Gannets taken to the wire

With only the Gannets and Swans at home this week,all the pre match chit chat was about who was going to have the first team pitch.

The fourth team traditionally don't perform well on the wider field as their more 'seasoned' let's just say team usually comes up against a side with a couple of speed merchants who can take full advantage of the wide open pastures on offer.Having perused Vigos match reports,they knew this to be the case and with the Swans politely declining the more than kind offer of a game in the front of the clubhouse,it was game on.

The talk in the huddle was about the Gannets making horrendously slow starts to games but this most certainly wasn't the case as they took the ball from the kickoff and battered their way towards the Vigo line through several phases,even winning a scrum against the head along the way. Ultimately it was a Gees scrum on the 5 that drove the visitors back and over their own line where punchy,65 year old Welsh scrum half Gareth Williams flopped on the ball to score.He's from Llanelli you know.

Vigo took a while to get going but when they did,their game plan was clear.To get the ball to their speedy outside centre and winger.Could the Gannets do anything about it? Initially,yes with Peris excellent sweeping bailing out his robust but slower centres on a couple of occasions.A substained period of Vigo pressure culminated in both home centres being sucked in allowing the said Vigo 13 to canter in under the posts.

So 7-7 it was until Connor Watkins had the chance of 3 points just before the half but his kick fell agonisingly short.

So far the massive crowd of about 20 had been witness to a cat and mouse affair but it would soon burst into life in the second period when Jamie Feighery went over early on.Again Connors kick fell short .

Vigo came storming back again,with those pesky speedy backs combining.With the winger seemingly going nowhere,a hopeful lob over his shoulder was picked up by the 13 who again scampered in under the posts for a converted score.

In the finest tradition of a see saw battle it was soon the Gannets who were once again knocking on the door with Connors probing kicks causing some disarray in the Vigo backs.A visitors lineout on their own 5 went horribly wrong and Matt Abbott showed an uncharacteristic turn of pace to pounce upon the loose ball,George North style (he told me to say that) in the corner. A superb conversion from the touchline meant that the Gannets were once again in the lead.

A knee injury to Mitch Dorsett couple with Ash Tester being broken meant that uncontested scrums and open running rugby would now be the order of the day,something which no doubt suited the visitors with their superior pace in that department.The Vigo 13 soon had his hatrick score,once again getting around the corner and fending off some woeful Gannets tackles.Until then,the Vigo kicker had been 100% but the sight of Ben Baker bearing down on his run up clearly proved a distraction as a relatively simple conversion was missed.

Now it was the Gannets turn to turn the screw once again with Connors kicks gaining territory,A scrum on the Vigo 22 was won,funnily enough,by the Gees and Connor cleverly switched the play left where he found Jamie Feighery who bludgeoned his way to the line for his second score of the game,once again converted.

With only 5 minutes or so left it should have been easy for the Gannets to see out proceedings but in typical style they allowed a further score.The author of this piece has no idea how it happened or who scored it as he was lying semi unconscious on the sideline.

What he does know,however is that Vigo were presented with the opportunity to tie the game with pretty much the final kick of the game but their kickers accuracy once again deserted him and 26-24 it finished.

The Gees elation at the final whistle said everything as they had beaten a Vigo side which,as expected,refused to lie down and fought right up until the final whistle.Their man of the match was undoubtedly their 13 with his 3 tries without which the game would have had a different complexion.

For the Gees mentions go to Peri for bailing out his centres on more than a couple of occasions,Gregory Mayhew the younger (looking) brother of Rich in his annual game for the Gannets and Gareth Williams for scoring a try on his first game in donkeys despite being old,Welsh and having a pacemaker.And it only took him 20 mins to find aggro.Cymru Am Byth.

The Gannets MVP must go to Connor Watkins,carrying on his form from last week with his probng kicks,game management and superb place kicking.

So it's Ashford away next week and no doubt Ben or Martin will be furnishing you with the details as i'm at a soccerball match.

Until next time...