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Sat 13 Nov 2021 · London 3 South West
Alton Silverbacks (Men)Basingstoke
Tries: G Lucas, B Burrage, L NewConversions: J Gwyther (2)Penalties: J Gwyther
22
19
Alton Silverbacks take derby day spoils
Steve Jenkins18 Nov 2021 - 13:52
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Match report by Gary Brench.
Alton Silverbacks edged past local rivals Basingstoke with a 22-19 win at Anstey Park on Saturday, but they were ultimately pushed all the way by the visitors
Basingstoke viewed this as a must win match after having lost their first 7 games of the season and nearly claimed their elusive first victory that had appeared out of sight with 20 minutes remaining.
Playing down the Anstey slope, Stoke took the game to the hosts from the first whistle as their rolling maul and pick-and-go tactics gained momentum and significant ground, but Alton’s defence stood strong and they gradually grew into the game. In their first meaningful attack, Stoke were penalized for not rolling away and Joe Gwyther kicked the opening penalty after 9 minutes.
In contrast to Stoke, Alton played with more ambition and looked to spin the ball to the backs but neither team were able to create a period of sustained pressure, mainly due to numerous penalties being awarded against both teams that stopped the flow of the match
Ben Burrage continued to be a strength in the line out and Alton also took control of the scrum through the power of the front five, and this coupled with some indifferent kicking by Stoke meant they failed to gain and hold any decent territory. One rolling maul from Stoke took the ball from deep in their own territory to nearly half-way but the Stoke pack had few chances to use this dominance closer to the Alton try line.
Alton backs were now starting to find space on the left wing – and created a couple of chances in quick succession. The first was knocked on when an inside pass failed to find a despairing Alton hand, but shortly thereafter Gwyther weaved his way through and created an opening for George Lucas to use his impressive pace for the opening try. In a game with little rhythm, it was really the only broken-field opportunity in a scrappy first half. 10-0 at half time.
In the second half, Alton started brightly with Burrage collecting a rebound and kicking through to immediately put Stoke under pressure. A poor clearance from Stoke led to some disarray in their own defensive line and they were caught offside. George Pantry thought about taking a quick penalty, but as the Stoke players and most of the onlookers gravitating their attention, towards the ball, the quick thinking Gwyther kicked across field toward a free Burrage who scored unchallenged.
In open play, Stoke’s defence began to creak with the intensity of the Alton pack. Al George was stopped just shy of the line, shortly after coming as a substitute, but it was Gwyther again who took advantage of another opening and spiraled a long pass for Lewis New to take Alton to a deserved 22-0 lead with 20 minutes remaining.
Probably not because of Alton’s complacency, but instead Stoke’s resilience, the game remarkably changed completely at this stage. Stoke’s spirited forwards were immediately rewarded with their opening try and started to mount wave after wave of attacks. Matt Pengilley made a crunching tackle to thwart one attack, but Alton were looking an increasing desperate side at this stage. That feeling was compounded when Stoke scored their 2nd try even though the Stoke unstoppable maul was hauled down illegally just short of the line. Luke Parratt took a yellow card and Alton were now faced with the prospect of spending most of the rest of the match with only 14 players. 22-12 with 14 nervous minutes remaining. The conversion was missed, and it was to prove to be a costly error.
Alton had a penalty chance to ease some tension, but the kick was pushed just wide, and Stoke came back once more to score under the posts with only 5 minutes remaining. With time running out, they quickly took a drop conversion to cut the deficit to just 3 points
Parratt rejoined home side ranks to help repel Stoke for the last few minutes. Stoke forced a penalty and if they had converted previously, they could have been kicking to win the game. However, they were still looking for a win rather than a draw and instead elected to kick in the corner only 10 metres out from the line.
The Alton ‘Red-Bellies’ supporters looked on hardly believing that it had come to this last play and many would have been reliving last minute heartbreaking defeats of recent fixtures. All eyes turned to the referee as he blew for a penalty, but to their relief Basingstoke had transgressed and Alton had held on to claim their 2nd home win in succession.
Ultimately, Alton took the points in that first period of the second half in an evenly fought fair encounter with a couple of Gwyther moments proving the difference between the sides. Credit to Basingstoke, who still took a losing bonus point for their endeavor, but they will rue their missed opportunities from the absence of their first-choice kicking option.
Basingstoke viewed this as a must win match after having lost their first 7 games of the season and nearly claimed their elusive first victory that had appeared out of sight with 20 minutes remaining.
Playing down the Anstey slope, Stoke took the game to the hosts from the first whistle as their rolling maul and pick-and-go tactics gained momentum and significant ground, but Alton’s defence stood strong and they gradually grew into the game. In their first meaningful attack, Stoke were penalized for not rolling away and Joe Gwyther kicked the opening penalty after 9 minutes.
In contrast to Stoke, Alton played with more ambition and looked to spin the ball to the backs but neither team were able to create a period of sustained pressure, mainly due to numerous penalties being awarded against both teams that stopped the flow of the match
Ben Burrage continued to be a strength in the line out and Alton also took control of the scrum through the power of the front five, and this coupled with some indifferent kicking by Stoke meant they failed to gain and hold any decent territory. One rolling maul from Stoke took the ball from deep in their own territory to nearly half-way but the Stoke pack had few chances to use this dominance closer to the Alton try line.
Alton backs were now starting to find space on the left wing – and created a couple of chances in quick succession. The first was knocked on when an inside pass failed to find a despairing Alton hand, but shortly thereafter Gwyther weaved his way through and created an opening for George Lucas to use his impressive pace for the opening try. In a game with little rhythm, it was really the only broken-field opportunity in a scrappy first half. 10-0 at half time.
In the second half, Alton started brightly with Burrage collecting a rebound and kicking through to immediately put Stoke under pressure. A poor clearance from Stoke led to some disarray in their own defensive line and they were caught offside. George Pantry thought about taking a quick penalty, but as the Stoke players and most of the onlookers gravitating their attention, towards the ball, the quick thinking Gwyther kicked across field toward a free Burrage who scored unchallenged.
In open play, Stoke’s defence began to creak with the intensity of the Alton pack. Al George was stopped just shy of the line, shortly after coming as a substitute, but it was Gwyther again who took advantage of another opening and spiraled a long pass for Lewis New to take Alton to a deserved 22-0 lead with 20 minutes remaining.
Probably not because of Alton’s complacency, but instead Stoke’s resilience, the game remarkably changed completely at this stage. Stoke’s spirited forwards were immediately rewarded with their opening try and started to mount wave after wave of attacks. Matt Pengilley made a crunching tackle to thwart one attack, but Alton were looking an increasing desperate side at this stage. That feeling was compounded when Stoke scored their 2nd try even though the Stoke unstoppable maul was hauled down illegally just short of the line. Luke Parratt took a yellow card and Alton were now faced with the prospect of spending most of the rest of the match with only 14 players. 22-12 with 14 nervous minutes remaining. The conversion was missed, and it was to prove to be a costly error.
Alton had a penalty chance to ease some tension, but the kick was pushed just wide, and Stoke came back once more to score under the posts with only 5 minutes remaining. With time running out, they quickly took a drop conversion to cut the deficit to just 3 points
Parratt rejoined home side ranks to help repel Stoke for the last few minutes. Stoke forced a penalty and if they had converted previously, they could have been kicking to win the game. However, they were still looking for a win rather than a draw and instead elected to kick in the corner only 10 metres out from the line.
The Alton ‘Red-Bellies’ supporters looked on hardly believing that it had come to this last play and many would have been reliving last minute heartbreaking defeats of recent fixtures. All eyes turned to the referee as he blew for a penalty, but to their relief Basingstoke had transgressed and Alton had held on to claim their 2nd home win in succession.
Ultimately, Alton took the points in that first period of the second half in an evenly fought fair encounter with a couple of Gwyther moments proving the difference between the sides. Credit to Basingstoke, who still took a losing bonus point for their endeavor, but they will rue their missed opportunities from the absence of their first-choice kicking option.
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