On a day more fit for cricket than rugby, both teams sweated-out a gripping encounter. An early exhange of penalties seemed to indictate that both teams had been watching too much rugby on TV recently but normality soon returned as running rugby took over. With hooker Matt Barkes having a field day in the scums, and the backs (including Nick Elliott making a welcome return) looking dangerous when they gained possession, things seemed set fair for AEI. OLs however had different ideas and two tries either side of halftime put them in the driving seat.
Trailing 15-3 with ten minutes to go, all seemed lost for AEI, yet they were given hope when the backs worked a blindside overlap and winger Rob Goode scored in the corner. With only five minutes left, scum half Gary Storer took a quick penalty on halfway, Tom King, crowning an excellent performance, made good ground and released Rich Pinks to score. Replacement Terry Bott then stepped up to score a difficult equalising conversion, amid great cheers from the sidelines.
Despite being played in the best of spirits, this game was mostly notable for the number of injuries sustained by both sides. Birstall were first to score but AEI soon replied when, following a series of rucks on the Birstall line, the ball reached blind side winger Andy Makepeace who scored unopposed. Yet again, AEI had clear dominance in the scrums and were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty try when attempting a pushover try.
Starting the second half 8-5 ahead, Birstall made the most of opportunities afforded to them by enforced AEI changes and a constant rearrangement of the AEI backs. Two further Birstall tries completed the scoring while AEI won 3-2 in the blood injury competition.
AEI made light of the boggy conditions and, playing with the slope in the first half, their pack dominated the scrums. AEI took first blood when Mark McDonough took a quick penalty close to the Claverdon line and was ferociously driven over to score by Tom King. After further wallowing in the mud, AEI went ahead when scrum half Gary Storer bravely dived between Martin Neal's legs to score a pushover try.
Despite AEI's continued pack dominance in the second half, Claverdon came back into the game. First a well worked backs move game them a try, then a mistake by AEI fullback Nathan Yeung gifted them the levelling score. Mark McDonough had a last minute penalty to win the match for AEI but it sailed agonisingly wide.
AEI sank to a third successive defeat by a single score in this hard fought Merit Table game. After only ten minutes, AEI scrum half Terry Bott made an early exit for his mandatory visit to hospital, causing a reshuffle in the AEI back line. The first half was a closely contested affair with AEI's pack doing well at the set plays, but their backs finding it hard to get any fluidity into their game. The only score of the first half eventually went to Anstey due to some poor AEI defending at a penalty close to their line.
Anstey went further ahead with a try midway through the second half, and for a while it looked as if all AEI would have to show from the game was memories of Andy Sullivan's exemplary kicking. However, with ten minutes to go, the AEI forwards (much to the chagrin of the backs) put in a continued spell of pressure on the Anstey line which eventually lead to Stevie Neal going over for a try. The final minutes saw AEI throwing the ball around with gay abandon in search of a try but by then they had left it too late.
A tense match, not helped by hail and freezing winds, saw AEI loose a match which was theirs for the taking. Yet again, the AEI team which took to the pitch bore little resemblence to that picked the week before but AEI were glad to welcome back Mark Allen and to give a first full game to Carl Ryan. Handling errors abounded during the first half, with Shepshed being the biggest offenders, and AEI's dominance in rucks and mauls should have given them a bigger advantage than the 5-0 lead they obtained through Mark McDonough. The second half saw AEI attempt to exceed Shepshed's tally of knock-ons and, after an early try, Shepshed eventually clinched the win with a try 10 minutes from time.
AEI demonstrated good cohesiveness and team spirit as they finally returned to winning ways. Continuing a trend of early match heroics, winger Tim Udall mesmerisingly dived over to score after five minutes to set AEI on their way. AEI extended their lead midway through the half when flanker Chris Hague picked up from a scrum close to the Buckby line to score his first try of the season.
A rare dominance in the lineout combined with ever inventive breaks by Terry Bott at scrum half maintained AEI's advantage in the second half, despite an early Buckby penalty. After some aggressive rucking and good second phase possession by man of the match Rich Tuckey, the AEI backs got some good ball and set up Rich Pinks to score unopposed. Buckby scored a consolation try late on but by that time the result was not in doubt.
AEI demonstrated what an excess of Christmas pudding and lack of exercise can do and they produced easily their worst performance of the season.
An early AEI try flattered to deceive, although Rich Pinks did well to pick up a speculative kick from Mark McDonough and release Tim Udall to score. However, the remainder of the first half was notable only for two Burbage penalties and the loss of flying winger Nick Hayward, who sustained a head injury requiring 9 stitches while making a "fine, try-saving" tackle.
Constant second half pressure led to three tries and a drop goal for Burbage, yet AEI managed to leave the worst til last. Whilst on a late attack in the Burbage 22, flanker Chris Hague unbelievably managed to kick the ball backwards enabling Burbage to run through and score a fourth try. AEI completed a hat-trick of players visiting casualty with Gary Storer (ear) and Terry Bott (eye) doing their bit for NHS waiting lists.
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