REPORTS
WALSALL 29 LICHFIELD 55 PTS
ROUND 7
Lichfield won this game quite comfortably, but it was a strange match up as there were six yellow cards – three apiece with both sides reduced to 13 at one stage in each half – so there were limited periods when it was actually fifteen versus fifteen players. It was not a fiery local derby, just the players could not meet the precise requirements the official required. Yet, there were plenty of points with twelve tries scored, eight to the visitors, however, neither side will have been totally happy with their afternoon’s work. For Lichfield, it was another bonus point win and they will move on to the next challenge at home to Mellish on 9 November still top of the table ahead of Melbourne and Dronfield, who both won easily as well.
The game did not start well for Walsall. On receiving the kick off, their first clearance kick was charged down and the ball ended in touch. Lichfield drove the line out and Ditch Burton dropped over the line for the first try within ninety seconds, Kai Lucas-Dumolo added the first of six conversions. It was he, who was very soon felled by a high tackle and the first of the yellow cards appeared. There were then two more for Walsall in the next dozen minutes, one for a tackle on a supporting player without the ball and another high tackle. Despite all of this, it was the home side, who scored next. They went through a series of breakdowns with speedy recycling and hooker, Tom Aston, crashed over from short range with Ben Pitt converting.
That was as good as it got for Walsall. The line out, quite often driven with effect, was a real weapon for ‘’Lich’’ and a front peel five metres out produced a converted try for the captain, Kieran Reynolds. Walsall responded with a penalty from Pitt from virtually half way, but the game was effectively won in the last ten minutes of the half with a try apiece from Ollie Green and Charlie Milner, both from driven line outs, which in the first case had left the Walsall midfield exposed. Half time was reached 26-10 to Lichfield.
Try number five came soon after the restart. Lucas-Dumolo intercepted a Walsall pass and the ball was stabbed through for Sam Benson to win the foot race to the try line. Walsall started to try to mount counter attacks from deep, with Lichfield’s game management forcing them back into their ‘’22’’. More often than not, the troops were not on hand to succeed and they coughed up possession on their own line to gift a try to Kieran Higgins. The score line went out to 45-10 when Lichfield tapped a penalty in their own half and the kick ahead found no one at home and Seb Smith fed Paul Maxwell-Keys for the easiest of scores.
It was Lichfield’s turn to find yellow cards being brandished in their direction, which made them take their eye off the ball. Hence, the next three tries went the home side’s way. Callum Hoy stretched over the line from a close range scrum and this was followed by a breakaway one for Adam Nunney. Some good support play then produced a walk in for Simon Weaver, Nunney and Pitt kicked the extras to the latter two.
It always feels good to score last. So, a penalty in front of the sticks was calmly kicked by Lucas-Dumolo and, amongst the dying embers of the game, Maxwell-Keys ripped through
the Walsall midfield and when he was halted, Milner grabbed his second from close range by the posts to take Lichfield past fifty points against Walsall for the first time in many years.
LICHFIELD 2s 68 NUNEATON 2s 12 PTS
Lichfield produced a very assured all round performance to beat Nuneaton, which takes them back to fourth position after seven rounds. The city side continues to be on the young side, who do a lot of the running, whilst the older heads provide the nous to make it easier. Over forty points were racked up by half time by the home side, so the second period lacked some of the drive seen in the opening stanza. Nevertheless, there were some good tries scored, three of which came from inch perfect kick passes by Chad Southam and Calum Hagyard’s interception a metre out was also a feature of ‘’goal hanging’’ at its best.
The 2s also have a rest next weekend and they move onto play Hinckley 3s, an under 23s side, away on 9 November. All Saturday kick offs are now at 2:15pm until March.
WOMEN:
LICHFIELD RED 1s 14 BUCKINGHAM SWANS 21 PTS
This was a tremendous advert for women’s community rugby below the Premiership with two well matched sides trading punch for punch throughout a breathtaking eighty minutes. The visitors, who had recently drawn with Cheltenham, just about merited their victory, as they had a few key players, who made a noticeable difference, and they seemed the fitter of the sides in the many exhausting passages of play in the final quarter. Once in arrears – for the only time in fact – Lichfield could not find the necessary energy levels to break down a well structured Buckingham defence. The home side have probably never had to work so hard for a bonus point, yet it was the least they deserved from this exciting match.
Lichfield opened the scoring on five minutes when Abbie Lamb broke through a rare gap, which Molly Draycott converted easily. The lead did not last long as the visitors exploited a gap in midfield after a concerted period of pressure to draw level. The home side continued to give as good as they got and Chelsea Grimley restored the lead with a drive from close range, again converted by Draycott. Buckingham had to work long and hard for their second try, trying all sorts of ploys to break down the Lichfield rearguard, which was unflinching. It eventually came, not long before half time, so the sides reached half time with parity.
Slightly surprisingly, after Buckingham’s strong finish to the first period, it was Lichfield, who controlled possession and territory for the third quarter. However, their efforts did not produce any points and the visitors started to take a foothold around the 60 minute mark. With the gas tank emptying, Lichfield found it harder and harder to relieve the pressure and, with ten minutes to go, the Buckingham replacement scrum half exploited a mismatch in midfield to score the crucial winning converted try.
Mollie Stewart tried to rally her team, but the legs to go through long distance multiple phases had gone and Lichfield had to settle for the single point and, on reflection, a much improved performance compared to earlier in the month against Cheltenham. Next Sunday, the Red team make the long trek to Novos (Newcastle) with KO at 2pm.
LICHFIELD GREEN 2s 0 CANNOCK 29 PTS
Cannock, who are a league above the Lichfield Green team, showed why this is the case with an assured team effort throughout to make their way to round 3 of the Papa John’s Community cup for sides at level 3 and below.
Cannock were soon in front and never really looked threatened by the Lichfield side, who unusually were not even able to register a single point. It was, however, a useful learning experience for this young and talented side and they will definitely benefit from this match when they resume league action at home on 10 November.
The girls under 14s defeated Burton by 50-0 at home in a county cup match on Sunday.
COLTS:-
With the Red team not in action, the Green team accepted a friendly against Stafford and lost a close fought game late on with the home side winning by 24-22. Yet again, the coaches found a number of positives from the efforts of this emerging group of players.
Neither are due to be in action this coming weekend, so league games restart on 10 November.
JUNIORS:-
The under 15s eventually drew (26 all) with Wolverhampton, who had two or three talented runners in their back line, with a last minute try out wide after a fluctuating game. Wolves started with two early tries to lead 12-0 in less than even time, but Lichfield gradually found some momentum and they scored three well taken team tries, all converted, before half time.
Wolverhampton monopolised play for the majority of the second half and two tries took them 26-21 in front. Stung into action, the 15s ground down the visitors and grabbed the late try with aplomb and excitement.
The under 14s were on the wrong end of the possession count and penalties conceded, however, they had the runners to strike from distance, with which the bigger Hinckley players could not cope, and they stuck to their ‘’D’’ resolutely. After the welcome success at Stratford the week before, they won this match 33-10 as they build confidence coming into the testing winter months.
There are very games being played this coming weekend, although the 16s are at home to Lutterworth at 11am, as they seek to continue their definite progress during this opening part of the season. The group had gone to the top end of the county on Sunday for a friendly and came home with a hard earned victory against Leek by 54 points to 31 after effectively winning the contest in a one sided first half.
REPORTS C/O DAVE LEWIS

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