Another good win for M&C on Saturday with our 1XV coming up victors against a physical Wandsworthians who were still searching for their first win of the season. 'The Dubs' were nearly successful as well, with sustained pressure and poor pitch conditions meant that in the first half, M&C struggled to get into their stride.
For most of the first half, M&C were unable to break the stalemate, with Mitcham conceding numerous penalties, reventing them from gaining any tangible momentum. Wet conditions turned the pitch into a swamp and both sides were forced into a war of attrition. No glorious backs moves today, just forwards lumping each other.
The deadlock was finally broken near the 25 minutes mark, with Captain Corey Griffiths opting for a penalty, putting the away side 3 points up. This lead was short lived however with Wandsworthians resuming their heavy forward-driven play. Following several penalties, Wandsworthian's crash ball method reaped rewards, crashing over the line from a few meters after sustained pressure and Mitcham conceding numerous penalties.
The second half saw a stronger performance from M&C who started to look sharper. This was helped by a strong M&C pack who looked more dominant in the scrum and managed to steal a few line outs. As Mitcham begun to retain more and more possession, Mitcham were never able to fully utilise the wealth of quality in the back line and numerous opportunities and overlaps were wasted.
Within the last 20 minute however, it was clear that fatigue was beginning to set in and Mitcham started to take advantage of their continued possession. Firstly Fly Half Griffiths managed to find Steve Burgess in space, who's quick thinking meant he was able to crash over the line virtually unopposed. The second try for Mitcham came not long after with a similar play putting Dan James over the line, capping a great performance as a converted flanker.
#WeRise!
Next week, we take on Old Paulines at Home and our 2XV play Battersea Ironsides 5XV.
Tries: S. Burgess, D. James
Conversions: Griffiths x 2
Penalties: Griffiths
MOTM: Dan James - Excellent in his new position as flanker, scoring a very solid try.
DOTD: Chris Gilbert - For one of a dozen things, mainly running upright and getting ripped with the ball several times.
