Rugeley 7 ,Gnosall 29
Gnosall returned to league action for the 1st time in 9 years, and were welcomed back to Rugeley to kick things off in the beautiful autumn sunshine..
From the off Gnosall had got the bit between their teeth with the desire to run at every opportunity,In this tight fought match a refreshed and sun kissed Sam Booth pounced on a Rugeley miss pass to run in after 5 minutes,the trusted boot of fly half Jack Leah converting.
Rugeley continued the fight with more forward pressure making good ground however a fabulous steal by prop Jake Amstey in the Gnosall half saw the forwards steady possession for scrum half Carl Parnham to send another pin point pass to Jack Leah who kicked a wonderful cross field kick of 50yds to the fast approaching James Leah,Who gathered at full speed to run in untackled in the corner,to score one of the best try we have seen,No conversion on this occasion.
Within the next 10 minutes Gnosall were pinned down in their half with some great aggressive play from Rugeley who were determined to make a game of it...Forward pressure again from Rugeley saw them go over in the 20th minute for a well structured try,This was converted from a tight angle..The half was classic rugby with turn overs and solid rucking a plenty from both teams,with the ref blowing for a well deserved break.
The second half kicked off with Rugeley blazing,again pinning Gnosall in their own 22 for what seemed an age,Gnosall defended with sheer grit and kept out the on-coming opposition with tackle after tackle,However with this Gnosall saw their powerhouse prop Ian Stokes leave the field with an injury,Only to be replaced by Jack Peate who stepped up to the mark,Joining man of the match Jake Amstey in the front row,securing the scrum,with fresh legs in the pack,Gnosall turned the screw and dominated the set piece with Rugeley giving away a penalty in the 64th minute,again the trusted boot of Jack Leah was on tap,Within a minute of the restart winger James Leah was in again for another well worked backs move,with centres Nick Bundy and Joe Mason linking well together,More tries beckoned from Gnosall with some great breaks from their hooker and captain Luke Mathews,seeing great support play from debutant Ryan Smith.
Rugeley continued to defend with the Gnosall backs going forward with move after move,Another great break from centre Joe Mason saw Gnosall down in the Rugeley 22 when Gnosall's stalwart Number 8 Karl Marsh drove over for the last try of the game,again the boot of Jack stepped up with another conversion ending the match..
A great team performance and fabulous opposition making for a lovely start to hopefully a wonderful action packed season.
Gnosall welcome Warley on Saturday,Kick Off at 3.00pm
