Sat 1 Feb 2020
Barkers Butts 28-27 Malvern
Malvern travelled to the outskirts of Coventry with a few changes. Having lost the influential Dan Batty to Worcester Warriors earlier in the week, and with a couple of injuries on top of that, they faced a determined young Barkers Butts side who had won their previous 8 matches. The home team came out of the traps strongly from the start, popping the ball well among the forwards and using their strong running backs to good effect. The doughty Malvern defence stayed strong and held up several attacks then put in several good pick and go moves to take them into home territory. Following a line out on the Barkers 22 Luke Milton joined the line and put Tom Hale away for the opening score, Rob Cook converting. The home side responded almost immediately, moving the ball quickly after a scrum and shifting the ball out wide for their dangerous backs to go over in the corner for an unconverted try. Malvern then won a penalty in the home half after an outbreak of handbags following a punch on Cook and a resultant yellow card for the Barkers scrum half. The Malvern coach slotted the kick to put Malvern ahead by 5 points , but soon after the match was halted or some time after a bad injury to Tom Hale resulted in the paramedics being called and the match being moved to another pitch for the rest of the first half. On the exposed substitute pitch the wind had more of an effect as Barkers scored another try to level proceedings. A penalty was then slotted over from almost on halfway as they used the following wind to good effect to end the first half 13-10 ahead.
Back on the main pitch Malvern had the advantage of the slightly reduced wind at their backs and put Barkers under pressure, winning a scrum 15 metres out. Having had the better of the set pieces against a bigger pack all afternoon, the Malvern eight put in a mighty controlled drive to push the home forwards back over their goal line, Max Richardson touching down and Cook’s conversion putting Malvern back into the lead. As play switched between the sides during some feisty encounters, Barkers were penalised for crossing and Cook put over a penalty from around 45 metres out to make the score 13-20 in Malvern’s favour. However, the home side responded by upping their game and went on the offensive, putting a penalty deep in the Malvern half and from the line out, spreading the ball wide to score once more. With their tails now up, Barkers went on the hunt for the lead, and when a Malvern clearance didn’t find touch they ran the ball back strongly with some good interpassing up the line to score a converted try to take the lead by 5 points, A penalty gave them an eight point cushion, but Malvern weren’t finished and the pack once more put the Barkers scrum under pressure, winning penalties, with a final mighty drive giving them a penalty try. With one point now the difference the Spring Lane men tried to get back into Barkers territory but some good ball retention meant that the Coventry side held on for the single point victory. This had been a full-blooded, no holds barred game of rugby which will be repeated next week as Barkers Butts visit Malvern for the game which was originally postponed before Christmas.
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