Match Report: Kearsney vs St Stithians
Kearsney 1st XV beat St Stithians 82 – 5
Kearsney hosted St Stithians on Saturday in pleasant conditions. The first 10 minutes were even with both teams squandering points scoring opportunities. Kearsney scored the first try via number eight Dylan Richardson from a set phase move. Winger James Sutherland converted for a 7 – nil lead.
Kearsney started to dominate the contest and soon scored again when Sutherland put a grubber through, which the visitors could not clear, and centre Cameron Craze collected to dive over in the left hand corner. Sutherland converted for a 14 – nil lead.
The third try was scored by hard-working lock Ryan Lewarne after a penalty move which saw the attack switching direction and stopped close to the try line. Lewarne gathered and stormed across the line for a deserved try.
Almost immediately after the kick-off the Kearsney backs had another run and as soon as they ran out of field width, they passed back inside and flanker Luke Croshaw ran a good line at pace. After 30m he passed to substitute centre Matthew Blair for a try in the left corner. Sutherland converted and stretched the lead to 26 – nil.
Saints fought back nicely and after some phases in the hosts’ 22m area scored a somewhat contentious disallowed try. However, Kearsney attacked from that 5m scrum and fly half Cameron Ritchie found a gap on his own 22m line and ran the length of the field to score under the posts. Sutherland converted for a half time score of 33 – nil.
Ritchie opened Kearsney’s second half account after receiving a well-timed pass from bullocking Richardson down midfield. Sutherland converted for a 40 – nil lead early in the second half.
Saints had an attacking opportunity which was spoiled by an intercept by Richardson and got pulled down 5m short of the goal line. The visitors infringed and Craze took advantage with a quick tap penalty to jog over. Sutherland again converted.
Ritchie had a hand in the next Kearsney try with a clever chip kick over the advancing defensive line which he gathered and passed at the right moment to his support runners. They eventually found right winger Reece Daniel to score in the right corner for a 52- nil lead.
The ninth try for the hosts was very attractive in that it followed good inter play between backs and forwards, with a strong carry from Richardson to score next to the upright; which Sutherland converted.
Saints’ only points of the match came in the 57th minute when their energetic flanker and captain collected a spilled ball on his own 10m line and outsprinted the defenders to score in the right corner.
Kearsney soon took control again and substitute flanker Matthew Heard turned over possession. Richardson and flanker Ross Taylor were prominent in breaking through the defence for Lewarne to collect the final pass and dive over, for Sutherland to convert.
Man-of-the-match Ritchie scored his third try after a rehearsed back line move and wrong footing the full back to score in the left corner which the reliable Sutherland converted.
The final points for the hosts came from a quickly taken penalty deep in their own half by Warren Driver, with Taylor and Daniel running strongly and providing the final pass to the inside, for Blair to score under the posts. Sutherland converted for a 80-5 full-time score.
Outstanding players for Kearsney’s 1st XV were Ritchie, Richardson, Craze and Lewarne. The hosts lost only one of the weekend’s 16 rugby fixtures against St Stithians.
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