bonus point try. James Brett’s conversion made the final score 10-27.

With Coach Phil Llewellyn away, the side were coached by Nick Michael who praised the side for “getting the job done” against a strong and determined opposition. He added “inevitably, not every game is free flowing and the team showed they can react positively to adversity”.

Next week Leighton welcome Stockwood Park to Wright’s Meadow.