Sat 29 Feb 2020
Just like the weather this match ebbed and flowed throughout it’s course. There was rain and sunshine for both sides but in the end it was Grasshoppers who sneaked it with the last play of the game.
On a day of sun and showers these were evenly matched teams, with maybe the Letchworth backs shading it and the Grasshoppers forwards. The Letchworth defence in the red zone was excellent but there were too many tackles missed up field which gave the home side room to make big tranches of territory.
The first score went to Legends after only eight minutes when the ball was moved back along the line. Arun Johal made a good break and set up T Gurure in the corner for a fine try. Unfortunately the Letchworth winger had to leave the field after scoring this try. Letchworth attacked again shortly afterwards and great driving by the forwards saw Gibbs released on the blindside, and a great pass by Luke Mongston to Aaron Williams saw a second try. Unluckily the conversion hit the post. Grasshoppers came back into it with a try under the posts following some weak tackling behind the scrum. Then a well worked line out by Grasshoppers saw them move the ball well to score and put them in the lead 14/10. At this stage it was actually 24 points in 24 minutes!
Back came Letchworth and a great break out by Aman Johal found his cousin Arun, and then Dafydd Lloyd fed on a great pass to Harry Charlier who went in for a try which was converted to make the scores 14/17. More pressure saw Williams and then Lloyd go close before skipper Sean Flatman dived over to make it 14/24. This should’ve been the halftime score but a very soft try donated by the visitors gave Grasshoppers hope at 19/24 at half time.
The home side attacked with vigour for the first 10 minutes of the second-half but the Letchworth defence was great and the home side were unrewarded for all their pressure. Letchworth then dominated but they too were unable to score. A Grasshopper Interception allowed them to go 80 metres and although they were initially held up, a good cross kick saw their number 4 rumble over unopposed in the corner.
The game was now getting quite fractious with various handbags being thrown at different times. However a Letchworth penalty taken by Jai Johal stroked them into the lead at 26/27, and then a whopping penalty minutes later by the same player left them with a four point cushion at 26/30!
The game was now ticking away but Grasshoppers were not ready to lie down and applied some real pressure at the death. They were awarded a penalty deep into the Letchworth 22 and a further penalty resulted in a fine attacking scrum from which they scored to make it 31/30 with the final move of the game, and the conversion just added salt into the wound to leave the final score 33/30 to the home side. It was an entertaining game but sadly Letchworth will look back on it as one that could and should have been won.
They now have a three week gap before the next home game against Hemel Hempstead at Legends Lane on March 21st. There will be a memorial lunch for two club stalwarts, Desmond Moore and Tony French, and places can be booked from Brian Burke on (07768) 274037. There will hopefully also be an award of a sizeable cheque to the Lister Hospital prostate cancer fund on the day.
Team from 1:
Robinson
Page
Mellor
Flatman c
Schoeman
Jones
Charlier
Mongston
Gibbs
Johal J
Gurure
Lloyd
Johal Aman
Williams
Johal Arun
Turner
Allison
Stacy
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