Hampstead Rugby Club 1st XV results and reports news feed

Hampstead21vsEnfield Ignatians34

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:27:46 +0200

Hampstead14vsHammersmith and Fulham15

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:07:37 +0200

Hampstead v Hammersmith and Fulham Match Report

Great conditions for running rugby. Hampstead started off very well- playing attacking rugby. Fly half Dave Mold again was at the heart beat of everything. Slotting three penalties in the first half- Hamm and Fulham slotting one. He also grabbed an intercept pass in his own half. After running out of gas, he then played a wide pass to winger Ben Fenhert, who went over in the corner. Conversion missed. 14-3 to Hampstead at Half time

Second half started well for the home side, who kept Hammersmith and Fulham camped in their own 22 for 10mins. Despite the pressure Hampstead could not come away points. This let Hammersmith and Fulham back into the match. They then had their own attcking spell and scored a try. Conversion was missed. Hampstead scrum completely dominated the opposition, but tactical subs (from Hamm & Fulham) and fatigue gave Hampstead less go forward possession. After a catch n drive from the Hamm & Fulham lineout they rolled their way against a tired Hampstead pack- eventually setting up their inside centre to score next to the posts with 7 mins left. Conversion was successful- making the the final score 15-14.

Quote. "Great rugby in the first half, switched off in the second half- again. We can produce some great rugby-both in attack and defense. We need to be more clinical at finishing teams off. This comes down improving our fitness, which was showed up against Hammersmith and Fulham, who had the fitness to play good rugby for the full 80mins.

Ali

Hampstead14vsTwickenham17

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:54:40 +0100

Hampstead5vsHarpenden20

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:27:42 +0100

Hampstead started with real gusto & were pressurising Harpenden from the off - but 2 certain tries went begging when final passes went to ground.

This gave Harpenden confidence & after turning over another Hampstead foray they counter attacked & were awarded a penalty under the home team's post after Wellings infringed. They duly kicked the 3 points

Hampstead were immediately on the attack from the restart & gained the chance to level scores when awarded a penalty but Mold pushed the kick just wide.

For the rest of the half, as the weather deteriorated, both teams ground their way forward with errors on both sides marring good build up play.

The second half started badly for the home side as Harpenden capitalised on a Hampstead error when there centre picked up a loose ball & went in under the posts for a converted try & a 13-0 lead.

Hampstead doubled their efforts & finally were rewarded for their territorial advantage when they had a push over try from a 5 yard scrum, Lacey touching down. The conversion was missed. Hampstead kept probing & pushing but Harpenden's defence held firm. The game was all but over when another mistake by Hampstead was punished with a try from the visitors' wing & a conversion left the hosts on the back of a 20-5 defeat.

" Our effort couldn't be faulted, and our set piece play was excellent. We didn't concede many penalties, which has been a bad habit this year, but it was just one of those days. Harpenden play a tight, structured game and we tried too hard at times. We either picked & drove close one too many times, or spilled passes trying to push it wide . Harpenden capitalised well on our mistakes and defended really well."

Hampstead20vsDatchworth8

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:39:50 +0100

Hampstead travelled to relegation threatened Datchworth on Saturday on the back of a confident boosting win over St Albans. The backs had done the damage against St Albans, but the high winds meant that this was not going to be the way forward for this match. Hampstead started strongly & were on the offensive & worked hard to get into Datchworth's territory, however handling errors were punished as Datchworth's stand off would relieve the pressure with booming kicks back into Hampstead's 22. Frustration was creeping in until Dai Jenkins broke a couple of tackles & went in for an unconverted try in the corner. This should have settled the visitor's erratic play but a sloppy restart, lost line-out & a resultant penalty meant Datchworth had closed the gap to 5 -3

Hampstead spent most of the first half working their way into Datchworth's danger zone, only for resultant pressure to be undone by wrong options or dropped ball. Towards the end of the half the home side started taking advantage of the wind & kicked deep into Hampstead's territory & from one such raid they managed to put the left wing in for a try to take the lead 8-5.

After stern words from coach Ali Halsall, Hampstead started to up the tempo in the second half & again enjoyed the lion's share of possession, however a habit to try & spin the ball wide in the conditions meant promising attacks broke down. With 20 mins to go & still behind word was on to tighten up the game & Hampstead's forwards responded with pick up & drives resulting in Datchworth giving away a penalty in front of their posts which Dave Mold kicked to level the scores 8-8. From the kick off Hampstead attacked again & Datchworth's only answer was to the close rucks & mauls was to infringe & have one of their pack sin-binned. With superior numbers the visitor's stuck to the new game plan & were rewarded with a try for lock Tom Wadsworth, with Mold converting to make it 15-8.

Datchworth , sensing the game slipping launched attacks from deep, but Hampstead's defence started creating forced passes & from one lost ball the visitors got a turn-over & worked Dai Jenkins in for his second try to make it 20-8 with 7 mins left. The closing minutes were played out with Hampstead using the elements & pinning Datchworth back in their 22 & then snuffing out the attempted long range attacks.

Henderson, Martyr, Everett, Wadsworth, Clerkson, Wellings, Lacey, Williams, Dodwell, Mold, Sleight, Jenkins, Craigs, Fenhert, Naughton,

Hampstead36vsSt Albans7

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:57:20 +0100

Hampstead10vsStevenage Town31

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:23:28 +0100

Hampstead travelled away to run away league leaders Stevenage with the attitude of having a go and to actually play the way they have trained under the guidance of new coach Ali Halsall. On a brilliant day for running rugby, Hampstead started with real intent & took the game to Stevenage & had them on the back foot for the first quarter but apart from a missed penalty by Dave Mold had nothing to show for their endeavours. Wing Dave Sleight & Full Back Will Hughes made huge inroads in to Stevenage's defence & were ably supported by Hampstead's pack. However a few last ditch tackles kept the score at nil. Half way thru the first half Stevenage started to spin the ball & a well worked move enabled their left wing to cross Hampstead's line, with the score duly converted.

This try, very much against the run of play, spurred on Hampstead to get a score & forwards Kowal, Wellings & Martyr were to the fore rattling Stevenage's pack. However they are not league leaders for nothing & again they took one of their rare opportunities well, for their outside centre to score a converted try under the posts with only 5 mins of the half remaining. Stevenage now started to add sustained pressure t & were denied further scores by tenacious tackling, led ably by skipper Dai Jenkins. Half time gratefully came for the visitors, leaving them trailing 14-0.

Second half started pretty much in the same vain as the first with Hampstead pressurising Stevenage but again after 10 mins had nothing to show but another missed penalty. Then from a well worked line-out Stevenage's hooker & number 8 combined well with the latter scoring in the corner. Stevenage's full back converted for the third time from out wide. Hampstead however refused to lie down & again had a period of attack & l their efforts were finally rewarded with a penalty kicked by Mold & 2 mins later O'Sullivan was put in under the posts, Mold converting. However a few minutes later the Stevenage showed why they are top of the division & from a turned over scrum , their centre & captain came on a curving angle & raced away to score in the corner. Stevenage now started to up the ante & to put the game out of Hampstead's reach.With 6 mins to go a chip by their fly half was gathered by their number 14 to cross the line for their 5th try. Hampstead tried to get a consolation score but a well drilled Stevenage pack closed the game out with a series of pick & drives .

Final score 31-10 - Stevenage

" The score is disappointing but the manner we played is really gratifying. Stevenage are deservedly champions elect & have some quality players, but we unnerved them & if we can finish of the season playing this way, then a top half finish is a reality"

Henderson, Martyr, Darke, Wadsworth, Agyeton, Lacey, Wellings, Kowal, Dodwell, Mold, Sleight, Jenkins, Naughton, O'Sullivan, Hughes, Goldberg Sumo, Clerkson

Hampstead29vsVauxhall Motors14

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:05:31 +0100

Hampstead got back to winning ways with a stuttering performance over relegation threatened Vauxhall Motors at the Heath on Saturday. The home team started perfectly - reclaiming the ball from their kick off & throwing the ball wide for outside centre Ben Fenhert to break two tackles & score under the posts. Dave Mold duly converted. The first half saw the home team playing intro the wind, mixing up play between backs & forwards and threatening the visitors line regularly, only for a fumble or a last pass going to ground preventing further scores. However the pressure was rewarded with a converted try for Wellings and a penalty kick from Mold.

With the first half coming to a close and Hampstead dominating scrums & line-outs, concentration waned & a miss tackle in the centres from a rare attack by the visitors allowed Vauxhall Motors to cross the line under the posts. The try was converted & the half finished 17-7 to Hampstead.

With the wind at the backs the home side started off the second half with intent & camped down in the opposition's half. Two certain scores went begging due to miss passes with the visitor's line at their mercy. After 15 minutes of determined play, a rear guard defence by Vauxhall Motors & last passes not going to hand Hampstead started to lose their shape & although the pack played with tempo mistakes & lack of discipline started to creep in and promising attacks regularly resulted in the home side giving away needless penalties. Things came to a head when Hampstead allowed VM to get into a threatening position and from another penalty infringement VM crossed the line & converted to make the score 17-14.

This seemed to wake up Hampstead & they went on the attack from the kick off & within a few passages of play Griffiths crossed in the corner for an unconverted score. The home side pressed but couldn't get another score & frustration again crept in allowing the opposition to play the last few minutes deep in home territor,. The last move of the match though, proved to be the best, with forwards Burgess & Wadsworth turning over Vauxhall Motors ball and the home backs combining well for an end to end score , rounded off by captain Dai Jenkins under the posts & Mold converting.

" The pack played solidly all game and set pieces worked really well, we just need to keep our discipline & concentration for a whole game. Our backs looked dangerous, and if we can rid our tendency to force last passes I'm sure we'll start to round off our good build up play."

Hampstead19vsImperial Medicals39

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:30:07 +0100

Hampstead6vsLondon New Zealand9

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 19:35:11 +0100