Kesteven vs. Sileby Town (16/09/2017)

Kesteven welcomed Sileby Town for their first visit to Woodnook. The weather was cool with a slight dampness in the air. Kesteven had James Goodrich, Sean Templeton and Harry Bartlett in the three quarter line.

Kesteven kicked off and looked the sharper of the two teams and soon established themselves in the visitors half. The early pressure paid off when the pack quickly got into their stride. They opened the scoring after 10 minutes when Gavin Purvis was at the head of a forward surge over the line to score. Dan Halliday added the conversion. It seemed like the start of a good session but in fact despite having the lion’s share of possession the home team could not add to their score. The damp conditions were making handling difficult.

Just after the break Kesteven lost Dave Tweddle with an arm injury. Harvey Fuller came on as replacement.

The second try came after 10 minutes of the half and what a beauty it was. Daniel Turner at last broke free of the defence in his own half, he ran straight and drew the full back before sending a perfect inside pass to James Cowley who romped in under the bar to score. Dan Halliday again converted.

The game became quite fragmented as Sileby suffered a number of injuries but eventually Kesteven got their deserved third try. This time Dan Halliday did the groundwork to create space for Daniel Turner to run clear. Dan Halliday again added the goal points. Kesteven were now getting into their stride and Harry Bartlett had a great weaving run but was penalised at the end for crossing. From the penalty Sileby made a rare excursion into the home half and crossed for a try.

Kesteven made a couple of changes with Rob Windsor coming on for Sean Templeton and Will Pert replaced Andy Brown. Further injuries delayed play and Sileby visibly tired. Harry Cox squeezed in at the corner for the bonus point try before Daniel Turner added his second and Harry Cox brought the game to a close with a repeat of his earlier try. This score came after an astonishing 14 minutes of injury time at the end of the match. Dan Halliday converted the last two tries to complete a very satisfying home debut.

This was a very hard fought win against a very defiant Sileby team. The pack with Gavin Purvis, James Cowley and Daniel Turner outstanding led the way. Tom Webster put in a power of work while Charlie Pirie was full of energy. In the backs Dan Halliday led the line well and Harry Bartlett and Harry Cox showed up well.

This week Kesteven make the short trip down to Sleaford for the first local derby of the season.

Team: Ben Hall, Harry Bartlett, Sean Templeton, James Goodrich, Harry Cox, Dan Halliday, Rob Cann, Andy Brown, Robert Sheardown, Gavin Purvis, Dave Tweddle, James Cowley, Charlie Pirie, Tom Webster Daniel Turner.

Replacements: Harvey Fuller, Will Pert, Rob Windsor.