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Kettering 07-30 Matlock

05 Jan 2013 / 14:15 / Kettering

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

The Blues began the year on a low note, being well beaten by a sharper, more intent and better-prepared side in this first game of 2013.

Matlock are one of the form teams in Midlands One East, and Kettering's lack of preparation for this game - not helped by a pre-Christmas cancellation - was badly exposed in the first quarter, when the visitors opened up an 18-point lead. In truth, the margin could have been even greater because the referee failed to award a penalty try to Matlock after they were denied by a blatant late tackle. The often over-vociferous and intimidating behaviour of some of the Matlock players didn't do their team any favours.

 Kettering hauled themselves off the canvas to dominate much of the next 40 minutes, but solid defence and poor decision-making prevented them closing the gap, other than a well-worked try for wing Luca Rodger, which was converted by Joe Daniel.

There were some plus points for Kettering. Kye Beasley, a Navy man playing his first game for the Blues for a number of years, was outstanding at tighthead, while 17-year-old openside Jamie Manley also had cause to be well satisfied with his efforts.

But there was no happy ending for Kettering as the final 15 minutes saw Matlock wrap up a conclusive win with two further tries, the latter a fine solo effort by their ever-dangerous left-wing.  "We got what we deserved," said Kettering's director of rugby Doug Bridgeman. "I was very disappointed by our lack of response to training. We need to learn fast from this experience as we enter a spell of three further games against the top sides in the league."

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Old Northamptonians 35-20 Kettering

12 Jan 2013 / 14:15 / Northampton

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

Kettering's young side was taught a lesson in how to play the conditions as second-placed ONs fought back from a 20-7 half-time deficit to secure the Midlands One (East) points.

The Blues were given first use of the slope and the aid of a stiff cross wind, and showed impressive handling skills to open up a two-score lead. Both their tries were scored by outside-centre Alex Smit, one an interception and the other a fine counter-attack from deep inside the Blues' 22. Joe Daniel converted both and also landed a penalty and drop-goal.

Had the referee not disallowed a try moments before the break, a 20-point lead may have been enough for Kettering. But straight from the resumption, they failed to deal with the kick-off and from the ensuing scrum ONs were awarded a penalty, which they converted.

Almost immediately, instead of clearing the ball the Blues tried to run out of defence. And they paid the price as prop Josh Cox was sin-binned for collapsing a maul. The penalty was converted to reduce the gap to seven.

ONs ruthlessly exploited Cox's absence, racking up a further 17 points in the ten minutes he was off the pitch. Time and again the hosts pushed Kettering back into their 22 and came away with points on almost every occasion. A further try gave the home side a bonus point.

Doug Bridgeman, Kettering's director of rugby, felt his side put the poor showing against Matlock behind them. "This was a much-improved performance by the Blues," he said, "and had we shown greater discipline to play in the right areas in the first half, and more composure in the second, we could well have come away with something.

"Positives are our excellent handling in the first half, and the performances of Alex Smit (19) and the returning Josh Block at scrum-half (20), playing his first game for well over a year. Up front, Jamie Manley (17) continues to improve at openside and back-five forward Jack Williamson (20) returned to the side to excel in the aerial battles.

"With 15 of the 18 players being aged 23 or under, it's hardly surprising that sometimes decision-making becomes an issue. However, the advice we're getting through Save Your Season should start to filter through and if the lads keep believing and improving we will finish the season strong."

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Paviors 30-15 Kettering

02 Feb 2013 / 14:15 / Nottingham

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

The Blues travelled to Nottingham expecting a tough league encounter, and they weren't disappointed as a determined Paviors pulled clear in the second half to claim the Midlands One East points.

Kettering's cause wasn't helped by another casualty in the back division, taking their tally of potential first-team backs on the sidelines to seven. The latest withdrawal was centre Matt Nield, who was taken ill overnight. It meant a last-minute call-up for veteran centre Paul Baird, who was expecting to play on the adjacent pitch for the over-35s side.

Paviors started the stronger and took the lead with a converted try, only for Kettering to hit back; a cross-field kick from Joe Daniel bounced awkwardly and winger Jack Walther pounced on the loose ball to feed inside to James Taylor, who scampered over the line. Daniel missed the conversion but was successful with a penalty to give the Blues a one-point advantage.

However, Paviors landed a penalty of their own on the half-hour to take a 10-8 lead into half-time.

Playing with the conditions, Paviors dominated proceedings early in the second half, and slack Blues defence at a lineout led to them scoring a converted try, followed by two long-range penalties.

The final nail in the coffin came when two Blues defenders became involved with an over-aggressive Paviors forward instead of marking their opposition and the Paviors scrum-half took full advantage to snipe down the blind side and score the home side's third try. It was again excellently converted by the Paviors fly-half, whose kicking had been the difference between the sides.

Trailing 30-8, Kettering didn't give up and they completely dominated the final ten minutes. They were rewarded when winger Damien Conyard made a break and fed centre Ian Renard, who ran in from 20 metres.

Daniel converted to add a bit more respectability to the final score, but the Blues are still searching for their first league win of 2013.

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Bedford Athletic 20-10 Kettering

09 Feb 2013 / 14:15 / Bedford

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

Another defeat for Kettering - but one from which they can take great heart, having pushed the new Midlands One East leaders all the way at Putnoe Woods.

The Blues began brightly and immediately put Bedford under pressure. Fly-half Joe Daniel landed a penalty for a 3-0 lead, but a lack of concentration allowed Bedford to grab possession at the restart and pin Kettering in their own 22. The ball was recycled and Bedford ran in a try that was converted.

The home side took a grip on the game but a storming run by No 8 Rory Keir changed the momentum as Kettering began to create chances. Wing Luca Roger and full-back James Taylor were put clear out wide but were stopped short by covering tackles. Next, prop Josh Cox was unable to hold on to a charged-down kick with the try-line beckoning and Daniel missed a penalty, leaving Kettering 10-3 adrift at half-time.

It was Bedford who started the stronger in the second half, but resolute defence and good discipline restricted them to a drop-goal. Almost immediately, however, Bedford scored a second try after a speculative kick was gathered by their centre just inside the Kettering half and he wriggled out of four tackles to run in a converted try.

Trailing 20-3, Kettering raised their intensity and pinned Bedford back in their 22. Flankers Chris Chapman and Jamie Manley were outstanding as the Blues piled on the pressure, resulting in a yellow card for the Bedford hooker for killing the ball. From the resulting scrum, Keir's initial run to the line was finished off smartly by centre Alex Smit, who scored at the foot of the posts. Daniel converted (10-20).

Kettering finished strongly but were unable to convert their possession into scoring opportunities. Chapman and hooker Tom Scarr made great breaks but Bedford defended well; a couple of knock-ons also halted Kettering's progression and some loose kicking unnecessarily gifted Bedford possession, but director of rugby Doug Bridgeman was a satisfied man.

"We were extremely unlucky not to come away with something," he said. "Bedford have been scoring a lot of tries but we only lost two tries to one. Our work-rate, defence and scrum was much improved but for a couple of poor decisions - running kickable penalties - we could have got a well-deserved bonus point."

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Towcestrians 25-0 Kettering

16 Feb 2013 / 14:15 / Towcester

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

Kettering came away with no points but a lot of pride after a second-half performance of character, grit and determination. However, that wasn't enough against a skilful and clinical Towcester side, who effectively had the game wrapped up by half-time following a 22-point purple patch.

The Blues had the initial territorial advantage in this Midlands One East encounter, full-back Joe Daniel missing a difficult penalty attempt. But indifficult playing conditions, Towcester took every opportunity that came their way, forging a 17-0 lead as the interval approached.

Blues wing James Taylor was then harshly yellow-carded for an offside offence and an unconverted try by Towcester stretched the lead to 22-0. They added a penalty soon after the restart when Taylor was still off the field, joining the already injured centre Matt Nield, who was to take no further part.

As the game wore on the Blues began to dominate proceedings, but the Towcester defence held firm and their backs were a constant threat.

Kettering's new half-back partnership of 17-year-olds, Billy Burrell and Josh Plowright, showed great potential, and their probing runs caused problems in the Towcester ranks as the visitors strived for a breakthrough.

It wasn't to be, and despite some desperate late surges, which deserved more, the young Kettering side was kept at bay, even when twice they drove the Towcester pack backwards and split them apart at five-metre scrums.

"We didn't start well," said Kettering's director of rugby Doug Bridgeman, "but against the conditions in the second half we made a really good game of it. We had four or five chances but didn't score. We're a foot away from being a much better side."

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Kettering 19-14 Peterborough Lions

23 Feb 2013 / 14:15 / Kettering

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

The Blues claimed their first Midlands One East win of the year after a magnificent rearguard action against the league leaders. In a pulsating game, time and time again they defied a Lions team which appeared to think they only had to turn up to win and went away a very dispirited side.

The first 30 minutes belonged almost completely to Kettering as they tore into Peterborough and scored 19 unanswered points. The first score came after five minutes from a well-worked backs move: Joe Daniel, back in his favoured full-back position, sliced through a hole and scored close to the posts. Daniel converted the try himself.

If the score took the visitors by surprise, they were soon rocked back on their heels. From a catch-and-drive following a ten-metre lineout, Kettering worked No 8 and captain Chris Chapman over the line to extend the Blues' lead to 12 points.

With the game less than 20 minutes old, and the Lions persisting in trying to barge their way through everything, even from deep in their own 22, the young Kettering side tackled ferociously and kept the visitors pinned in their own half.

Forwards Josh Block and Jamie Manley epitomized their spirit and the Blues gained reward when wing-forward Block was on hand to dummy his way through for the third try. Daniel converted for an undreamt-of 19-0 advantage.

At this stage the Lions hadn't even ventured into their hosts' 22, but eventually they broke the stranglehold and laid siege to the Kettering line, only to be repeatedly thwarted by magnificent defence. On the stroke of half-time, they crossed under the posts to close the gap and set up what was to be a nail-biting second half for the vociferous home supporters.

If the first period had belonged to Kettering, the second 40 minutes were dominated by Peterborough. Within 15 minutes they had added another converted try and many waited for the floodgates to open. However, the Lions' poor decision-making, coupled by great defence and pressure from the Blues, kept the home side's noses in front.

With ten minutes left the Blues broke out and scrum-half Billie Burrell sent winger Damien Conyard on a 50-metre run which was only halted with a fine chasing tackle. Conyard managed to offload and only desperate defence prevented the Blues from bagging a bonus-point try.

From the ensuing scrum, Kettering attacked and were awarded a penalty on the 22. Daniel, who had been exemplary with the boot, seemed to land a kick that would have put the Blues a critical two scores clear. But with the Lions not providing a touch judge, the referee deemed the kick inconclusive and awarded a 22 drop-out.

The incident could have broken lesser teams, giving as it did a lifeline to the Lions. But despite their increasingly desperate efforts, they couldn't find a way past the Blues, who clung on for an exceptional win.

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Kettering 34-38 Spalding Lions

02 Mar 2013 / 15:00 / Kettering

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

This Midlands One East clash will go down as one of the strangest seen at Waverley Road for many a year. At one stage the Blues were down to 13 men and trailing 33-8, yet they came back to within a score - only to lose after an inexplicable defensive mix-up gifted the visitors their fourth and game-winning score.

It left the home crowd unsure whether to be happy or disappointed about a match that yielded two precious bonus points. Indeed, Kettering outscored Spalding five tries to four in this pulsating encounter, but indiscipline and the accurate kicking of Spalding fly-half Dave Hankinson, who contributed 18 points via the boot, proved Kettering's downfall.

The game began well for the Blues, as Joe Daniel converted a second-minute penalty. Spalding soon showed why they've troubled so many teams of late, scoring a converted try, but back came the Blues and Daniel was again on the score sheet. This time he finished off a fine handling move down the left flank and, though he was unable to add the extras, the Blues led 8-7 after 15 minutes.

From here on it went disastrously wrong for the home side as they were repeatedly penalised by the referee, enabling Spalding to maintain the pressure. Hankinson kicked three penalties and converted two tries as the Blues seemed to self-destruct.

To compound Kettering's woes, Ben Street was sin-binned for repeated infringements and the sides went into the break with Spalding in a seemingly unassailable position, leading 30-8 and with Kettering down to 14 players.

Things became even worse in the first minute after the resumption as Tom Scarr followed Street into the bin and Hankinson extended the gap to 25 points.

Then began a stirring fightback. First, prop Steve Fraher crashed over under theposts, and Daniel converted. Then scrum-half Billie Burrell darted over from close range for the first of his two tries. Daniel's conversion attempt hit the post but Kettering now had the bit between their teeth.

A fourth try duly arrived as a breakout saw winger James Taylor pass back inside for Burrell to cross under the posts. The simple conversion narrowed the gap to six, 33-27.

Then came the mix-up in defence, and the Spalding scrum-half exploited the space for a simple run-in to all but close the door.

With the conversion missed, the Blues had nine minutes to secure a second bonus point or unlikely victory. Winger Luca Rodger, the Man of the Match, then powered his way over and Daniel converted to again close the gap to one score.

But despite a yellow card for Spalding, the Blues couldn't manage the sixth try that would have capped an astonishing encounter. In the end, they had to settle for two bonus points, which had looked as remote as the Antarctic Circle athalf-time.

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Peterborough 17-13 Kettering

09 Mar 2013 / 15:00 / Peterborough

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

It's becoming the story of their season. Kettering gifted their Midlands One East opponents a significant lead, only to rally fiercely and fall just short of achieving so much more than a gutsy bonus point.

The Blues began brightly enough and had the home side under pressure right from the kick-off. The early pressure led to nothing, however, and astute kicking by the Peterborough half-backs and the Blues' mounting penalty count saw the hosts rattle up 17 unanswered points in the first quarter.

Peterborough took the lead through a penalty and then scored a try when their No 8 and captain Peter Kolakowski broke off the side of a maul and crossed almost unchallenged. The try was converted.

Despite the Blues' domination of the scrum for much of the game, Peterborough managed to win a ball against the head and their ever-alert blindside wing was in support to score a simple try, again with little resistance from the shell-shocked Blues defence.

Kettering finally began to play some rugby and Joe Daniel kicked a penalty to get them on the scoreboard. Next, Luca Rodger was stopped inches short when a try looked inevitable, and the first half closed with ‘Boro' leading 17-3.

The Blues, playing with the gusty wind at their backs, now began to dominate and Daniel kicked another penalty. As the home side visibly tired and suffered an apparent nasty head injury to one of their players, necessitating a delay of several minutes to ensure he could leave the field without further medical attention, it seemed the tide had turned.

After numerous drives at the Peterborough line had been held up, or the referee had been unsighted as the Blues scored, the official's patience eventually ran out and he awarded the Blues a penalty try, which Daniel converted.

With ten minutes on the clock and significant injury time to be played, the Blues penned the home side back, although one excursion into the Blues 22 saw a simple penalty chance missed by the home side, and great defence stopped a lineout drive by the Peterborough forwards.

It looked like the Blues would have time to press home their advantage. However, with almost a minute remaining of normal time, plus a minimum of five minutes to be added for second-half injuries, the referee inexplicably blew up for full-time. The relief of Peterborough, struggling near the foot of the league, was clear to see.

With a number of sides now within five points of each other, and four games to play, nerves are being stretched at the lower end of the table. Kettering's next game, at home against Market Bosworth, has assumed even more significance.

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Kettering 45-0 Market Bosworth

23 Mar 2013 / 15:00 / Kettering

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

Kettering finally turned in a league performance to match the quality shown in training as they blew Market Bosworth away with a first-half display full of commitment, intensity and considerable skill. In dispatching their visitors by seven tries to nil, they leapt to ninth in the Midlands One East table.

Ironically, the afternoon started badly for the Blues when fly-half Josh Plowright was injured in the warm-up and the backs had to reshuffle, Ben Dawson moving to No 10 and Billy Burrell going on the bench. Both players contributed significantly to what followed.

Kettering came out of the blocks with all guns blazing and flanker Ben Street opened the scoring with a try after two minutes, converted by full-back Joe Daniel. Joe Newman was next to score when the Blues pounced on a turnover and quick hands saw the centre burst through under the posts after ten minutes. Daniel again converted.

With the Blues completely dominating, it was no surprise when scrum-half Tom Bridgeman broke through and with a sublime pass fed No 8 Rory Keir, who scored the third try. Daniel added the extras for 21-0.

At this point Market Bosworth hadn't even entered the Blues 22 and when they finally did, the Kettering defence was more than equal to the task. Back came the Blues and a fine handling move saw Dawson dummy his way over for the bonus-point try after 25 minutes.

As half-time approached, another backs move put centre and Man of the Match Alex Smit into space and he showed great speed to run through the remaining defenders from 50 metres out and score under the posts, making Daniel's conversion a formality. The Blues led 33-0 at the break.

Winger Luca Rodger was replaced by Burrell at half-time, who later moved to his more familiar position at scrum-half to replace Bridgeman, and George Newman came on for Keir, with Street moving to No 8 and Newman to blindside flanker.

Somewhat shell-shocked, Bosworth needed a good start to the second half to have any chance of a comeback. They were assisted by a strong breeze but the Blues effectively killed the game off after two minutes when they moved the ball wide and Joe Newman burst down the left wing to cross in the corner for try number six.

With the efforts of the first half clearly taking a toll, and playing against the conditions, the Blues found the going much more difficult from here on in, and Bosworth kept battling for some kind of consolation. However, Kettering were in no mood to concede points and their defence excelled throughout. The two Jamies, Bishop and Manley, were especially prominent, preventing the visitors from mounting any sustained pressure in the Blues 22.

With minutes to go, another fine piece of handling saw skipper and second-row Chris Chapman on hand to receive a scoring pass from winger James Taylor and he crossed near the posts. Daniel added the extra points to seal a resounding victory.

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Loughborough 13-81 Kettering

06 Apr 2013 / 15:00 / Loughborough

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

The Blues carried on where they left off the previous week with a 13-try Midlands One East bonanza against bottom-placed Loughborough.

The home side had conceded more than 1,000 league points and it took just four minutes for centre Joe Newman to add to that, his try being converted by full-back Joe Daniel. However, Loughborough hit back with two penalties and with 15 minutes gone there was a single point between the sides.

Then winger Damien Conyard scored the first of his five tries after a break by scrum-half Tom Bridgeman, sparking a 30-point scoring spree in 20 minutes as the Blues exploited poor tackling from their already dispirited opponents.

Front-row Steve Fraher scored from close range, with Daniel converting, before Conyard showed strength and determination to power through for his second try.

Loughborough rallied briefly with a seven-pointer, only for Newman to score his second try and Conyard his third, Daniel converting both. When flanker Josh Block combined with Bridgeman to scythe through the bemused home defence, Kettering were out of sight at 45-13 at the break.

The procession continued in the second half as the Blues crossed the line another six times. First, second-row Jamie Bishop - joint Man of the Match with Conyard - was rewarded for his exemplary industry with a try, then winger James Taylor crossed the whitewash as Kettering, despite being a player down following a yellow card for flanker Jamie Manley, continued to dominate.

Restored to a full complement, Manley took full advantage to score two tries of his own and Conyard finished off a fine handling move to score his fourth try and then gathered a pinpoint Daniel cross-field kick to cross in the corner for his fifth. Daniel converted three of the tries to see the Blues record their biggest win of the season.

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Kettering 13-20 Ilkeston

13 Apr 2013 / 15:00 / Kettering

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

Once again Kettering had to settle for a losing bonus point against high-flying Ilkeston, as a furious second-half rally by the Blues just failed to bring a third successive league victory.

While the visitors' bonus-point win put them hot on the heels of top two Bedford Athletic and Peterborough Lions, the Blues were also left with something tosavour. With other results going their way, Kettering's point secured their Midlands One East status for another year as they cannot now finish in the bottom three.

Ilkeston's early direct running posed the home defence questions it hadn't encountered of late, and by the time Kettering got to grips with it the visitors had threetries under their belt. All three were scored wide out and, in taxing conditions, the conversions were missed.

Having weathered the onslaught, Kettering came back into the game and two Joe Daniel penalties reduced the deficit. But, as half-time approached, Ilkeston scored a fourth try, again in the corner, to give them a 20-6 half-time lead.

It might easily have been more, Blues scrum-half Tom Bridgeman preventing a try early in the game with a magnificent tackle.

With the conditions deteriorating and now in their favour, Kettering set about their task with renewed vigour. But despite having considerably more of the game in the second half, the points just wouldn't come. A Daniel penalty wentagonizingly wide and the Blues lineout, which had functioned so well in theprevious two games, faltered on this occasion, leading to too many turnovers and a lack of sustained pressure on the Ilkeston line.

Eventually, a quickly taken penalty by Bridgeman saw him pass to skipper Chris Chapman, who showed great determination to smash through the defensive line and cross near the posts. The two players earned joint Man of the Match plaudits, with No 8 George Newman a very close third.

Daniel converted to close the gap to seven and they continued to strive for more - but to no avail. Determined Ilkeston defence kept the Blues out in the closing stages of a match that, ultimately, left both teams satisfied.

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Newark 16-54 Kettering

20 Apr 2013 / 15:00 / Newark-on-Trent

Midland Division - Midlands 1 East

The Blues ended their season on a real high with a 50-point romp at Newark. The win, Kettering's ninth league success of the campaign, cemented a mid-table ninth-place finish in Midlands One East. It also provided further evidence that the benefits of Save Your Season are filtering through, Kettering having lost at home to the same opponents in the opening game of the season.

Newark started strongly and showed a real determination to win the points required to guarantee their safety. Their direct forward-dominated game earned them the lead via a second-minute penalty.

The Blues began to get to grips with Newark's tactics and the pace of their game started to cause real problems for the home side. Midway through the half, Kettering opened their account when a drive from second-row Jamie Bishop was carried on by hooker Steve Fraher, who offloaded to Tom Bridgeman for the scrum-half to score. Full-back Joe Daniel converted to give the Blues a 7-3 lead.

A quickly taken penalty then saw flanker Jamie Manley get on the end of a break to score, some excellent play by wing James Taylor creating the opportunity. Daniel converted for 14-3.

Next, a well-planned move from a scrum saw centre Joe Newman break through and when he was stopped, the ball was quickly recycled and Daniel provided the final pass for winger Matt Nield to score in the corner.

Newark responded by kicking a second penalty before Blues captain Chris Chapman broke through and dummied his way past the bemused Newark full-back to score close to the posts. Daniel's conversion brought a scintillating half of rugby to a close with Kettering 26-6 to the good.

Newark's slim hopes of a fightback were quashed within the next ten minutes as Fraher and Chapman both plundered tries that Daniel converted for 40-6.

To their credit, Newark's heads didn't drop and they hit back with two tries of their own, only for Kettering to respond when impressive No 8 George Newman collected a Bridgeman chip to score.

Fittingly, Chapman, the Supporters' Player of the Year, completed his hat-trick to bring up the 50 points. Daniel's conversion was his seventh successful kick at goal from eight attempts, the Blues achieving their last-four-game target of finishing the season with a positive points difference and 16 league points.

There were a host of contenders for Man of the Match but the vote went to Fraher for his support work, scoring and try assist, and also for not doing an inside reverse double-loop pass when a simple offload was the better option!

It was a great way to end a season in which the Blues had to completely rebuild after the loss of 14 players. The introduction of a handful of 17-year-olds to first-team rugby - all of whom acquitted themselves commendably - augurs well for next season.

"The challenge now will be to keep the side together and continue their development," said director of rugby Doug Bridgeman. "That includes the continuation of all the good personal health practices, improved analysis and fitness regimes introduced through the Save Your Season campaign."

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