Nat 1 Round-up

SATURDAY 29th OCTOBER 2005

Bedford Blues 35 (Tries: Harris 2, Page, Strauss, Price. Cons: Harris 5.) 

Pertemps Bees 18 (Tries: Baxter, Takarangi. Con: Harvey. Pens: Harvey 2.). 

The Blues made it seven wins and a draw with this home success over the Pertemps Bees. Full back Mark Harris was again amongst the points with another 20 as he went over for a couple of tries and converted all five of the Blues tries to move onto 120 for the season. Scrum half Alex Page and Harris got first half tries whilst Ben Harvey kicked a penalty goal for the Bees and he then converted a Nick Baxter try to go in 14-10 down. Flanker Nic Strauss went in for the Blues 3rd try on 56 minutes and Harris converted. Harvey kicked a penalty goal on the hour for the visitors and when wing Aaron Takarangi went over the Blues line on 69 minutes it was game on at 21-18. The Blues scored two tries in injury time to secure the bonus point and the win to keep on the tails of Harlequins.   

Exeter Chiefs 19 (Tries: Fisher, Bentley. Pens: Yapp 2. DG: Yapp.) 

Nottingham 18 (Tries: Jackson, Wyles. Con: Warnock. Pens: Warnock 2.). 

The Chiefs sneak a late win over Nottingham with an injury time drop goal form Tony Yapp. Exeter were ahead on five minutes when second row Chris Bentley touched down for 5-0. Nottingham were level when right wing David Jackson went over in the 12th minute. The Chiefs right wing Peter Fisher gave his side the lead again in the 27th minute but just after the half hour mark Neil Stenhouse kicked a penalty for the visitors and then three minutes later converted a try form centre Chris Wyles as Nottingham went 15-10 ahead. Just before the break Yapp pulled three points back for the home side. It took till the 70th minute for the score to change as Stenhouse made it 18-13. Yapp then pulled three points back with a 72nd minute penalty before his late drop goal won the match for the Chiefs.

London Welsh 27 (Tries: Swales, Holgate, Woods 2. Cons: Cholewa 2. Pen: Cholewa.) 

Doncaster 27 (Tries: Van Vuuren 2, Wood. Pens: Benson 4.). 

These two sides fought a tight encounter which ended in a draw after the Welsh scored an injury time try but could not add the conversion to snatch the win.The Welsh took the lead when Flanker Matt Fitzgerald went over for a 3rd minute try which Lee Cholewa converted for 7-0. Jon Benson pulled three points back for the visitors before Fitzgerald scored a second try on 26 minutes. Benson added a second penalty goal before two tries form wing Donovan Van Vuuren went in for a brace of tries late in the half as Doncaster went in 16-12 ahead. Three minutes into the second half and the Welsh were back in front when full back Gareth Swales went over for a try and Cholewa converted. Benson kicked a couple of penalties and Cholewa kicked one for the Welsh to make it 22-22 after 61 minutes. Doncaster went ahead on 66 minutes when winger Michael Wood went over the Welsh line and led until the 3rd minute of injury time when left wing Tim Holgate went over for the Welsh to tie the match.

Newbury 24 (Tries: D Smith, Cracknell, Bell. Cons: Feeney 3. Pen: Feeney.) 

Coventry 36 (Tries: Gulliver, Harvey. K Johnson, Clapham, Venter. Con: Harvey 4. Pen: Harvey.). 

Coventry picked up just their second win of the season over an in form Newbury side at Monks Lane. . Coventry took the lead on five minutes when second row Ben Gulliver went over and Dave Harvey converted. Newbury were level on 11 minutes when second row Dan Smith, on loan from Bath, went over and Blair Feeney converted. They took the lead on 27 minutes when flanker Chris Cracknell went over for his 6th try of the season and Feeney again converted.  Coventry Full back Harvey got the second Coventry try and added the conversion to level it. Just before the break Newbury were back in front when centre Duncan Bell touched down and again Feeney converted to lead 21-14 at the break. The game turned in the first ten minutes of the second half with the visitors scoring 15 points tries from wing Kurt Johnson and the other second row Pal Clapham which Harvey added a conversion and a penalty goal. Feeney narrowed the gap on 75 minutes with a penalty goal but on 78 minutes the visitors sealed the win when flanker Henno Venter went over for the fifth Coventry try and Harvey again added the conversion for a much needed victory.

Plymouth Albion 33 (Tries: Thomas, Pearl, Fabian, Too’ala, Penalty try. Cons: Saumi 4.) 

Otley 3 (Pen: Binns.). 

Plymouth Albion found their firm at home again and beat an Otley side that was starting to put together a good run after a poor start to the season. Albion ran in five tries and restricted the Yorkshire side to just a penalty goal from Simon Binns just before half time. By which time the home side were 14-0 ahead with tries form flanker Danny Thomas and hooker Stuart Pearl, both converted by Nat Saumi. In the second half they added three more tries with right wing Jon Fabian and No 8 Alfie Too’ala going over and the referee awarding them a penalty try. 

Earth Titans 7 (Try: Mitchell. Con: Strauss.) 

NEC Harlequins 22 (Tries: Easter 2, Masson. Cons: Mehrtens 2. Pen: Mehrtens.). 

Quins made it eight out of eight with this away win at the Earth Titans who gave them a run for their money. Andrew Mehrtens gave the home side the lead with a second minute penalty goal. They went further ahead when Tosh Masson went in for his 3rd try of the season on seven minutes. That though was the end of the first half scoring as they lead 8-0 at the break. No 8 Nick Easter got the Quins second try on 49 minutes to make it 15-0 before the home side finally got on the scoreboard. Centre Greg Mitchell went in for a 57th minute try and WP Strauss converted. Quins sealed the win in the 70th minute when Easter completed a double and Mehrtens converted.  

Cornish Pirates 53 (Tries: K James 2, Davies, S James, J Pritchard, Jess, Cattle, Bearman, Morgan. Cons: Jarvis 3, Barlow.) 

Sedgley Park 8 (Try: Skurr. Pen: Jones.). 

The Cornish Pirates remain in third after this emphatic win over Sedgley Park at Kenwyn Hill. The Pirates were 14-0 up in the opening five minutes with right wing Kevin James coring after 40 seconds and left wing Matt Jess got the second on five minutes and Lee Jarvis converted both. Phil Jones responded with a penalty goal but with three tires in eight minutes the Pirates were 29-3 ahead after 18 minutes and the four try bonus point in the bag. They got another before half time to lead 34-3. They added three more in the second half as they passed the 50 point mark. Park did manage a try when flanker Jon Skurr went over.