iGNATIANS BATTLE THE NUMBERS AND THE ELEMENTS BUT ARE SECOND BEST

HERTS-MIDDLESEX MERIT TABLE FOUR NORTH-EAST

IGNATIANS BATTLE THE NUMBERS AND THE ELEMENTS BUT ARE SECOND BEST

LETCHWORTH IIIs 34 ENFIELD IGNATIANS 20

The two sides have had some great battles in the past, but on this occasion the numbers didn’t quite stack up for Ignatians, although they did have their moments and not least when the club’s equivalent of Peter Pan, Leon Nicholls, went over for the visitors’ third and final try.

Two late cry-offs ensured that the Ignatians’ task force sallied forth to Hertfordshire with just 14 players, and granted the added handicaps of players out of position and playing into a wind, the visitors suffered on the scoreboard by going 24-0 down.

However, once Letchworth had landed their initial three tries, they didn’t run away with it, and after forcing the issue and camping in the hosts’ half, they secured a penalty which Alex Bucknall slotted between the sticks.

Having at last found their feet, Ignatians supplemented some great defensive work by doing well in the setpiece, and the upshot of their pressure was that stand-in fly-half, John Georgiou, reaped his reward for a piece of quick-thinking by going over in the corner.

Disaster struck in the second-half when Letchworth claimed a fourth try to extend their lead to 29-8, but Ignatians kept tabs on them, and some great tactical kicking by Georgiou set up some good field positions, and Kallym Masters eventaully capitalised by peeling off and scoring from a driving maul.

Letchworth again responded by collecting a further try although it was Ignatians which dominated most of the last quarter, including a sustained 15 minute spell of pressure, with new recruit Kacsper Jaworski, confirming his constant improvement by doing some sterling work.

The final Ignatians' try was sheer magic and entailed Alex Bucknall floating a lovely pass to the oldest player on the pitch, Leon Nicholls, and the evergreen ‘Peter Pan’ figure hooked on to the opportunity by beating the opposing fullback for a good score. It proved to be something of collector’s item as the latter probably wasn’t born when the affable LN first took up the game at the ripe age of 48!

Steve Renny said of the mighty threes: “There were many positives [to take from} the game, and not least a never say die attitude which saw us play some great rugby in tough circumstances, and this bodes well for the tail end of the season