Mansfield II v Towcester II - Away
Mansfield seconds travelled to Towcester in the return fixture hoping to start the New Year with a double, and to Mansfield’s credit pulled off one of their best performances of the season winning 22-15 against well drilled opposition. Mansfield received the kick off and decided to attack from the start as the forwards drove five meters up field where Shaw released his backs. The ball soon in Garrett’s’ hands on the wing set off down field only to be tackled yards from the line. To Mansfield’s horror Rowe at full back had pulled up with his hamstring in the first minute of the game reducing them to fourteen players. For the next twenty minutes Mansfield found them selves defending their own try line. Towcester eventually found a way through to put up them 5-0 followed shortly by a penalty. Mansfield began to lift their game, slowly pressurising Towcester back down to their own try line, when quick thinking Robinson picked up from the back of a ruck and fed Davies who then put Williams away in the corner. On the stroke of half time Towcester broke away to score under the posts which they converted.
As Mansfield started the second half still with only fourteen players, they began to lift the work rate and started to believe in themselves. After surging runs from Kirk and Grant Mansfield were awarded a penalty on the edge of the 22. Saunders first to the ball quickly tapped and went, powering his way over to leave Mansfield trailing 15-10. Straight from the re-start Towcester found them selves under pressure and must have wondered if they were the side with one less player. Shaw’s breaks from the back of the scrums were creating openings which Scott used to produce Mansfield’s third try when he put Wagstaff through a gap, and with inter-passing between Wagstaff, Davies and Brown it was left for Williams to finish off in the corner for try number three. Mansfield’s defence absorbed everything that Towcester could throw at them, and it wasn’t long before Hooper broke the game line feeding Coleman who released the ever present Williams to go over for his third try, earning an excellent victory for a re-shuffled fourteen man side.
Mansfield III v Ollerton II – Away
This was a clash of the titan’s affair. Everything you would expect from a local derby match. The whole game evolved around the forwards. Although a very hard fought close game, Ollerton deserved to come out eventual winners at 17-5.
Mansfield IV v – North Derbyshire III - Away
Mansfield 4ths took their unbeaten run to 7 games with a 57-5 win against North Derbyshire 3rds. North playing with a mainly young development side with a mixture of age and experience were up against it from the start with Mansfield’s powerful straight running approach. This created all kinds of problems for North’s young defence but to their credit, after spending most the first half in their own 22, only 9 points separated the 2 teams. Mansfield was frustrated that tries from Coupe and Whittlestone with both being converted by Pruden was all they had to show for all their hard work in the first half. A breakaway try for Derbyshire finished the half. The 2nd half carried on in the same vane with attack after attack coming from the Mansfield forwards but unlike the first period the attacks were bringing reward as North’s hard working defence began to tire. 2 more tries from Coupe and Whittlestone were added with a brace from Bragg, Taylor, Payne and Pruden. Pruden added a further 8 points with the boot to wrap up what turned out to be a convincing win for Mansfield.
Mansfield V v Ollerton III - Home
Mansfield V team started the New Year as they finished 2005 with an outstanding performance to grind out a 7-5 win against a very experienced Ollerton III team. The young, talented Mansfield side were always on the move and put the ball through hands at every opportunity. Just before half time Mansfield were rewarded with a great try from Man of the Match D. Chapman, which was then converted by Marshall. However the wily old heads of Ollerton were not to be outdone, and working through the forwards soon produced a try of their own which went unconverted. Again, another fine all round team effort from Mansfield with creditable performances from Wallace, Wright, McLintock, Hill and M. Broadhurst
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