28/10/06 - Maidstone Barbarians 5   Old Williamsonians XV 27

(Try: Will Arnold)

Is the glass half empty or half full?  Should Maidstone’s fifth string feel disappointment that they were not awake for the opening 15 minutes and allow the visitors’ combined first and second XV to race into a three try lead?  Or should the Barbarians take pride that, in the words of their outside centre Andy Bell, ‘we won the last 42 minutes’?

With less than a quarter of an hour played the Stones were staring down the barrel.   Three tries down, no points, no territory, no ball and up until then, no contested scrums! Was it the introduction of the host’s delayed prop Trevor Bradley that stopped the rot or did the team just decide to wake up from their collective slumber?  A matter for the post mortem inquiry at the bar after!  

With the art of scrummaging being presented to the affairs on the pitch, the Stones managed to slow the pace of the game that the visitors’ young back row and backs were clearly enjoying.  This however did not stop Old Wills adding another try to their tally before half time. 

The second half however saw a much more even contest.  Maidstone began to take the game to the youngsters and managed to upset their rhythm.  The home team scored a deserved consolation try after Will Arnold, on loan from the Vets and playing only his second game at scrum half, looped around fly-half Matt Ellesmere from the base of a scrum and run thirty yards to touch down in the right hand corner.  Quick hands also allowed flanker Richard Cronin to see the try line, and glory, beckoning. Unfortunately the referee had already blown for an Old Wills’ infringement without allowing for the advantage.  

he great spirit that the Barbarians showed in the second half went some way to answering the opening questions.  The arguments as to whether the late arrival of the Ulsterman Bradley did at least partially turn the course of the game however continue!