Sat 14 Sep 2024
Artificial pitches, certainly this reporter saw the benefits after playing for many years on waterlogged and frozen pitches, may have some unforeseen consequences. It has long been recognised the ball bounces differently and players lose some skin on knees and thighs but the multiple injuries suffered by Harpenden, where four players left the field became an additional concern as Harpenden slumped to their second 50 plus defeat.
Last season Harpenden finished third above Letchworth but were given an all round lesson on how to play rugby this afternoon. Letchworth out scrummaged, dominated at the line out, kicked, ran, drove and handled their way through and around Harpenden who could only manage a try from a quick tap penalty and by finding the edge once for their winger to score.
Letchworth pressed from kick off, Harpenden resisted, broke out to half way several times to be sent scrambling back. They conceded penalties and did well to defend successive line out mauls until no 5 Lacey was yellow carded. Sharp kicked the points. From the restart, Sharp who shared the outstanding player of the match with Jude Schoeman took control and apart from some elusive running from full back McClean, fly half Mann and winger Wilkinson Harpenden spent the rest of the half defending and restarting the game. Parkhouse back to his electric self outpaced the cover to score in the corner, Llewellyn drove over, Tim Hughes scored off the back of a driving maul and Parkhouse the try of the half when Sharp opened up from his 22, fed Streets, who reached half way before Arun Johal took man and ball but slipped it to Allen who had replaced Henderson. Allen beat his man, passed one handed around a tackler and Parkhouse outpaced the cover. The pack drove with Tim Hughes scoring. Then Schoeman took his chance, Sharp converting all but one. Letchworth dominated with 46 points, the only riposte that quick tapped penalty. 5 - 48 at half time.
Harpenden, who claimed to have played their second team in their thumping by Tring the previous week, 54 v 10 are 12th in a League of 12 and a points difference of -101. Letchworth sit behind Oundle in second. Despite several injuries, Titherington, Howman, Ben Wilkinson and Wilcock on best man duties the team didn’t skip a beat Replacements, Johal, Gibbs, Stokes and Schoeman all making next week’s selection difficult for coach Baz Basra who deemed this the most complete performance since he took over three years ago. The second half was much the same Harpenden outplayed in all areas but showing dogged resistance and the odd flash of hope through the running of full back McClean, fly half Mann and winger Wilkinson. Their pack was woeful, plodding and lacking drive. Lewis, Fitts and Mongston dominating the loose and Sid Barrett making a thorough nuisance of himself at the tackle.
More tries followed, Gibbs found his way to the line after a break from Streets, Tim Hughes took advantage of his rampaging pack which fully drove Harpenden twenty five meters to dot down and Streets topped a fine performance in the last minute to take the game to 10 - 67.
Throughout Legends' the pack provided quick phase ball. Gibbs invariably found Sharp who managed the game almost without fault. With so much possession, the odd error was bound to occur but with Schoeman and Llewellyn taking their own and disrupting Harpenden’s line out. In the scrum Robinson, Hughes and Stokes out-scrummaging the heavier Harpenden pack and the back row, Fitts - who was everywhere and Mongston whose handling and hard running caused problems all afternoon - kept Letchworth going forward. In addition, Tom Lewis smashed his way over the gain line and Kyle Hughes out-muscled everyone. Nana Kwaku Asiedu put in some thumping tackles, ran hard but is yet to fully meld with a team that has been together for three very successful years. His pace and power is impressive and with a little more composure will start to score. He is caught out by the pace and length of passing that has become a hall mark of this Letchworth side. However, on the ball and in space he is devastating, a score is inevitable and with it composure and confidence will come.
Letchworth host Bedford Athletic at Legends’ Lane on Saturday 21st September KO 1500
Team from 1: Robinson, Hughes T, Stokes, Schoeman, Jones, Mongston, Fitts, Lewis, Gibbs, Sharp, Kwaku, Streets, Johal, Henderson, Parkhouse
Replacements: Barrett, Allen, Hughes K
