Junior Results

17/12/06

Mansfield U14 v West Bridgford U14 - Away

Mansfield under 14’s travelled to West Bridgford in their last fixture of the year and faced a tough and committed side that were much improved from their last fixture and came away with a 24-7 win. From the start Mansfield were on the offensive, with the forwards running hard at the home side, who were managing to compete in the loose, but struggled with the power of the Mansfield forwards in the tight, with the front row of Matt Hubbard, James Ford and Alec Weightman taking the opposition ball at will. From a good catch at a line out by John Shelley the forwards drove and Nick Burton released the backline with Ben Palmer making good ground. From the following ruck captain James Ford powered over to open the scoring. This seemed to wake the home side who then mounted some good pressure, before turn over ball was spun out wide to Peter Coss who extended the Mansfield advantage going in to half time. The second half saw several new faces introduced but the game pattern remained the same, with the home forwards holding their own, but their backs struggling to contain the powerful Mansfield backs. From a solid attacking scrum, Ollie Stokes released the backs, with Bradley Eames powering through to score out wide, Adam Newton added a good conversion. The last period of the game had Mansfield camped on the Bridgford line, leading to Bradley Eames scoring his second try of the game after an excellent move involving the entire backline. The first half of the season showed just how much the under 14’s have developed, with credit to all players involved. The squad have set high standards which they will look to continue after the Christmas break. Next training session is 7th January.

Mansfield U16 v  Deeping U16 – Home

On a bright sunny Sunday morning Mansfield U16’s cruised to the next stage of the NLD cup by topping their group and beating their nearest rivals, Deepings U16’s 55-5. Mansfield kicking up the slope started the stronger and dominated territory throughout the first period. Pressurising the visitors in their own 22 they were soon on the score board when they won a penalty and kicked for touch. The forwards secured possession and drove over the line with Ellis Keegan getting the final touch. Ross Elms converted from the touch line to give them a 7-0 lead. Excellent interchange between the forwards and backs saw the ball move swiftly across the pitch and back again for Jordan Bettridge to run the ball into the corner. Elms again converted the difficult kick. The lead was extended to 21-0 shortly afterwards when the ball was whisked from the back of the ruck and moved quickly through the hands to Bettridge who scored his second under the posts, with Elms converting the simple kick. The final score of the half came just before whistle when Jonathan Cordin collected a clearance kick and attacked the defence before releasing the ball to Sam Wakeling, who off loaded in the tackle to Bettridge, to score his third by diving over in the corner.  Elms bisected the posts with the most difficult of kicks to give the Blue and Whites a 28-0 half time lead.

Mansfield started the second period as they had finished the first putting the visitors under pressure and from a 22m drop out, Daniel Dugdale caught the kick and burst through the defence to score near the posts, Elms converted to take the score to 35-0. Mansfield continued to press and scored two tries in quick succession; the first, when the forwards took the ball at a line out and released it to the backs, who found full back Wakeling joining the line to create the overlap and go over in the corner. The second when the forwards secured the ball against the head, allowing No.8 Gareth Gripton to dive through. The conversions were declined with the home team now leading 45-0. The never say die attitude of the visitors paid dividends when they ventured into the Mansfield 22 and won a number of penalties moving them to within 5m of the try line, allowing their forwards to drive over and reduce the deficit to 45-5, with the conversion falling just short. The home team picked up their game and Keegan scored his second and third tries. The first from a loose ball released by the visitors scrum half when tackled at the back of the scrum and the second when he was first to the ball after Dugdale had made another break through the visitors defence. This gave Mansfield a deserved 55-5 victory in a game where the referee praised both sets of players for the excellent standard of rugby.

Mansfield Colts v Derby Colts – Home

Mansfield Colts delivered a great team performance defeating a strong Derby side 24-5 at Eakring Road on Sunday morning to finish 2006 in style. Missing a number of players through representative duties, injury or family commitments including 3 in the front row, the Colts had to call up four U17's who made their Colts debuts and didn't let themselves down against a very big Derby pack. Mansfield opened the scoring after 10 minutes when Fly Half Alan Symcox picked up a loose ball and was able to get over the line, he then converted his own try. The lead was further extended on 25 minutes when the outstanding Phil Donaldson won back possession in his own half, the ball was released to the backs and outside centre Andy Zacharia cut back on a superb line running 50 metres to score under the posts. Symcox added the conversion. With the half time score 14-0, Derby started the second half strongly with only a determined and well drilled Mansfield defence keeping them out. The Mansfield forwards consistently won the ball at the break down and were able to clear their lines. Derby did eventually score after 50 minutes when they awarded a penalty on half way and with the home still debating why it had been awarded, took a quick tap and were allowed to score under the posts although the subsequent conversion was missed. Mansfield lifted their game again winning the re-start and extending their lead almost immediately thanks to a penalty from Symcox. The rest of the game was played out in Derby territory and Mansfield really should have extended their lead spilling the ball on a number of occasions with the try line beckoning. They did eventually score in the last minute when Danny Spencer who once again was immense, ran in from 10 metres to score, Symcox added the conversion to make the final score 24-5. Mansfield goes into 2007 on top of their league and looking forward to a New Year game against second placed Chesterfield.

 

10/12/06

Mansfield U14 v Lincoln U14 – Home

Mansfield under 14’s returned to action after a week off, and faced the strongest test of the season so far from the Lincoln A side, but managed a 7-7 draw. The opposition had clearly travelled with the intention of adding to their impressive list of victories, but found Mansfield with other intentions. The first 10 minutes were very much a feeling out period for both sides with Lincoln barely containing the strong running back line and powerful forward drives. Good link play between the Lincoln forwards and backs opened the scoring, and this spurred Mansfield on and they continued to mount the pressure they had shown since kick off and after a penalty award Matt Hubbard was quickest to react and crash over for a well deserved score. Adam Newton slotted over a difficult conversion to level the scores going in to half time.

The second half saw much of the same with Mansfield dominating in the tight but having to be switched on to the dangerous Lincoln backs who were finding no way to break through the outstanding home defence. It was Mansfield who looked likeliest to break the deadlock in the second half with Morgan Eames and Rob D’Arcy combining to cross the line but good defence prevented them from grounding the ball, and man of the match Adam Newton only prevented from scoring by the foot of the post. The final whistle brought an end to a fine game, with both sides playing their part.  Mansfield will look to continue these excellent standards next week as they travel to West Bridgeford.

Mansfield U16 v Lincoln U16 - Home

Mansfield U16’s entertained Lincoln U16’s on a cold and damp Sunday morning and ran out comfortable winners 41-10. Playing the game as a full squad fixture and utilising all 28 players, Mansfield started the stronger dominating possession and territory from the kick off. The sustained pressure told on 7 minutes when, from a driving maul a ruck was formed, the Mansfield forwards recycled the ball which was then moved swiftly through hands to Jordan Bettridge who powered through  to the corner. Utilising the wind Ross Elms was able to convert a difficult kick to give the home team a 7-0 lead.  This was soon extended to 14-0 when Mansfield secured a 5m scrum fed the ball to No.8 Gareth Gripton who moved to the blind side and dived over the line. Elms converted. The blue and whites continued to press and pin the visitors in their own half. In desperation to clear their line the Lincoln full back tried to kick but, the ball was charged down by Gripton and Adam Shaw was first to the ball scoring between the posts.  Elms converted the kick to give Mansfield a 21-0 lead. On 25 minutes, Bettridge collected a clearance kick and ran back at the defence releasing the ball down the line, for Jonathan Cordin to round the defence before planting the ball near the posts.  Elms converted to take the score to 28-0.

The half was brought to a close with a penalty just inside the Lincoln half which was well struck by Elms to give the home team a 31-0 half time lead. Mansfield changed 13 players for the second period and extended the lead after 5 minutes when John Ross Ward found touch 5m from the visitor’s line. The ball was collected at the resulting line out by the forwards, who drove over for Joseph Symcox to get the vital touch. Kicking against the wind the conversion fell narrowly wide. Lincoln, utilising the wind behind their backs, were able to play the game in the Mansfield 22 and after a sustained period of pressure won a penalty 5m out.  This was taken quickly and the forwards dived over the line to put points on the board. Mansfield again enjoyed a period of pressure and extended their lead when Steven Repton took the ball from a scrum and weaved through before releasing it to Josh Metcalf to score in the corner, giving Mansfield a 41 -5 lead. The difficult kick fell short. Lincoln reduced the deficit when, from the resulting kick-off they secured possession and released the ball to their backs who fed it to their winger to sprint to the corner. The conversion was missed and the rest of the game was played in the middle of the park. At the final whistle Mansfield had secured a deserved 41-10 victory.

3/12/06

Congratulations !!

U18s Midlands squad Tom Calladine, Eddy Simmons and Jonathan Williams trials

U16s Midlands trials Adam Shaw, Lee Graney, Luke Folkard and Ryan Hough

 

A fantastic achievement by all the players and the club would like to wish them good luck in the trials and games ahead.

 

Mansfield U13 v Thornians U13 – Home

At home again Mansfield U13’s had chance to redeem themselves from previous weeks efforts and did so in style, beating Thorne 19-7. They played out of their skin in the first half, dominating possession and territory so were disappointed to come away with only 7 points. The forwards meant it this week, running straight and linking well with each other and the backs. The only try of the half coming from a Rick Evans break away up the left wing. Converted by Josh Crosby. Half time saw no changes and much of the same, the forwards were dominant, Joseph Needham excelled at breaking the gain line, doing the hard yards to setup the forward motion for the rest of the side. A couple of missed tackles in midfield saw Thornians pull back to 7-7 which spurred Mansfield to probably the best performance this season, proving, that when they concentrate they can play good rugby. With the slope in their favour Mansfield drove and ran hard at the big Thorn side then release the backs at the perfect moment to put Evans in for his second try of the morning and Daniel Bushell in for his first conversion, 14-7. After more pressure Mansfield received a penalty 5m out from Thorns line which scrum half Scott Took quickly to go over to make it a convincing 19-7 victory for the youngsters.

Mansfield U15 v Doncaster U15 - Home

The score line of Mansfield 14 Doncaster 34 did not reflect Mansfield U15`s performance. Doncaster were far the better team and on a windy day still moved the ball down the line with confidence. Mansfield did not put the tackles in mid park allowing Doncaster to dominate the first 20 minutes and score three un converted tries. Mansfield kept themselves in contention with a try from Josh Knight converted by Connal Baxter. Doncaster started the second as they started the first half moving the ball out wide and scoring two more tries. Mansfield did fight back with a try from Man of match Kierron Platten once again converted by Baxter. The last 20 minutes were spoilt by 2 silly tries just as Mansfield were getting back into contention when Liegh Sanders came on as inside centre (back from injury). There were alot of positives to take from this performance, but tackle practice will be top of the agenda at Tuesday`s training session.

Mansfield Colts v Market Rasen - Away

Mansfield Colts made the long journey into deepest Lincolnshire to play Market Rasen in the NLD League and came away with a 20-0 victory. Playing with the gale force wind at their backs in the first half Mansfield held off an aggressive start from a large home pack and when inside centre Charlie Chiverton crashed over after 7 minutes the omens looked good for a comfortable Mansfield victory. This wasn’t to be with the horrible conditions and rustiness after a 2 week lay off combining to make for a stuttering performance. Mansfield had to wait until midway through the half before extending their lead when Alan Symcox slotted a penalty from in front of the posts. Despite enjoying the majority of possession and territory Mansfield were unable to convert their dominance into points. The lead was extended on 25 minutes when lock Danny Spencer cut the perfect line to score, Symcox added the conversion and a further penalty on the half hour to make the score at the interval 20-0. Playing into the gale in the second half Mansfield never looked under threat and spent significant spells in the opposition half but were again unable to get a rhythm going and had to settle for a 20-point victory. Afterwards the coaches reflected on what was a very good squad performance in difficult playing conditions.

 

26/11/06

Mansfield U14 v Newark U14 - Home

A fine morning for rugby saw Mansfield under 14’s entertain Newark in a keenly contested local Derby, played in a great spirit by both teams where Mansfield out gunned their keen opposition 46-5. Once again the opposition struggled to come to terms with the mixture of pace and power that has been the key to Mansfield’s success this season. Playing three periods to accommodate the large Newark squad, the home side were soon in to their stride with the forwards driving at Newark and Nick Burton releasing the backline who set up Tom Lowery to open the scoring in his usual style. The kick of the game saw Adam Newton convert from wide out. From the restart Newark once again found themselves working hard in defence, but more good handling saw Lowery scoring his second.

Further phases of play put Mansfield in the Newark 22 with an attacking lineout that was taken by Matt Hubbard who powered over for a well deserved score. This score was soon followed by an individual effort from Jordan Simmons who beat several tacklers before crossing under the posts. A powerful run from Ben Palmer saw Bradley Eames come in to the backline and outstrip the defence to score wide on the left. Good support play from Jack Mitchell saw him cross after another powerful run by Lowery, and Ellis Wilson crashed over from a good forward drive. It was left to Lowery to complete his hat trick, before the never say die attitude of Newark saw them manage a consolation try at the end. Two more conversions for Adam Newton, and the spoils went to an ever improving Mansfield side. Man of the match this week was Sam Butler.

Mansfield U16 v Newark U16 - Home

 

Mansfield U16’s started their third game without their nine players who were representing the NLD, three players out injured and still showed tremendous strength in depth using 25 players in a 36 -24 victory over Newark at Eakring Road. Mansfield started the stronger and from early pressure in the Newark 22 they won a line out. Possession was secured and the forwards drove over the try line with Toby Lieber getting the vital touch. The score was extended to 12–0 shortly afterwards when the forwards won the ball just inside the Newark half and released it to the backs that swiftly passed it through the hands to Jonathan Cordin, who out sprinted the defence to place the ball between the posts and give John Ross Ward an easy conversion. Newark enjoyed a short period of possession and from a quick free kick they were able to squeeze through near the posts to reduce the deficit to 12–5. Mansfield quickly regained the upper hand and put the visitors under pressure in their own 22. Stout defending and last ditch tackling kept Mansfield out until Callum Wood was able to chase down his own kick through to score. Ward converted to give Mansfield a 19-5 half time lead.

Mansfield took control of the second period when Josh Cairns received the ball from the Newark re-start and made a 40m run before off loading in the tackle for Danny Boyles to score. Wood converted the difficult kick from the touch line to give them a 26–5 lead. This was followed quickly with another score as the ball travelled across the field with slick hands to Jordan Bettridge who powered his way to the corner. The conversion fell narrowly wide and at 31–5 the home team made further changes to give all players game time. Newark fought their way back into the game from this point enjoying a purple patch, scoring three tries and two conversions to reduce Mansfield’s lead to 31-24. The Blue and Whites upped their effort in the latter stages of game and forced the visitors back, securing victory with five minutes to go when the forwards won a scrum in the visitors 22 and released Cairns to score in the corner and give Mansfield a deserved 36-24 victory. In midweek ten Mansfield players were part of the Nottinghamshire squad that made it three wins in three with an 18-10 victory over Lincolnshire at Sleaford.

 

19/11/06

Mansfield U13 v Nottingham U13 – Home

Mansfield U13 were back to square one this week with a dour display of indisciplined rugby. This was a far cry from the previous weeks performance. Losing to Nottingham at home 7-35 was just deserts as Nottingham only really had one player, who Mansfield allowed far too much space. Organisation throughout the team was poor but there were some positives to take from the match. Good work from Rick Evans at centre and debutant winger Ashley Prehn showed that Mansfield had the ability to take on Notts around the park but the lack of fitness, organisation and discipline showed. Mansfield will look on this defeat with disappointment and with retrospect they will realise that a win was possible if they played as a team as they did last week. Evans scored Mansfields only points under the posts with a slick back line move, duely converted by Daniel Bushell. Training is Weds at 5.30pm this week where they need to take a long, hard look at where they went wrong.

Mansfield U14 v Nottingham U14 - Away

Mansfield under 14’s put in a solid performance to come away with a good 26-0 victory at Nottingham. On the day the mixture of pace in the back line and power up front was too much for the Notts side, who to their credit played to the final whistle and never let their heads drop. Mansfield showed their attacking intentions from the start with both forwards and backs driving at the heart of the home defence. With many phases of play from the pack giving the backs the platform to feed Tom Lowery on a crash ball, with his pace seeing him open the scoring. From the restart the pack once again drove at Nottingham with a similar result, this time Ben Palmer used his pace and power to make it 14–0 at half time. The second half saw Mansfield camped in the Nottingham half of the field, and from an Ellis Wilson drive, the backs moved the ball along the line and Lowery was again on hand to score his second of the day. The forwards were not to miss out, with a good driving maul seeing captain and man of the match crash over for a try to seal the match. Adam Newton added three conversions. Special mention must go to Morgan Eames and Sam Butler for outstanding performances.

Mansfield U15 v Melbourne U15 - Away

The under 15`s put every thing they had into this Cup game. They travelled to Melbourne to play a must win game missing three key players through injury and illness which cost them the game losing 8-7. Mansfield started well but never got to the flowing game they are accustomed to. Melbourne scored first but failed to convert. Josh Knight finally scored ten minutes from the end of the second half with Connal Baxter converting putting Mansfield 5-7 in front. Despite absorbing Mebournes attacks the game was lost in the dying seconds to a converted penalty. Mansfield now await the outcome of other fixtures to see if they progress to the semi finals. Man of match went to lock Robert Peace.

 

12/11/06

Mansfield U13 v Chesterfield U13 – Home

Mansfield U13 turned around a recent run of defeats this Sunday by beating a large Chesterfield side 24-17 at home. They displayed good ball retention which is an area they have been working on in training. Both forwards and backs combined well with several continuous phases being played to get ito try scoring positions. Good performances from forwards Morgan Taylor, Joseph Needham and Jackson Clarke won Mansfield strong ball in the midfield, setting up strong running centre Rick Evans for some steady points. Mansfield finished the first half 14-0 up. A 10 minute lapse of concentration in the second half gave Chesterfield a life line where they clawed back 2 unconverted tries of their own but once Mansfield woke up they pressurised Chesterfield’s line yet again for what seemed like an eternity before finally scoring their third to make it 21-14. All 3 tries were converted by Daniel Bushell. Chesterfield battled on to apply some pressure of their own, pinning Mansfield in their 22 and coming away with 3 points from an offside offence. Chesterfield sustained further pressure until a Bushell solo run took Mansfield back up to their oppostions 22 where he was finally dragged down close to the try line winning a penalty which he duly converted to seal the victory.

Mansfield U14 v Stamford U14 - Away

Mansfield under 14’s made the long journey into Lincolnshire to face Stamford in the NLD cup, and came away with a well deserved 12-24 victory. Mansfield kicked off and made good use of the stiff breeze to pen Stamford in to their own 22, where they camped for much of the first period. Good forward play set up an attacking scrum which was played well along the backline, giving Bradley Eames the opportunity to crash over wide on the left. The try was well converted by Adam Newton. Stamford restarted and Mansfield suddenly found themselves on the defensive, with the big Stamford centre finding no way through the midfield of Palmer and Lowery. A stolen opposition scrum by hooker James Ford and his front row Mansfield caught Stamford unaware, and More good handling saw Ben Palmer increase the Mansfield lead to 12–0 and Ollie Stokes had to be aware to snuff out a Stamford attack just before half time. The second half saw a resurgent Stamford side take the game to Mansfield who, although adding second half tries through Peter Coss and Jack Mitchell, were struggling to contain the wave after wave of Stamford attacks. Sure enough, despite gallant defence Stamford managed 2 well deserved scores to add a true reflection to the score line. A very entertaining game played in a good spirit by both sides saw Mansfield take the spoils, but they certainly had to work for it.

Mansfield U16 v Nottingham U16 - Away

 

Mansfield travelled to the Bay for their second fixture without their NLD players, who were gaining a 15–5 win against the East Midlands, and secured a 27–10 victory of their own. Using rolling replacements to give all the squad of 26 game time they started the stronger and for the first 20 minutes dominated both territory and possession, scoring two tries. The first was created by Sam Wakeling when he caught a high clearance kick and ran it back, breaking the game line, before off loading to Callum Wood to finish it off in the corner. The second came quickly afterwards, the forwards secured the ball from a line out and released it to the backs who passed it swiftly through the hands to Jonathan Cordin who rounded the winger and stepped the full back to score. Nottingham reduced the deficit to 10-5 on 22 minutes when Steve Naylor received the ball out wide, chipped the defence and reached the ball first to claim the try. Mansfield responded by putting the home teams defence under pressure and scoring two further tries. The hard working forwards again secured possession and released the backs to play the ball down the line for Cordin to beat the defence and score his second.

A similar move found Josh Hopes, who stepped his opposite number and dived over to give Mansfield a 20–5 half time lead. The second half was more evenly contested with both sides trying to take the initiative. Nottingham took first blood, scoring to bring them back into the game at 20–10, when they won a number of penalties in the Mansfield 22 and moved forward for Josh McGinley to crash over. Mansfield upped their game from this point and moved the play into Nottingham territory. However, it wasn’t until the final minutes that they extended their lead when the referee awarded a penalty try and a kick in front of the posts because, Sam Wakeling having received the ball out wide and kicked through he was pulled back before being able to score. John Ross Ward converted to give Mansfield the deserved victory

Mansfield Colts v Paviors Colts - Home

Mansfield Colts recent unbeaten run came to an end on Sunday morning when they lost 14-16 to local rivals Paviors. An under strength Mansfield started poorly with Paviors dominating the early territory and procession. Ill discipline and poor decision making from the home side saw them reduced to 14 men with No.8 Sam Johnson spending 10 minutes in the bin and trailing 13-0. Mansfield rallied in the latter stages of the half and pulled the half time score back to 13-7 when captain Michael Lowery emerged with the ball after an eight man forward drive following a line out on the 5 metre line. Mansfield started the second period much better but once again poor decision making and handling let them down. Paviors extended their lead to 9 points with a penalty mid way through the half. Mansfield re-grouped and came back strongly narrowing the gap to 2 points when Full Back Alex Miles collected a cross field kick from Jonno Williams to beat 2 defenders and score under the posts, Miles added the conversion to his previous success to make the score 14-16 and set up and exciting finale. Although Mansfield dominated the last 10 minutes a combination of poor execution, ill-discipline and superb defence from Paviors kept them at bay.

 

5/11/06

Mansfield Colts v West Bridgford

Mansfield Colts extended their unbeaten run with a hard fought 15-10 victory over West Bridgford. Mansfield started the game strongly spending much of the first 10 minutes camped in the opposition 22 without really threatening the line until poor handling let them down allowing West Bridgford to kick through and take play deep into Mansfield territory, eventually scoring very much against the run of play. This turn around seemed to spur on Bridgeford who then went on to mount a period of sustained pressure on the Mansfield line, with only superb defence from the home side keeping them out.

On 30 minutes Frank Hawson, playing out of position on the wing, was first to react to a loose ball in midfield, to kick through and dribble the ball over the line to score and make the half time score 7-5 to Mansfield. Mansfield controlled the earlier exchanges in the second half, extending their lead through fly half Lee Shaw who rounded off a fine team move to score. Full Back Alex Miles added a penalty to his earlier conversion to make the score 15-5 going into the closing stages. To their credit Bridgford never gave up scoring a late try to make for a frantic last few minutes.

Mansfield U16 v Leicester Forest U16 - Away

Mansfield U16’s travelled to Leicester without nine players who were representing the NLD in their 22-20 victory against Warwickshire and five players who were out injured but gave a great squad performance to run out comfortable 65-0 winners against Leicester Forest’s U16’s. From the start Mansfield put Forest under pressure deep in their 22 and on two minutes secured possession from a scrum and put the ball down the line for Ryan Croll to score in the corner. This was quickly followed by a break by Toby Lieber who off loaded in the tackle for Danny Boyles to dive over. On 10 minutes the score was extended to 15-0 when the ball was taken from the Leicester backs and recycled for Andrew Patrick Simms to score. All three conversions attempts went narrowly wide so with Mansfield totally dominating possession and territory they declined to take any further kicks.

A line out won against the Leicester throw gave Mansfield possession and the opportunity to drive forward. The ball was released to John Ross Ward who kicked over the top for Croll to chase and score his second. His third followed shortly after when, from a quick penalty the ball was thrown wide for him to out sprint the cover defence and take the score to 25-0. Three breakaway tries followed with Ward weaving through to score between the posts and then Jordan Bettridge making two breaks, firstly to allow Boyles to score his second and then to pass out of the tackle for Gareth Gripton to take the half time score to 40-0.

The home team fought hard in the second period to contain Mansfield with excellent tackling from their full back and good defensive kicking from the No.10 but Mansfield were still able to play the game in the Forest half. A line out won by the Mansfield forwards gave the platform for the backs to run at the defence with the ball moving in both directions before hooker Toby Lieber received the ball to go over for his first. Callum Wood received the ball from another Mansfield line out and broke through a number of tackles on a 30m run to score in the corner.

This was followed quickly with another score from Lieber when he collected the ball and drove through the defence to score his second near the posts to give Mansfield a 55-0 lead. Jonathan Cordin caught a 22m drop out and weaved through the defence to score and then from an excellent move, involving backs and forwards, he received the ball out wide, going over the try line before giving the ball to Robert French to score the last of 13 tries. The squad, excluding the NLD players, are to meet at the Club 9.00 am next Sunday for the trip to play Nottingham at The Bay.

 

22/10/06

Mansfield U13 v Lincoln U13 – Away

The U13’s travelled to Lincoln Sunday morning and learnt just how much of a team game rugby is, losing by 22-0. There were good and bad individual efforts in the Mansfield side but team work was simply the difference between the sides. Mansfield actually had the majority of the territory and possession but did not work together on the day. Good individual performances from Elliott Wynn-Higgins and Scott Carter who were duly awarded men of the match awards. Wynn-Higgins for his defence and Carter for his unrelenting efforts at scrum half.

Mansfield U14 v Coalville U14 – Away

Mansfield under 14’s made the trip to Leicestershire to face Coalville in what turned out to be a thoroughly entertaining match coming away winners by 38-10. Mansfield kicked off in perfect conditions and found the well drilled home side were keen to run at every opportunity. Weak defence from Mansfield meant Coalville took the lead with only 3 minutes played. Mansfield restarted and became a different side with the forward domination that was missing last week back to great effect. The pack scrummaged strongly, and rucked and mauled well, giving a platform for the backs to show what they were capable of. Good pressure from Peter Coss on his opposite number led to Mansfield’s opening score, with Ellis Wilson adding to this soon after.

The second half saw more of the same from Mansfield with Sam Butler leading by example in dominating the lineouts. The move of the game saw Ben Palmer carry the ball strongly before linking with Tom Lowery who had Bradley Eames in support to take the ball inside the Coalville 22, before drawing the full back and releasing Peter Coss for his second try of the morning to round off his man of the match performance. Ellis Wilson added a second try, along with a brace for Tom Lowery. Adam Newton added 4 conversions in blustery conditions. This week sees the squad return to NLD cup matches, travelling to face a very good Melbourne side.

Mansfield U17 v West Bridgford U17 – Away

A second half to savour brought Mansfield a 43-13 victory in their NLD league game after being down 13-7 at half time. A number of penalties given away in the first five minutes allowed West Bridgford to camp near the try line and eventually go over in the corner to give them a 5-0 lead. Mansfield upped their effort and started to play the game in the Bridgford 22. The pressure told and a clever kick through from Tom Blythe allowed Sam Cordin to collect the ball and lay it up for Blythe to go over. Tom Clark converted to give Mansfield a 7-5 lead. Further indiscretion gave Bridgford a penalty in front of the posts to enable them to retake the lead 8-7 and a charge down by the Bridgford full back enabled them to score a second try and extend their lead to 13-7 just before the break.

The second period was a different story with Mansfield fired up and dominating territory and possession. The forwards secured the ball at a line out on the Bridgford 10 metre line and they were able to drive through for John Tasker to score within a couple of minutes of the restart. A second try followed very quickly with the ball passing through the hands to winger Michael Weston who rounded the defence to give Clark an easy conversion and Mansfield a 19-12 lead. A line-out won on the halfway line allowed the ball to be released down the line to Man of the Match Cordin who out sprinted the defence to extend the score to 24-13. Mansfield’s continued pressure resulted in a penalty; which was taken quickly by Jordan Bailey who caught the defence napping to score near the posts, Clark converted.  From the kick off the ball was secured by the forwards who then released the backs to play the ball through the hands out to Weston who scored his second. Clark again converting to give the blue and whites a deserved 38-13 lead. The game was brought to a close with a break from Hooker, Danny Ellis, who ran down the line drawing in the defence before releasing the ball to Bythe to score his second and give Mansfield a 43-13 victory.

Mansfield Colts v Melbourne Colts - Home

Mansfield Colts returned to action in style after a 3 week lay off with a 50-0 win over Melbourne at Eakring Road on Sunday. Playing four 20 minute periods to give all the squad a run out Mansfield dominated the game from start to finish running in 8 unanswered tries. Melbourne put up a determined defence but rarely threatened the Mansfield line. The Mansfield try scorers were Andy Zacharia and Alan Symcox with 2 apiece, Tom Smith, Theo Tsiolas, Tim Gibbons and Lee Shaw. Alan Symcox added 4 conversions and Lee Shaw one to make the final score 50-0.

A special mention should go to Rugby League convert Tom Smith playing his first game for Mansfield and scoring with what was effectively his first touch.

 

15/10/06

Mansfield U13 v Doncaster U13 – Home

The U13’s paid host to a large Doncaster team this Sunday and lost 27-0. Mansfield always knew this was going to their hardest game this season so used it to trial lads in new positions. Mansfield never looked like scoring with Doncaster on the front foot the whole the game. Good performances from Morgan at No8 and man of the match winner Dario Wilson, who played in 3 different positions during the game and did exactly what coach Wynn-Higgins asked. The overall performance of the team was well below parr and worlds apart from the effort they put in last week against Derby. Mansfield will use this as a character building game where tackles were too high on bigger oppostion and numbers in rucks and mauls were too few.

Mansfield U14 v Sleaford U14 – Home

The first match in Mansfield’s Cup run brought the lads a defeat against a well drilled outfit from Sleaford losing 12-22. After the opening exchanges were played out with Mansfield camped in the Sleaford half, the back line sparked into action with good handling across the line leading to a try from centre Ben Palmer, with Adam Newton adding the conversion. This seemed to rouse Sleaford and some excellent running lines from their backline, coupled with several strange rule interpretations from the referee, led to Sleaford scoring three tries of their own. The last five minutes saw Mansfield produce their best play of the match, with centre Tom Lowery showing both pace and power to round off the scoring on a disappointing day for Mansfield. Man of the match this week was Alec Weightman. The lads all wish Matt Hubbard a speedy recovery from a nasty arm injury.

Mansfield U17 v Long Eaton U17 – Away

Mansfield U17’s travelled to Long Eaton on a dry but dull Sunday morning to play their second NLD league game and secured a 53-0 victory before half time. Mansfield were 7-0 up within minutes of the start when Sam Cordin took the ball from the Long Eaton centre and dived between the posts, Tom Clark making no mistake with the simple conversion. The lead was soon extended when the forwards secured the ball from a line out deep in the home teams half and drove towards the line with John Tasker making it count in the corner.

Long Eaton struggled to get out of their own half and when given the opportunity with a 22m dropout, the ball was caught by Tasker who released the backs with Declan Dykes receiving the final ball to round the defence and score between the posts, Clark converting. Mansfield continued to press and scored two tries in quick succession. Jordan Bailey received the ball after good interplay between both forwards and backs and weaved through the line to score and this was followed by a jinking run from Tommy Blythe who scored near the posts. Clark converted the second to take the score to 31-0. Cordin grabbed his second when collecting the ball in his own half of the field, he evaded the desperate tackles from the home defence before scoring under the uprights. Clark again bisected the posts to give the visitors a 38-0 lead.

Mansfield’s domination continued to pay dividends with the forwards securing possession from a line out to release the backs with Dykes scoring his second and, from a scrum to release Bailey for his second. The match was brought to a close when Danny Whitehead broke through the Long Eaton line to score. The referee blew to bring the game to an end 2 minutes before half time with an emphatic Mansfield winning 53-0. To give credit to the home team, they never gave up and were eager to play the second half as a friendly with Mansfield scoring three further tries through man of the match Jim Smith, Will Kinsela and Simon Rowlands.

 

8/10/06

Mansfield U13 v Derby U13 – Away

The youngsters of the U13’s travelled to Derby and came away with a much deserved win 12-7. Tries from Rick Evans and Jackson Clarke secured the win. Conversion by Bushby. Excellent performance from the whole team improving with each game.

Mansfield U14 v Derby U14 – Home

Mansfield played host to a strong squad from local rivals Derby this week winning 28-7. It was a game where both sides played their part in an entertaining encounter. The large Derby squad meant the match was played in three twenty minute periods, with Mansfield getting the first period underway. Total commitment from the forwards had the Derby pack on the back foot in the scrums and tight play, although they were always a threat with ball in hand and looked to run everything back at Mansfield. Mansfield won all three periods, with tries coming from Ben Palmer and Tom Lowery, who are developing into a great centre pairing, and a hat trick for prop Matt Hubbard. Adam Newton opened the scoring with a well struck penalty. Everyone played their part in this victory, against a Derby side that, to their credit, fought to the end.

Special mention must go to the back row, who tackled themselves to a standstill, with Rob Darcy’s crunching tackle on the Derby number eight epitomising the team spirit.

Mansfield U16 v Derby U16 – Home

 

Mansfield U16’s entertained the Derby U16’s on Sunday morning and ran out comfortable winners in both games.  The ‘A’ squad secured a 36-7 victory against the Derby 1st XV, whilst the ‘B’ squad playing against a Derby 2nd XV mixed with a number of U17’s, won 24-5. The Derby 1st XV started the game playing down the slope and put the Mansfield defence under pressure from the off.  Mansfield defended well and slowly but surely turned defence into attack forcing the visitors onto the back foot, with the forwards securing possession and the backs running at the defence at every opportunity. On 20 minutes Mansfield were awarded a penalty from which they kicked for touch.  The resulting line out produced a forwards try, with the ball taken by Prop Lee Graney who laid it off for John Revell to dive over from 2 metres. 

Ross Elms converted from the touch line to give the blue and whites a 7-0 lead. Mansfield began to dominate territory and from another period of pressure in the Derby 22 they secured possession from the scrum and moved the ball to the blind side for Adam Shaw to go over near the posts. Elms converted to give the home team a deserved 14-0 half time lead. Mansfield started the second period has they had finished the first putting the visitors under pressure and from a penalty won in 22 the ball was played out to Ellis Keegan who drove through to score near the posts. Elms missed the conversion but Mansfield were still looking comfortable at 19-0. However, Derby upped their game and enjoyed a period of possession. During this short spell they won a penalty in the home teams 22 and played the ball through the hands to create an overlap and score in the corner. 

The kick from the touch line was converted reducing the deficit to 19-7. The home team responded to this and dominated territory and possession for the balance of the half. A penalty secured in the visitors 22 was played down the line for Jordan Bettridge to go over in the corner and his second followed shortly afterwards when from a free kick the ball was played swiftly through the hands to create an overlap allowing Bettridge to finish the move and give Mansfield a 29-7 lead. Both difficult conversions from the touch line falling just short. The final passage of play saw Elms collect a clearance kick and beat the defence with interplay between himself, Joseph Symcox and Ryan Hough before placing the ball between the posts.  The conversion bisected the posts to give Mansfield a 36-7 victory. The Mansfield ‘B’ Squad not to be out done by their team mates totally dominated the first period of the game and early pressure won them a line out 10 m from the line.  The ball was won by the forwards and recycled for Andrew Patrick Simms to drive over. John Ross Ward converted to give the home team a 7-0 lead. The forwards secured a lot of possession and a number of moves through the backs came close but stout Derby defence held firm until the 20th minute when Josh Cairns (Boris) eventually broke through the line to extend the lead to 12-0. Further pressure by the Mansfield pack forced Derby to defend their line with No.8 Gareth Gripton forcing his way through to give the home team a 17-0 half time lead. The second period saw both teams making a number of changes and the majority of the game being battled out in the middle of the park.

The stalemate was broken when an excellent box kick by Ste. Repton was collected by John Ross Ward who out sprinted the cover defence to score between the posts. Ward converted his own try to give Mansfield a 24-0 lead. Derby’s hard work was rewarded with a breakaway try from their winger who sprinted half the pitch to score in the corner. The conversion from the touch line went just wide and the game ended with Mansfield securing an excellent 24-8 victory.

 

1/10/06

Mansfield U17 v Nottingham U17 - Away

On a damp Sunday morning Mansfield’s U17’s travelled to The Bay to face a very strong and experienced Nottingham XV and were beaten convincingly 47-6 in the NLD league. Despite the score line, the inexperienced squad, including a number of U16’s playing up a year, never gave up and fought to the end. This was exemplified by Mansfield’s Man of the Match captain John Tasker. Mansfield’s points came from the boot of Jordan Bailey who slotted over two penalties in the first period.

Mansfield U16 v Lincoln U16 – Away

Mansfield U16’s travelled to Lincoln to play their first match in the NLD league and ran out comfortable winners 35-0. Mansfield dominated from the start and pressured the home team with Callum Wood breaking the defensive line on 8 minutes and running through to score near the posts. After coming close on a number of occasions the lead was extended to 10–0 on 15 minutes when Ross Elms received the ball out wide and went over in the corner. After 20 minutes Jonathan Cordin collected the ball from good work by Adam Shaw, chipped the defence and caught his own kick before diving over to give Mansfield a 15-0 lead. A grubber kick over the try line from Sam Wakeling allowed Jordan Bettridge to score his first try and Jordan’s second came from a ball secured against the head at a scrum and was passed down the line for him to go over in the corner. This gave Mansfield a 25-0 half time lead. The second period started as the first with Mansfield putting the home defence on the back foot and Ryan Hough made them pay scoring the blue and whites sixth try. The final points came 15 minutes into the half when the ball went quickly through the hands to reach full back Wakeling who dived over to give Mansfield a thoroughly deserved 35-0 victory. Next week, the U16’s have games at home against Derby “A” and “B” squads and all players should meet at the club.

Mansfield U14 v Paviors U14 – Away

The season got underway for Mansfield U14’s with a trip to local rivals Paviors. Unlike in previous meetings Mansfield were switched on to early pressure form a Paviors side, keen to run at every opportunity. Strength in midfield stopped early charges from the Paviors centre and back row, giving the Mansfield pack the opportunity to stamp their total dominance on the game. Unlucky missed tackles on the big Paviors centre led to breakaway tries, giving the home side the lead despite spending little time in the Mansfield half. Excellent scrummaging had the weaker Paviors forwards retreating at every scrum, with the Mansfield front row taking the Paviors put in seemingly at will. A penalty from close range led to the forwards driving skipper James Ford over for a well deserved score. Ben Palmer crossed the line soon after, only to see his score strangely ruled out by the referee. The restart was well taken by Alec Weightman, who with the forwards in support drove the home pack fully thirty metres, leading to a fifteen minute spell where Paviors did not leave their own half. Good link play from debutant scrum half Nick Burton led to Craig Cooley out stripping the defence to score wide out. The conversion from Adam Newton drifted agonisingly wide. The final minutes saw Mansfield camped on the Paviors line, but the clock defeated them. The score line does not reflect the dominance Mansfield had on this game, in what was an outstanding start to the season.

Mansfield U14 52 East Retford U14 12

A fine morning for rugby saw Mansfield under 14’s entertain East Retford in their first home fixture. Retford kicked off, and soon the pattern of the game was set with the home forwards soon gaining the upper hand, against a side containing a number of under 15 players. A superb mix of forward drives, with the back row of D’Arcy, Eames and Wilson to the fore, and early quick ball gave the Mansfield backs the opportunity to show what they can do. First half scores for Craig Cooley, Ben Palmer, Ellis Wilson, Matt Hubbard and two for Bradley Eames, along with some excellent place kicking from Adam Newton saw Mansfield go into the break 40 – 0 up. The second half saw many new faces in the Mansfield line up facing a Retford side playing with a renewed spirit, and clearly wanting to get back into the game. Excellent defence continued to keep the dangerous Retford backs out, and quick turnover ball was spun out to winger Cooley to cross for his second of the morning, also leading to him leaving the field injured. Rounding off the Mansfield scoring, Tom Lowery showed his blistering pace to outstrip the Retford defence to touch down, with Ben Palmer converting. The never say die attitude of Retford saw them claim two consolation tries, to cap off a performance which the score line did not reflect. This week playing Derby at home, meet 9.15am.

Mansfield U13 v East Retford U13 – Away

The youngsters made amends for last weeks disappointing performance. The forwards playing text book rugby with few problems to beat East Retford 19-3. Tries came from Rick Evans and Joe Needham in the first half and Morgan Taylor in the second. Joshua Crosby converted 2. Although the men of the match awards went to Taylor and Adam Ulyatt the whole deserved applause for their commitment to pushing East Retford to one side.

 

24/9/06

Mansfield Colts v Newark Colts - Home

Mansfield Colts returned to winning ways with an emphatic 20–5 win over local rivals Newark at Eakring Road. Although Mansfield dominated possession and territory in the first period with Newark only rarely threatening, at half time the home side only had a penalty from the boot of Fly Half J. Williams to show for their dominance. The second period continued as the first had finished with the deadlock finally broken after five minutes when Williams finished off a fine team move to score in the corner. Mansfield continued to press but were frustrated by some good Newark defence until centre Zacharia added two further tries after 20 and 25 minutes, one converted to give Mansfield a comfortable 20–0 lead with 10 minutes to go.

Mansfield continued to push forward in an attempt to secure a bonus point for a forth try but to their credit Newark never gave up, testing the home defence at every opportunity and eventually scoring a consolation try with what was the last play of the game to make the final score 20–5. The coaches reflected afterwards on what was an excellent squad performance in difficult circumstances with everyone’s thoughts with winger Tom Eames who is currently in hospital following a car accident in the week. Everyone at the club wishes him a speedy and full recovery.

Mansfield U17 v East Retford U17 - Home

Mansfield U17’s won their second game of the season with a convincing 39-5 victory over East Retford. This was on the back of a hard fought 14-7 victory at Sutton Coalfield two weeks earlier. Samuel Cordin opened the scoring after two minutes, he received the ball wide and out sprinted the defence before placing the ball between the posts. Tom Clark converted to give the home side a 7-0 lead. A short period of Retford pressure resulted in a penalty, which was put wide. This spurred Mansfield into action and they scored two tries within the space of five minutes. Good work by Michael Weston allowed Will Kinsella to score his first. This was followed with good handling through the backs and a break by Danny Whitehead before Kinsella went over for his second.

This gave Mansfield a 17-0 half time lead. East Retford started the second half on the attack but the home side reacted quickly and extended their lead through a breakaway try from Whitehead. Retford came back at Mansfield firstly missing a penalty before putting points on the board with a try of their own to take the score to 22-5. Mansfield dominated the rest of the game with Kinsella scoring his third try before Cordin ran the length of the pitch for his second to give the home team a 32-5 lead. Further pressure by the blue and whites enabled them to score their seventh try when hooker Danny Ellis broke through the defence and dived over the line. Whitehead converted to give Mansfield the 39-5 victory.

Next week it is League action against a very strong Nottingham team. Meet 9.00am at the club.

Mansfield U16 v Paviors U16 - Away

Mansfield U16’s visited local rivals Paviors on Sunday morning and ran out comfortable winners 32-12. Mansfield dominated the first period and on 10 minutes secured a line out ball and drove towards the line with a rolling maul. Jonathan Cordin dived over the line to score from a quick penalty. Mansfield extended the lead to 10-0 on 15 minutes when the ball was played down the blind side for Jordan Bettridge to break the defence and score in the corner. On 22 minutes a 20m break by Ryan Hough took the ball deep into Paviors territory. Hough laid the ball up for Adam Shaw to put Daniel Dugdale in for the third try for the blues. Further Mansfield pressure from a maul in the home teams 22 drew in the defenders leaving Mansfield the opportunity to throw the ball wide for Sam Wakeling to go over the line and place the ball near the posts.

Ross Elms converted to give Mansfield a 22-0 half time lead. Paviors put Mansfield under pressure at the start of the second period and from a line out deep in the visitors 22 they retained possession driving forward with Bradley Penniecook diving over to score. Will Crossley converted to reduce the defeat to 22-7. Mansfield upped their game after this set back and produced the 5th try from a quick tap penalty that passed through the hands of all the backs before reaching Wakeling to score his second. His third try came from another excellent Mansfield maul. The forwards gained possession and drove the home defence 20m before releasing the ball to Shaw who put in the full back to score near the corner flag and give the visitors a 32-7 lead.

This should have been further extended with another fine move that ended with Callum Wood diving over the 5 metre line only to realise he was still a few metres short. Another period of rare Paviors pressures resulted in a quick penalty by J. Green who played in Liam Annable to dive in the corner taking the score to 32-12. Mansfield played most of the game in the Paviors half gaining a thoroughly deserved victory. Next week they visit Lincoln in the N.L.D. cup competition.

Paviors U14 12  Mansfield U14 10

The season got underway for Mansfield under 14’s with a trip to local rivals Paviors. Unlike in previous meetings Mansfield were switched on to early pressure from a Paviors side, keen to run at every opportunity. Strength in midfield stopped early charges from the Paviors centre and back row, giving the Mansfield pack the opportunity to stamp their total dominance on the game. Unlucky missed tackles on the big Paviors centre led to breakaway tries, giving the home side the lead despite spending little time in the Mansfield half. Excellent scrummaging had the weaker Paviors forwards retreating at every scrum, with the Mansfield front row taking the Paviors put in seemingly at will. A penalty from close range led to the forwards driving skipper James Ford over for a well deserved score. Ben Palmer crossed the line soon after, only to see his score strangely ruled out by the referee.

The restart was well taken by Alec Weightman, who with the forwards in support drove the home pack fully thirty metres, leading to a fifteen minute spell where Paviors did not leave their own half. Good link play from debutant scrum half Nick Burton led to Craig Cooley out stripping the defence to score wide out. The conversion from Adam Newton drifted agonisingly wide. The final minutes saw Mansfield camped on the Paviors line, but the clock defeated them. The score line does not reflect the dominance Mansfield had on this game, in what was an outstanding start to the season. Next week home to East Retford meet 9.30 at the club.

 

17/9/06

Mansfield U16’s 20 – Hull Ionians U16’s 0

Mansfield opened their season with a 20-0 victory against one of the best sides in Yorkshire, Hull Ionians. They were the only team to come close to the talented young side last year with a hard fought draw. Although this was Ionians’ third game of the season and on the back of two victories they soon realised they were in for a difficult time with Mansfield dominating territory from the kick-off. Mansfield should have taken the lead on 7 minutes when Ross Elms kicked a penalty just wide. However, on 10 minutes Mansfield’s pressure paid dividends; the forwards won a scrum deep in the Ionians’ half and retained possession before releasing the ball down the line for Robert French to go over. Elms missed the difficult conversion. The lead was extended to 10-0 on 18 minutes with the forwards winning a line out before moving the ball across the field and driving over in the corner for Ellis Keegan to score the try. The conversion from the touch line dropped agonisingly short.

Hull enjoyed a short period of territory and possession winning a number of penalties in the Mansfield 22 before electing to kick. The ball landed wide and Mansfield were able to play out the half in the opposition half. The best move of the game gave Mansfield a 15-0 half time lead when the forwards won another line out, retained possession and drove forward eventually swinging the ball out wide to create an overlap for Jordan Bettridge to score in the corner. The second period saw a more evenly contested game of rugby with both sides battling out in the middle of the park. Mansfield went close on two occasions, with the ball being held up on the first and with Joe Symcox celebrating the second the play was taken back 30m for an earlier infringement. The game was put beyond the visitors in the last 5 minutes when Ryan Hough chased down a clearance kick, took the ball from the defender and released Danny Boyles to take the score to 20-0. The conversion fell short and the referee brought to a close a very entertaining game where both sides tried to play attractive rugby.

 

Mansfield visit local rival Paviors next week and should meet at the club at 9:30am prior to travelling for an 11:00am kick-off

 

 

10/9/06

Mansfield Colts got their league campaign off to the worst possible start going down by 31-24 in the late summer sunshine at Kesteven. With several key players away on Three Counties duty, the writing was on the wall from the start with the home side gathering the kick off and kicking the ball cross field for their winger to score in the corner, five points down with less than a minute gone. Mansfield responded superbly to this early set back, applying sustained pressure to the opposition line before scrum half Tim Gibbons picked the ball up from the back of a ruck to go over for his second try of the season. Mansfield then appeared once again to take their foot off the pedal and allowed Kesteven to run in a further two tries to make the score 17-5.

Mansfield once again lifted their game and replied with a try from hooker Phillip Pogmore and was in a strong position with an attacking line out on the opposition 5 metre line when the referee brought the first half to an end with the score at 17-10. The second half started much as the first had finished with Mansfield dominating territory and possession but then making basic errors at crucial times to hand possession to a grateful opposition. Mansfield was certainly punished for these lapses’ allowing the home side to score a further two tries from turnover ball in good attacking positions. The first came from a breakdown in midfield which was run in from 60 metres by the Kesteven centre, evading some poor Mansfield defensive play.

The second score and even more disappointing, came from Mansfield pressure on the opposition 5 metre line which was lost and kicked through by Kesteven who collected the ball 80 metres down field to score under the posts. With the score at 31-10 and time running out, Mansfield dug deep in the heat for one last effort and did manage two further tries from man of the match, Number 8 Danny Spencer and blind side flanker Aiden McGregor to make the score 31-24 and set up a nail biting last five minutes. Mansfield continued to pile on the pressure and only a great scrambling defensive performance out wide prevented Mansfield from levelling the scores. The squad now have to regroup before their next league game in two weeks against local rivals Newark at Eakring Road.

 

3/9/06

Mansfield Colts took a squad of 24 to Yorkshire Division 1 side Scunthorpe for a pre-season training game on Sunday loosing narrowly by 17-12. Playing four 20 minute periods to give all the squad a run out, Mansfield enjoyed the advantage of the blustery conditions in the first half, dominating possession and territory but failing to convert their dominance into points. Mansfield, crossed the opposition line twice in the first quarter only for the referee to have judged they failed to properly ground the ball, they did however open the scoring midway through the period when a passage of driving play from the forwards was finished by lock Matt Broughton. The second quarter started much as the first had finished, Mansfield won a lineout on the Scunthorpe 22, hooker John Kingswood collected the ball but was tackled short of the try line, scrum half Tim Gibbons was alert in support, picking the ball up at the break down to score the second try. Lee Shaw added the conversion to make the half time score 12-0 to Mansfield.

Scunthorpe came back into the game in the second half as the Mansfield coaches took the opportunity to play a few players in unfamiliar roles, scoring an unconverted try in the third quarter and a converted try in the forth. With the scores tied at 12-12 and time running out, the game looked to be headed for a deserved draw when a couple of missed tackles from Mansfield let in the speedy Scunthorpe winger for his second try to win the game.

The coaches were very pleased with the overall performance of everyone and now have some selection dilemmas before next weeks opening league game at Kesteven.