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Sat 20 Mar 2010 · London 1 North
1st XVRuislip
34
7
Eton Manor 34 Ruislip 7
Martin Pearl22 Mar 2010 - 10:57
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A great win for the Manor Report by Ian Edwards
Eton Manor produced their best performance of the season with an emphatic 34-7 victory against 5th placed Ruislip. The home side stormed into an early lead when the pocket rocket Nick Horton used his extra weight in a rolling maul to eventually get the first points of the day. The conversion was added by Greg Anderson. The second try soon followed when James Wilcox cut through the Ruislip defence and found the inside ball for Callum Mckie to score under the posts, with the extra two points easily added. Further tries could have been added if not for a cruel bounce off an uneven divert. Anderson added a second penalty and a well worked drop goal to take the home side in 20-0 up at half time.
As expected Ruislip came back hard in the second half but the Eton Manor forwards soaked up the pressure and soon the Manor backs were again on the front foot. Further tries were added by Jamie Walker and John Robinson taking the game beyond the reach of Ruislip. They did eventually cross the line in the last minute and full credit must be given for their commitment to the very end.
It is often the Manor forwards who grab the headlines but today it was the backs. The back three of Anderson, Donaldson and Wilcox were fearless in defence and attacked at every opportunity. The midfield of Mckie and Walker gave their opposition no time or space and always managed to get over the game line. The vision and tactical awareness of Callum Mckie and Nick Horton was sublime.
Coach Mark Cushieri said “It was by far our most clinical performance of the season against a big and very useful side. It shows the progress we have made again this season. The boys have set the target of picking up maximum points in the last 5 games. The buzz around the club and training is fantastic. We have competition for every place which keeps everybody on their toes. It is sometimes easy to forget that the average age of our back line is only 21 (excluding Greg Anderson). This can only be a good sign for things to come.
Next week the first team are away to Harpenden.
As expected Ruislip came back hard in the second half but the Eton Manor forwards soaked up the pressure and soon the Manor backs were again on the front foot. Further tries were added by Jamie Walker and John Robinson taking the game beyond the reach of Ruislip. They did eventually cross the line in the last minute and full credit must be given for their commitment to the very end.
It is often the Manor forwards who grab the headlines but today it was the backs. The back three of Anderson, Donaldson and Wilcox were fearless in defence and attacked at every opportunity. The midfield of Mckie and Walker gave their opposition no time or space and always managed to get over the game line. The vision and tactical awareness of Callum Mckie and Nick Horton was sublime.
Coach Mark Cushieri said “It was by far our most clinical performance of the season against a big and very useful side. It shows the progress we have made again this season. The boys have set the target of picking up maximum points in the last 5 games. The buzz around the club and training is fantastic. We have competition for every place which keeps everybody on their toes. It is sometimes easy to forget that the average age of our back line is only 21 (excluding Greg Anderson). This can only be a good sign for things to come.
Next week the first team are away to Harpenden.
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