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Rugby triumph for Navigate
01/02/2011
Gareth Gammon, Navigate's MD, showed his sporting prowess when he
starred for Petersfield Vets rugby team on the last Saturday of
January. He scored a hat trick of tries in the Vets' home victory
against Romsey II by 31-21.
Petersfield RFC's Andy Millar reports:
It was the home side that took the early advantage with the vastly
experienced pack gaining the upper hand in the set piece scrum, which
provided a good platform for the excellent Holroyd at scrum half to put
pressure on his opposite number and to let loose the old dogs in the
Petersfield back division.
Gareth Gammon, the mercurial quiet man on the left wing, got the
scoreboard ticking. He showed his opposite number a clean pair of heels
after receiving good quick ball wide from the back line, and raced over
to score near the posts with the conversion from Groves to follow.
Holroyd and debutant Dobson formed a very good half back partnership
constantly asking questions of the Romsey defence, putting the
Petersfield three-quarters into good attacking positions. Soon after
scoring his first, Gammon showed his pace again as he crossed the line
for his second try out wide to take the lead to 12-0.
Romsey rallied
well and some quality close-quarter work saw them get on the scoreboard
with their first try out wide. Despite some impressive kicking out of
hand and into touch it was not the Romsey goal-kicker’s day; he missed
this and a subsequent conversion attempt as the visitors pulled back to
12-10.
Petersfield were victims of their own early success; their shape went,
the defence was non-existent, and the pack had switched off. They gave
away a succession of penalties before presenting Romsey with an easy
three points in front of the posts and the visitors went into the
half-time break 12-13 up.
The Petersfield Vets came out all guns
blazing for the second half, particularly in the pack. Was this due to
Stuart Barden’s rousing Nelsonian call to arms or the fact that Nick
Atkinson took to the field on his 50th birthday? Who knows? But the
result was plain to see.
The home pack, particularly man of the match Ian "Cuffy” Cuthbertson,
blitzed their opposition and created a vast amount of ball for Holroyd
to continue his bombardment of the Romsey line. Once again his sniping
around the fringes set up Gammon for his hat trick try to regain the
lead 17-13.
Then Holroyd reaped his just rewards and dived over from close quarters
for a converted try 24-13. Once again Romsey rallied and after a period
of sustained pressure managed to get "Rambo” crashing over to make the
score 24-18.
Obviously rattled, Petersfield gave away another soft penalty, which was
easily converted to present the watching fans with a tantalising final
few minutes at 24-21. But there was no fairy tale finish for Romsey as
the home pack stamped their authority on the game and quick ball allowed
full back Higson to come through on one of his trademark crashing runs
to score under the posts for a final score of 31-21.
As a final note
this match was a pleasure to watch and was played in the truest spirit
of the game. Credit is due to both sides for that as well as to referee
Jenkins, whose control of the game was exemplary throughout.
Unfortunately Adam Hewson, another Navigate board member, broke his
thumb in two places, although he played through the match and discovered
the extent of his injury later.
