Sat 19 Feb 2022
It was the redoubtable Michael Flanders who sang “mud, mud, glorious mud, nothing quite like it for cooling the blood” and indeed it certainly was a mud bath on Saturday, reducing ‘Digger’ Gardiner’s pristine pitch to a wasteland, with the gulls picking the worms off it at the end. Also, apart from the wingers, you could not tell the teams apart at the end, but Letchworth by then had done enough to earn a bonus point over awkward opponents and avenge their defeat at Hackney Marshes in November.
All of Streets points came from the trusty boot of Eoin Fitzpatrick in the first half. With the wind behind them Letchworth pulled away in the second half but this was far from the spectacular battle which yielded over 80 points in the previous encounter. The conditions were very difficult and in fact the handling on both sides was exceptional at times.
Streetonians led with an early penalty before Letchworth’s exceptional hooker ‘Rambo’ Hughes plunged over from a driving maul at a lineout. Streets clocked up two more penalties and Legends lost their fly half Hem Johal before Hughes crossed the whitewash again to give Letchworth a narrow lead at half time 10/9.
Letchworth dominated the second half and Streetonians scrum was creaking and as it collapsed Letchworth were awarded a penalty try. With most of the play in the visitors half it was rather a question of not if but when the bonus point would come. On sixty minutes Letchworth worked it wide and the ever dependable Tattenda Gurure went over to make it 22/9.
And there it stayed despite a yellow card for forward of the match Martin Day. Baz Basra also singled out centre Luke Campbell as having a superb game in appalling conditions. Certainly the hundred diners at the Des Moore and Tony French memorial lunch could not have asked for more from this team that continues to improve with every game, and with the surprise defeat of Priorians the second spot is very much up for grabs.
Next week is a deserved break before a tricky trip to Ruislip before the Tom Ansell fight … Game On!
The Letchworth front row prepare to pack down. Centre is hooker 'Rambo' Hughes who capped another outstanding display with two tries. Pic: Laurie Browne
Team from 1:
Robinson
Hughes
Turner
Wilcock
Peasnell
Day
Mongston
Allison
Howman
Johal H
Johal A (c)
Campbell
Titherington
Gurure
Gibbs
Hunt
Rae
Dell
Report by Brian Burke
