Saturday 24th September, Gateshead IIIs 55 v Bricks 19 – bad day at the office, but sometimes a team just makes you proud, to be wearing a Blaydon Badge.

What was only our second run out of the season, resulted in a late arranged game at Gateshead after Blyth IIIs pulled-out! and we looked rusty.

Text went out and one after another of not available this week, came back, so we went and had people playing out of position, walking wounded, which all resulted in a comprehensive defeat for the Bricks.

The score differential was not a true reflection of the encounter, with periods that the Bricks dominated, but Gateshead had a much bigger squad, brought on fresh legs and they took their opportunities well and Brick’s rustiness, resulted in dropped balls that resulted in missed opportunities and lost possession.

Thanks go to Dan Turland and Matty Bell for responding to the cry for players, big thanks to Mickey Bell for coming out of retirement to play, (20mins, that would be the first 20, second 20, third 20 and last 20 at scrum half, bet he slepted well Saturday night) Dingley II for turning out injured so we had some bench and Ian Bennie for playing on the wing, have to ask where the rest of a club, the size of Blaydon were, on a day 3rd scored 50 points, when we needed help, ah well!!!!!!!!!!!!……

We also had injured players on the side line; Keith O (hip) and Stu Reay (Shoulder, I asked him to lift his arms to prove his shoulder was ok and he tried to lift the same one twice) who wanted to go on with injuries to help the team.

Then there was Cliff, who damaged his ankle in the warm up….. just wasn’t our day.

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/26086313%40N08/collections/

Match highs and lows:

• Liam jumping in the line out, playing scrum half and ended up with 3 stitches in a bad cut on his face
• Divers damaged his ankle and played on, till he damaged it a second time#
• Dan troubled Gateshead all game and ran one in from outside the 22 from a poor clearance kick and should have had a second but very unusual for him he tried to pass 5 yds out instead of carrying the opposition player over the line…
• Diver’s penalty kick that went back 5yds
• We were so short on backs Strachs was line kicking and actually got a conversion from way out
• Said I would mention his kicks, have to mention him dropping the ball a yard out with the line in front of him, he sad something about having opposition on him, but if he’d fell over it was a score
• Very strange kick out of hands from Strachs which was so unexpected it resulted in a short interplay and a good score from Chester
• I think Damien had borrowed Keith hands… few good interplays from the backs just resulted in the last pass being dropped and missed opportunities. One for bit more training, it’ll come good
• Good yards from many of the forwards; Paul, Tom, Keith, Stephen, Windy, Strachs, etc.

Gateshead were the better squad on the day, great to see Kell playing again, it gave us someone to trample on and wipe our feet on, also Mick Eckstein trouble us as usual, both good players, also a lot of good youth players as part of the 3rds squad, Gateshead deserved the win on the day, see you in a few weeks and hopefully we’ll have a full squad or the result will be the same, as this is a good Gateshead squad and wont loose many this season.

Next week it’s Ashington IIs, our first league game and they are top, so let’s hope for a little more interest this week………………

Team

1. Paul W
2. Craig McBurnie. (Phil Partington)
3. Tom
4. Stephen
5. Keith Winter
6. Matty Bell (Daniel)
7. Strachs
8. Windy.
9. Liam (Mickey Bell)
10. Divers (Matty Bell)
11. Ian Bennie
12. Chester
13. Damien A
14. Mickey Bell Dir. Paul Dingley Dir
15. Dan Turland