Lincoln 19 Vs Kesteven 23

The early frost cleared to leave the pitch at Lincoln in great condition. The lack of wind and bright winter sunshine made for perfect conditions for rugby. Kesteven had Ollie Wood starting at scrum-half and newcomer Martin Carey on the bench. Kesteven kicked off and Lincoln settled into a pick and drive routine early on. Kesteven contained them in the Lincoln half and then Bradley stripped the ball and broke away. He found Wood in support and the scrum half put Goodrich away for the opening try. Lincoln responded by keeping Kesteven pinned in their own half and eventually added a try but again Kesteven replied well. Their pressure caused Lincoln to go off-side in fromt of their posts. Ward kicked the goal to give the visitors an 8 - 5 lead. They maintained this to the break as they defended well to keep the home team out.

The second half started with a bang. Kesteven fielded the kick off and moved the ball well into the Lincoln half. Turner found space up the left and put in a perfectly place kick for Ward to gather and score a try in the corner.

This fired up Lincoln and their forwards began driving to good effect causing Kesteven to defend stoutly, but not always to the referee's satisfaction. First Jamoe Flear was penalised in making a tackle. He injured a finger in the process but still the referee yellow carded him. As Lincoln tried to make their numerical advantage count Tony Woolerton also found himself in trouble and he too was yellow carded for killing the ball. Lincoln tried to go for the push over and were fortunate to be awarded a penalty try for a Kesteven offence as the scrum was forming.

Rather than lie down to this misfortune Kesteven kept to their plan of running the ball at every opportunity. Will Bradley nearly got away but was judged to have knocked on in the home 22. From the scrum, Lincoln put the ball in but the 6 man Kesteven pack won the ball against the head and quickly fed the ball wide for Bradley to race over in the corner. Bradley was injured in scoring forcing Ksteven to male a change. Carew came on for Flear as the first sin bin ended and Lines came on for Bradley. The return of Woolerton gave the visitors a huge lift and the completed their scoring a few minuted later with a great move. There was some wonderful inter-passing involvng Goodrich Turner and Ward before Wood took the final pass to score with a flourish. This gave the visitors their bonus point with 15 minutes left. Purves came on for Cowley in the front row as the young prop had given his all to his team.

Lincoln now tried to move the ball themselves and twice nearly got through but some great cover tackling by Jordan and Ward ket them out right till the end. Lincoln did score under the posts with the last move of the game and the conversion brought the score to 23 - 19, thus allowing Lincoln to salvage a bonus point.

This was another great performance by Kesteven. The spirit they showed when down to 13 men shone through. Turner Woolerton and Flear formed a very efective back row while Turner's running and kicking proved a great support to the backs. Pert had some good driving runs while Durrnace was productive in lthe line out. Odams Brown and Cowley kept the scrum going forward and the heel against the head was so important. Wood was lively at scrum half feeding out good ball and he took his try exceptionally well. Harland had a controlled game at flyhalf, kicking well and passing when it was right to do so. The powere of Goodrich and Bradley in the centre worried Lincoln all day an the reward was a try each while Ward was eager to pick up every chance that came his way. Whittaker saw little of the ball because lincoln knew the danger he presented in running from broken play while Captian Phil Jordan led by example, tackling like a demon and adding to the strength of the three qurter line. All in all a great win.

Team was A Whittaker; G Ward, W Bradley, J Goodrich, P Jordam; M Harland, O Wood; S Odams, A Brown, J Cowley, W Pert, S Durrance, J Flear, D Turner and T Woolerton Reps K Lines, M Carewand G Purves

Kesteven 20 Vs Mellish 12

Saturday 7th January 2012

Midlands League 3 East North

Kesteven 20 Mellish 12

Kesteven started off after their three week break showing signs of rustiness as they sought to continue thier successful run in the league. Their plan was to continue to get the ball out wide and, as in the previous match before Christmas this led to their undoing as Mellish plundered a try from an interception after 5 minutes. This was unconverted.

The lively Kesteven pack, although heavily out weighed, were quicker about the park and this led to the home side taking the lead shortly after. A back row move down the left touchline and slick handling saw Jamie Flear go over for Grant Ward to convert. This should have settled the home side but there was a sense of deja vue as Mellish repeated their earlier act with a second interception. This time the conversion was good and the visitors led 12 - 7. Kesteven still tried to play to their strength and with used the wide spaces well. Matt Harland and Danny Turner kept putting the ball behind the visitor's defence and it was a kick by Turner that led to the next try. The kick was deep ino the corner and Bradley and Ward were both up in support. It was Bradley who gathered the ball to score. This tied the scores at 12 all at the break.

The early stages of the second half got bogged down as the strong Mellish pack won some good possession but the visiting backs were not able to use it. Turner was unlucky to be sin-binned for some over vigorous rucking but Mellish were unable to take advatage. Wood and Midgley came on to replace Lines and Flear. Mellish turned down a simple penalty in front of the posts in favour of a scrum but were unable again to capitalise on it. This was to prove costly as 5 minutes later Kesteven won a penalty of their own. Ward stepped up for the 3 points. This seemed to settle the issue as Kesteven gained control. Dan Turner completed the scoring when he snapped up a loose ball 40 metres out to run in for the clinching score.

This was a good win for Kesteven more convincing than the score suggests. The mobility of the young home pack of forwards for whom Woolerton was outstanding kept the heavy Mellish pack moving around. The Mellish defence however made Kesteven work hard. Ward Jordan and Whittaker had to rely on loose possession to run back. Whittaker in particular was as lively as ever.

This week K's are off to Lincoln for a top four clash.

Team was A Whittaker; G Ward, W Bradley, J Goodrich, P Jordan; M Harland, K Lines; S Odams, A Brown, J Cowley, W Pert, S Durrance, J Flear, D Turner and T Woolerton. Reps O Wood, R Midgely, M Sayle

Grimsby 17 Vs Kesteven 39

Saturday 17th December

Midlands League 3 East North

Kesteven 50 Vs Worksop 7

Kesteven welcomed Worksop to Woodnook for the final match of 2011 in good heart after their recent good run.

Ken Lines dropped back to full back with Ollie Wood coming in at scrum half while the pack showed two changes with Andy Brown and Richard Midgely replacing Pete Dolan and Tony Woolerton who were unavailable.

The home team started as if they wanted to win the game in psectacular style with some flamboyant rugby, but somehow it did not seem to come off. Some passes were just too ambitious and Worksop took advantage of one to intercept on half way and run in for the first try. The conversion gave them an early 7 point lead.

Kesteven were shaken by this but still tried to play the game at pace. When Worksop were penalisd in front of their posts Ollie Wood reacted quickly with a tap kick. When he looked for support he found Richard Midgely on his shoulder. Midge was able to force his way over the line for the try.

K's were still struggling to find their rhythym as passes just did not go to hand, but eventually added a second try to give them the lead and settle them. This time James Cowley who is growing into his new role as prop took a pass from Wood at speed to charge over for the try. The conversion just failed but Jesteven had a 10 - 7 lead after half an hour. In the last ten minutes of the half the fluency returned and Dan Turner and Will Bradley both scored good tries. Grant Ward found his range with the boot and added both conversions to take teh score to 24 - 7 at the break. The fourth try ensured the bonus point.

The second half should have seen K's settle but still Worksop defended doggedly making hard work for the home team. Nathan Turner came on to replaceLines at full back while Ollie Hanson made his first team debut as a replacement for Midgley and Paton replaced Brown at hooker. Worksop had no answer to the direct running of Dan Turner. His breaks paved the way firstly for a try by Harland, before Jordan broke through to score. Ward converted Jordan's try. Bradley was unlucky to be yellow carded for a tackle, but this didnot deter the home team as they added to their score. Dan Turner again made the break and found Odams in support. Odams sold an outrageous dummy with a shimmy of the hips to score his econd try in two weeks, then Jordan found space on the wing to run in from half way for his second try. Ward converted these two tries with a couple of great conversions to bring up the 50 point mark.

It was another good performance but the team felt that they could have done better. With more assured finishing they could have added more tries. This win takes them up to fourth in the league. The forwards were under pressure in the set scrums but this sacrifice was more than compensated by the mobility of the second and back row. Hanson added strength to the pack when he came on, while Will Pert gave a man of the amtch performance.

In the backs the strong running of Goodrich and Bradley caused the Worksop defence to tackle out of their skins to keep them out. Lines showed some good touches at full back while Wood was ever alert at exploiting space.

Team was K Lines; G Ward, W Bradley, J Goodrich, P Jordan; M Harland, O Wood; S Odams, A Brown, J Cowley, W Pert, S Durrance, J Flear, D Turner, R Midgely Reps N Turner, O Hanson, M Paton

Grimsby 17 Vs Kesteven 39

Kesteven travelled to North East Lincolnshire to play Grimsby in what has always been a tough league fixture. There was a cold wind blowing across the pitch which dictated where much of the play would be. Second team captain Pete ‘Big Dog’ Dolan continued at hooker while Will Bradley and James Goodrich were welcomed back in the centres.

Woolerton made a crunching early hit (marginally high and late) on the Grimsby 10 which should have set the home side on the back foot. However, the first 10 minutes were scrappy with neither side taking control at the breakdown and there were several turnovers from both sides. When the ball was moved into space K’s looked dangerous and Bradley put Rupert Jordan away for an early run but he was tackled short. When the ball was recycled Scott Odams drove over for the first try. The conversion was just wide.

Dan Turner ran a great line and returned an inside pass back to Harland who scored and converted the second try. Will Bradley then broke away on the halfway line and outpaced the Grimsby defence to score the third. Harland converted to give K’s a 19 – 0 half-time lead.

The fitness of Kesteven’s young pack started to take effect and allowed Ken Lines to provide the backs with a stream of good ball. Pert and Durrance won some great lineout ball and the back row with Jamie Flear in particular started to turnover any Grimsby attacks. But Grimsby did come back and used the wind to edge their way up the field and scored a try following a series of pick and drives.

This spurred K’s on and with Grimsby under pressure Durrance charged down a kick which Woolerton collected to score the bonus point try. Midgley and Paton came on for Woolerton and Cowley who had both had storming games up front. Dan Turner then made a trademark break and was tackled just short but managed to off-load to the supporting Goodrich. The conversion was missed but Harland slotted a penalty shortly afterwards to gives K’s a comfortable lead.

Kesteven then went asleep for a 10 minute period and some sloppy defence allowed Grimsby to come back and score two tries, one of which was converted. However, K’s finished the game on a high when Bradley broke away and scored the final try under the posts. Harland converted to leave the final score 39 – 17.

It was another great team effort with contributions throughout the side. This week Kesteven host Worksop in the last league fixture of 2012. Kick-off is 2.15pm and all support is welcome.

Team was: A Whittaker, P Jordan, W Bradley, J Goodrich, R Jordan, M Harland, K Lines; S Odams, P Dolan, J Cowley, W Pert, S Durrance, J Flear, D Turner, T Woolerton. Reps: M Paton, R Midgley, M Sayle Snr.

Kesteven 27 Vs Dronfield 19

Kesteven welcomed unbeaten league leaders Dronfield to Woodnook last Saturday. The ground was soft underfoot and a cold north easterly wind blew across the pitch. Pete ‘Big Dog’ Dolan and Sean ‘Hot Dog’ Templeton stepped up from the 2nd team, while Olly Wood made a welcome return from university for a cameo appearance at scrum half.

Kesteven started the game at a great pace and went on the attack early. Rupert Jordan had a good early run and was tackled in the corner. From the resulting line out the ball was worked out to the right wing and Grant Ward had enough room to go round his opposite man and score in the corner. The conversion was missed.

Sean Templeton and Phil Jordan made some direct runs in midfield to get over the gain line, whilst Jamie Flear and Tony Woolerton were supporting well and keeping the ball alive. From a second phase Scott Odams made a half break and got a great off-load away to Dan Turner who raced away to score the second try. The conversion was just wide into the strong wind.

Dronfield worked their way back into the game and forced Kesteven to defend deep in their own half. The larger Dronfield forwards kept picking and going at the fringes but K’s defended strongly and managed to make several turnovers and clear their lines. Just before half time Tony Woolerton was sin binned for slowing the ball down and Dronfield managed to scramble over and score. This was converted to leave the half time score 10 – 7 to K’s.

Dronfield started the second half strongly and continued to attack Kesteven through their pack. A second try came from a tap penalty under the posts which was converted to give the visitors a 14 – 10 lead. Kesteven responded well to this and Olly Wood and Matt Harland used the wind to excellent effect to keep play in the Dronfield half.

From a lineout Dan Turner made a great run up the wing and passed inside to the supporting Sam Durrance who had enough pace to make it over the line and put K’s back in front. Grant Ward converted. Shortly afterwards Dronfield conceded a penalty in front of their posts after great pressure at the breakdown from Woolerton, Flear and Pert. Grant Ward slotted the kick and gave K’s a 20 – 14 lead.

Dronfield showed why they are top of the league and again came back. From a catch and drive they drove over to put them within one point. The conversion went wide and set-up a tense final 15 minutes. Wood and Harland continued to use the wind well and keep the pressure on Dronfield. As the game came to an end Dronfield ran everything and K’s had to defend well to stay in front.

Everyone was surprised including the opposition when Dan Turner was shown a red card with 5 minutes to go from what looked like nothing more than a good, hard tackle. This left the home side determined to see the game out. From the last play Dronfield attempted to run the ball from their own line and Richard Midgley, who had come on for Templeton, ripped the ball from his opposite man and touched down to score the winning try. Ward converted to leave the final score 27 – 19 to Kesteven and inflict a first defeat on Dronfield.

It was a fantastic team performance in which everyone contributed and gives the squad a great confidence boost for the games leading up to Christmas.

Team was: K Lines, G Ward, P Jordan, S Templeton, R Jordan, M Harland, O Wood; S Odams, P Dolan, J Cowley, W Pert, S Durrance, J Flear, D Turner, T Woolerton. Reps: G Purvis, R Midgley, J Hughes

Kesteven 24 Vs Glossop 19

Yet another fine autumn afternoon as Kesteven welcomed Glossop to Woodnook for the first time for some years. Glossop although a Derbyshire club play in the North West leagues.

Kesteven kicked off with the strong wind in their favour. This allowed them to build a good territorial advantage but the visiting side defended well. There were few scoring chances as Kesteven were finding it difficult to get the ball out wide to their speedy backs and after 20 minutes all they had to show was a penalty put over by Grant Ward. Just when it looked as though that would be the ghalf time score the home team at last found sapce. Scrum half Ken Lines broke right from a scrum, fed Ward. The young wing straightened and did very well to find Lines in support on the inside. Lines cut inside but heard the call from Jamie Flear on the outside with a finely judged pass to allow Flear to go over for the try. Ward's conversion gave the home team a 10 - 0 lead at the break.

This was always going to be a tough lead to defend. Glossop spent the first 20 minutes of the half camoed in the home 22. The strength of the wind meant that kicking to touch from defence was risky and the Kesteven side ran out through Turner and Woolerton. Midgely replaced Flear who retired with a cut. The pressure eventually told and Glossop scored their first try to reduce the deficit to 5 points.

The Kesteven reaction was excellent as they pressured the visiting stand off to such an extent that Woolerton charged down a clearnce kick, collected the ball and found Turner in support for Dan to score at the posts. Ward converted to extend the lead to 17 - 5.

This score opened the game up and Glossop as expected raised their game again and their heavy pack created the platform for a second try at the posts. This was converted so we were set for a tense final 15 minutes.

Kesteven proved the fitter side and the powerful running fromatin came on for Jirdan, Brown and Odams. Turner put Hallam O'Brien through to the line but he was stopped just short. Then Will Bradley on one of his few chances made good ground to the 22. When the ball was recycled the home team found space on the left and Odams was able to send Turner away for his second try. Ward again converted this time with a great kick from far out for a 24 - 12 lead.

Glossop again proved they were not going to lie down and continued to run the ball leading to their third try. The conversion again cut the deficit to 5 with 5 minutes left. The Kesteven defence held firm for these last tense moments and they ran out winners by 24 - 19. A fine result against a team playing in a higher league.

This performance from Kesteven shows the continued improvement this season. The defence laid the foundation for this win with demonic tackling from Woolerton Flear Brown and Turner in the pack and Bradley and Jordan in the backs. Woolerton Flear and Turner won some excellent ball on the ground form unlikely positions while young Whittaker showed great elusiveness in wriggling through tackles. Special mention to Kieran Taylor who played very well on the wing on his first team debut just 3 weeks after his 17th birthday.

Team was G Ward; A Whittaker, W Bradley, P Jordan, K Taylor; M Harland, K Lines; S Odams, A Brown, J Cowley, W Pert, S Durrance, J Flear, D Turner, T Woolerton, Reps D Jackson, M Paton, R Midgely, H O'Brien

Belper 20 Vs Kesteven 20

Kesteven travelled to Derbyshire to face Belper expecting a tough game against a side with a similar record so far in the league. Sam Durrance and David Jackson made debut starts in the pack and former Kesteven player James Kmieciak lined up for the opposition.

The opening part of the game was frustrating as the game was stopped several times for injuries and it was difficult for either side to get into their stride. Matt Harland opened the scoring for Kesteven with a well struck penalty. Belper responded well and created the opening try when their number 8 linked with their lively scrum half who exchanged passes with the winger and scored in the corner. The Belper fly-half slotted an excellent conversion from the touch line and shortly afterwards added a penalty to give the home side a 10 – 3 lead.

Kesteven came back well and scored a well worked try. Andy Brown took the ball in the line and passed to Rupert Jordan who scored in the corner. Harland was just short with the conversion. From the restart Sam Durrance caught the ball and went on a mazy run beating several opposition defenders, with just the full-back to beat he passed to the supporting Jamie Flear who scored under the posts. Harland converted to give Kesteven a 15 – 10 lead.

Shortly before half-time an off the ball incident resulted in a player from either side being yellow carded and some back chat from a Belper player left the home side down to 13. The second half started well and a great take in the lineout set up a catch a drive. This was driven some 20 metres and Scott Odams eventually rolled over to score. The conversion was missed.

Another off the ball incident then left the visitors down to 13. Mark Sayle and Marc Paton came onto the front row and Justin Dingley came on at full back. At this stage K’s were comfortable and pushing for the bonus point. But a couple of penalties went just wide and the fourth try just wouldn’t come.

To Belper’s credit they kept going and in the last minute the scrum half took a quick tap penalty and ran under the posts to score. The fly half converted and the game finished 20 – 20. It was a credible result in a tricky away fixture, but one that left the home side happier and Kesteven feeling an opportunity had been missed. That said there were a number of positives: the lineout was fantastic all day and the forwards out mauled the larger home pack. Out wide there were glimpses of quality but the amount of quality ball was some restricted in a frustrating game.

This week Kesteven take a break from league action and face Glossop at home in the Quarter Final of the NLD Shield. Kick-off is 2pm and all support is welcome.

Team was: A Whittaker, G Ward, W Bradley, P Jordan, R Jordan, M Harland, K Lines; S Odams, A Brown, D Jackson, W Pert, J Cowley, J Flear, S Durrance, R Midgley. Reps: M Paton, M Sayle, J Dingley

Kesteven 23 Vs Ashby 10

Another fine autumn day at Woodnook saw Ashby arrive to defend their 2nd place in the league,

Kesteven welcomed Danny Turner back to the pack and gave James Cowley his first starting place in the front row.

Ashby kicked off but conceded a penalty immediately allowing Kesteven to go on the attack. Early exchanges were tight with few scoring chances but the Kesteven forwards were gradually getting on top. The back row of Turner, Woolerton and Flear kept the ball moving forward.

Kesteven opened the scoring after 20 minutes when Harland popped over a penalty. Ashby replied with a chance of their own but their kick drifted wide. Harland had to react quickly to touch down as the Ashby backs chased the loose ball.

The home team added to their score with a fine try. A long raking kick from Harland rolled into touch five metres from the visiting line out. Ashby won the ball but their clearing kick to touch was gathered by Lines. Ward read the situatio perfectly and took up position to accept the scrum half's pass infield. The wing ran cross field and found Whittaker coming up at speed. The young full back found space to race through for the try. The conversion failed but Kesteven had a lead. They now took the pace of the game up a level and it was no surprise when they added to their total just before the break. This time Turner was the creator with a good deep run. When he was stopped he found Jordan on an angled run off his wing to take the pass and run strongly to score at the posts. Harland's conversion made the half time score 15 - 0 to the home side.

In the second half Kesteven came under some pressure but kept their line intact for the most part. Ashby scored with a penalty to start a flurry of scoring. Kesteven immediately responded with a penalty of their own. Harland had one attempt hit the post but in the scramble to clear their lines from this Ashby got caught off side and this time Harland made no mistake.

Ashby added to their score straight away with a converted try after a Kesteven clearance kick was charged down. This made the score 18 - 10 to the home side with 20 minutes left. Kesteven however were able to finish the stronger and added a third try. This time the impressive Woolerton broke away from a maul in midfield an made ground to the Ashby 22. He found Ward out on the wing and he was able to finish the move with a try. The conversion failed. Turner was denied the bonus point try when he was tackled high just short of the line, but Kesteven finished the game on the attack beating a very useful Ashby team in some style. Kesteven brought on Jackson for Brown, Durrance for Flear and Rupert Jordan replaced brother Phil for the last two minutes. Captain Phil's grin as he left the field signified a job well done! For Kesteven the front of Odams Brown and Cowley laid the foundation but the work on the ground of the other forwards Pert Hayward Turner Flear and Woolerton meant there was always a supply of good ball for the backs. Ashby had a very strong defence which meant it was harder for the backs to shone. Having said that they were able to create three good tries. The centres Goodrich and Bradley both had some good runs while their tackling prevented the Ashby backs making any impression. This week the first team travel to Belper for another tough fixture.

Team was A Whittaker; G Ward, W Bradley, J Goodrich, P Jordan; M Harland, K Lines; S Odams, A Brown, J Cowley, W Pert, D Hayward, J Flear, D Turner, T Woolerton Reps D Jackson, S Durrance, R Jordan

Kesteven 20 - Amber Valley 30

The sun shone in Derbyshire as Kesteven made the journey over to play Amber Valley.

Grant Ward and Will Bradley were unavailable and Sam Durrance, making his first team debut, and Rupert Jordan filled the wing berths with Phil Jordan moving in to the centre. These were the only changes from the previous week.

The game started at some pace with both teams willing to play expansive rugby early on and this led to an early rush of tries. Amber Valley scored first when their right wing made a dash for the line. He was stopped just short but K's were penalised in the tackle and from the penalty the defence did not react quickly enough and conceded the try.

The Kesteven response was quick and from the restart they won possession. Swift hands worked the ball out right and young Sam Durrance ran in for the try in the corner. Harland's conversion hit the post.

This time Valley struck back. The restart was knocked on and from the scrum the home team worked the ball into the 22 area. From there a short pass from stand off to centre was almost intercepted, but this created the sapce for the centre to have a clear run to the posts for the try which was converted.

Again Kesteven reacted well and scored moments later. This time Phil Jordan took a short pass at speed and broke through to score under the posts to give Harland an easy conversion to tie the scores at 12 - 12 after 16 minutes. The flurry of scoring dried up with the both sides scoring with penalties, Amber Valley got 2 to Kesteven's 1 to make the half time score 18 - 15 to the home side.

Kesteven kicked off in the second half and tok the lead within a couple of minutes. A move through the backs looked to have stopped but a loose ball was hacked through to the Amber Valley line. Jamie Flear reacted quicker than anyone else to race onto the loose ball on the line to score. The turn of speed was truly impressive. This hould have set the scene for the visitors to take control but the home team steadied their ship and rolled over for a try from close range. They added a furter score midway through the half with a try out wide. This was converted with a great kick from the touchline to take the scor e to 30 - 20 to the home team with 20 minutes left. Betts replaced Rupert Jordan on the wing while Jackson and Hayward replaced Patin and Brown. Kesteven pressed for most of this time in the Valley 22. First James Goodrich then Scott Odams got over the line but the referee was unable to award either try. Valley continued to concede penalties in their desperate defence but K's were unable to make them pay. Finally Amber Valley turned the ball over to escape and finished the match on the attack.

It was a disappointing end to the game for Kesteven but in truth it was a closely fought match. For Kesteven Will Pert dominated the line out with sensible use of shortened formations. Tony Woolerton again impressed while Jamte Flear had a great game. In the backs Phil Jordan and Sam Durrance took their tries well while James Goodrich made good ground.

Team was A Whittaker, S Durrance, P Jordan, J Goodrich, R Jordan; M Harland, K Lines; S Odams, A Brown, M Paton, J Cowley, W Pert, R Midgley, J Flear, T Woolerton.

Kesteven 79 - Notts Boots Corsairs 3

Kesteven welcomed the Corsairs to Woodnook on Saturday. The ground was again bathed in beautiful autumn sunshine as the visitors kocked off.

Kesteven were pleased to welcome back Goodrich, Bradley and Whittaker to the back division while Brown resumed at hooker, Flear and Woolerton back in the back row.

The early exchanges gave no indication of how the game would unfold with Corsairs enjoying the bulk of possession. They lackedthe ability to make this count however and Kesteven quickly built up a lead. First try came from a finely judged kick by Harland which was gathered by Ward. The young wing showed great presence in sending a perfect inside pass to Whittaker for the try. This was followed shortly after with a try by Ward himself when he came off his wing to make the extra man in midfield, then Jordan got his first try with a similar move coming off his wing before Bradley set of on a run from his own half which ended with him scoring. K's had had the ball four times in the first 20 minutes and scored eacht ime. Harland kicked the first three conversions to take the lead to 26 - 0. From then on Kesteven were in control and added further tries by Jordan and Bradley before the break. Harland converted one more while Corsairs got points on the board with a penalty to make the half time score 38 - 3.

The second half started with the Kesteven forwards taking the ball on and pinning the visitors back in their half but it was some time before the added to their score. The try when it came owed much to the pce of Ward who simply streaked away from his marker to go round behind the posts to complete the first hat trick. At this stage Jackson replaced Paton while Hayward came on for Brown. Parker remained an unused replacement but he was enjoying himself all the while playing scrum half for the 3rds on the adjacent pitch.

This opened the floodgates as the visitors tired and Kesteven upped a gear led supperbly by an outstanding performance by Tony Woolerton pushing great holes in the Corsairs defence. First Midgley did all the running to the line before handing on to Jordam for his hat trick try, then from the kick off Woolerton again made ground to release Odams on a straight run to the line. The prop stumbled but got the ball away to the supporting Jordan to score before Bradley got his hat trick and Whittaker added the last two tries just before the end, completing his hat trick as well. Harland added a further three conversions to make the final score 79 - 3.

It was a fantastic display by the whole team. Wollerton was outstanding in the pack well supported by Brown, Odams and Cowley. Pert continues to improve while Midgely's willingness to run and Flear's ability to win the ball on the ground was invaluable. In the backs the finishing of the strike runners was terrific while the distribution of Lines Harland and Goodrich made it all possible. This week the 1st team face the difficult trip to Derbyshire to take on Amber Valley with renewed cofidence.

Team was Whittaker; Ward, Bradley, Goodrich, Jordan; Harland, Lines; Odams, Brown, Paton, Pert, Cowley, Midgely, Flear, Woolerton Reps Jackson, Hayward, Parker

Kesteven 15 Rushden & Higham 21

Kesteven welcomed Rushden and Higham to Woodnook in the RFU Senior Vase competition. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon as Rushden kicked off. Kesteven were again forced to make a number of changes with Pete Dolan and Tony Woolerton coming back into the pack and Richard Dolan taking over at full back.

The opening exchanges were fairly even as both sides sized each other up but it was the visitors who drew first blood with a penalty awarded for an infringement at a ruck. Kesteven were soon creating chances of their own and came close to scoring the opening try. Quick ball from a scrum in the Rushden 22 saw Matt Harland release Martyn Parker on a straight run for the line but the referee judged that the pass was forward. The score was not long delayed as further pressure yielded a penalty. Harland put over the kick to level the scores.

The game continued to ebb and flow and the first try came from a scrum on half way. The visitors won the ball and spun it wide to the right for their wing to outpace the home defence and run in for the try. The conversion failed and the visitors led 8 – 3. Kesteven again returned the favour, this time Richard Midgley broke away from a scrum near half way and sent a perfectly timed pass to Harland for the fly half to race in for the try. The conversion failed and the scores were tied at 8 all. Just when it looked like this would be the half time score Rushden made a crucial break leading to a try under the posts. The conversion took the score 15 - 8.

The visitors started the second half with a bang and added to their score within a couple of minutes with a second penalty to extend their lead to 18 - 8. Grant Ward came off the bench to replace Richard Dolan and soon made an impact. The home team was intent on playing expansive rugby and Ward was ready to enjoy the space created. He latched on to a pass from Parker to go round his man and score with a Chris Ashton type flourish. Harland added the goal points to cut the deficit to 3. Ward was causing the defence problems with another run soon after but sadly he had to retire injured. This resulted in Woolerton being withdrawn from the pack to be replaced by Miles. Jackson replaced Paton in the front row.

Rushden were able to gain the upper hand again and added a further penalty to extend the lead to 6 points. This set the scene for a grandstand finish as Kesteven tried to get a winning try. Rushden conceded a number of penalties; Kesteven needed a converted try to win and threw everything into attack. The match finished with Tony Woolerton being bundled into touch in the act of scoring and Kesteven just failed to come out on top.

This was a much improved display from Kesteven and with a little bit of luck they could have won. The pack turned in a better performance with Pert showing up well. The back row of Midgley, Peabody and Woolerton put in a power of work while Midgley's break and scoring pass to Harland was a highlight. In the backs Lines looked promising at scrum half, linking well with Harland while Phil Jordan was full of running in the centre.

This week Kesteven entertain Nottingham Boots Corsairs at Woodnook in a return to league action. Kick-off is 3pm and all support is welcome.

Team was: R Dolan, I Charles, M Parker, P Jordan, R Jordan, M Harland, K Lines; S Odams, P Dolan, M Paton, J Cowley, W Pert, R Midgley, A Peabody, T Woolerton. Reps: D Jackson, T Miles, G Ward.

Sleaford 41 Kesteven 12

Kesteven made the short trip to Sleaford for another local league derby versus Sleaford. With a few regulars still missing with injuries K’s knew they would be in for a tough game.

Sleaford made the better start and were awarded an early penalty. The kick in front of the posts was just wide but the opening score followed soon after. The Sleaford fly-half found space and sliced through to score. This was converted to give the home team a 7 - 0 lead.

Kesteven had some early pressure but could not sustain it long enough to create chances. Sleaford did better in that they took their opportunities to score two more tries before the break. One was converted to take the score to 19 - 0.

This fired Kesteven up and just before the break they got reward. Phil Jordan made a strong break for the line and showed great awareness by touching down at the base of the post for the try. Harland converted to make the half time score 19 - 7.

This should have been the trigger for the visitors to take the game on but it was Sleaford who grew stronger. They were able to add three more tries, 2 of which were converted, and a penalty to increase their lead to 41 - 7.

Kesteven did have the last word when a good run by Betts set up position on the Sleaford line. Dougie Hayward finished the move by forcing his way over the line for the try in the final move of the game. The conversion was missed and the final score was 41 – 12.

This week Kesteven take a break from league action and face Rushden and Higham at home in the RFU Senior Vase. Kick-off is 2.30pm and all support is welcome.

Team was: J Danford, I Charles, P Jordan, M Parker, R Jordan, M Harland, K Lines; S Odams, D Hayward, J Cowley, G smith, W Pert, A Brown, R Midgley, A Peabody. Reps: D Jackson, M Paton, B Betts.

Kesteven 6 Lincoln 13

Kesteven welcomed Lincoln to Woodnook for the first game between the sides for a few years with Lincoln coming down a league last year. K’s were missing a few key players but they were confident they could continue their winning start to the season. Although a tough game was expected and the scorching weather did not make things any easier for either side.

From the start of the game it was clear it was going to be a battle up front with both the set piece and break down fiercely competed. Kesteven survived some early pressure from Lincoln and managed to work themselves into the opposition half. They were awarded a penalty which Matt Harland converted to give an early 3 – 0 lead.

Lincoln came back straight away and worked the ball out to their danger man on the right wing who ran around the defence and scored in the corner. The conversion was missed. Moments later the same winger had the ball in space, but this time some great cover tacking prevented him scoring a second. Harland had another penalty that was just short and the score remained 5 – 3 to the visitors at half time.

The second half started with Kesteven putting the visitors under pressure which resulted in a number of penalties being conceded. Harland converted one of these which allowed Kesteven to take a slender 6 – 5 lead with 20 minutes to go.

Tempers became a little frayed as the game wore on and Woolerton received 10 minutes in the sin bin for an altercation with an opposing player. Lincoln kicked a penalty and moved into an 8 – 6 lead.

The game finally got away from the home side when a missed tackle allowed Lincoln to break away up the pitch. Despite a last ditch tackle an off load to a supporting player resulted in a try under the posts. The conversion was missed but Lincoln held on and won the game 13 – 6.

Kesteven will look at this as an opportunity lost and despite the missing players the game was there for the taking. The whole team worked hard all game for the victory, but it didn’t quite happen on the day.

Team was: M Harland, I Charles, P Jordan, T Woolerton, R Jordan, M Parker, A Draper; S Odams, A Brown, D Hayward, J Cowley, G smith, R Midgley, A Peabody, J Korcz. Reps: M Paton, W Pert, K Lines.

Mellish 5 Kesteven 31

I would like to point out a correction from last week’s match report. The final conversion of the game was knocked over by Rob Cooper and not Dan Turner as the report suggested. It was a great kick with the wind and angle judged to perfection.

This week Kesteven travelled to Mellish keen to continue their winning start to the season. Adam Draper was given a 1st XV debut at scrum half and Grant Ward made a welcome return to the wing. Dan Turner moved to fly-half and Richard Midgley came onto the back row.

Early nerves were settled when a wide pass was collected by winger Grant Ward. Ward took the ball stationary but managed to break away from his opposite number, beat three players on the outside and step inside the full back. A Mellish player did manage to make a last ditch tackle, but the ball was off loaded to Rob Cooper who scored under the posts. Dan Turner converted to give K’s an early 7 – 0 lead.

The front five again worked hard to generate a platform and Adam Draper made sure there was plenty of ball out to the backs. Cooper was unlucky not to score a second as he chased a Turner kick through, but was just beaten to the ball by the quick Mellish wing. Unfortunately, he was injured during this and was replaced by Rupert Jordan, with Aaron Whittaker moving to full back.

The second try came when a break by Goodrich was supported by Grant Ward who took a looping pass to score in the corner. Dan Turner again converted to increase the lead to 14 – 0. A long range penalty attempt from Turner into the wind was short, but just before half time Andy Peabody snatched a loose ball from a Mellish line out and charged through to score. The conversion was just wide but K’s went into half time with a comfortable 19 – 0 lead.

K’s went looking for the bonus point in the second half and this came when Turner took a switch pass from Goodrich and ran a good line to score under the posts. The conversion put K’s 26 – 0 in front.

Scott Odams came on for Adam Draper who injured his ankle and this meant a reshuffle of positions which took a while to adapt to. During this period Mellish came back and scored a try through some good work from their forwards. But this spurred the Black Army on and Andy Brown linked well with Dan Turner who put Grant Ward away for his second try of the game

Kesteven finished the game strongly with a couple of good backs moves and some strong runs from Gordon and Pert in the second row. Man of the match was Tony Woolerton for his all round work, back row partner Richard Midgley just missed out for lacking that killer instinct.

This week Kesteven are at home to East Retford in a friendly game, kick-off 3pm and all support is welcome as always!

Team was: R Cooper, A Whittaker, P Jordan, J Goodrich, G Ward, D Turner, A Draper; J Cowley, A Brown, M Paton, J Gordon, W Pert, R Midgley, T Woolerton, A Peabody. Reps: S Odams, R Jordan, M Sayle.

Kesteven 17 Melbourne 0

Kesteven welcomed the return of Tony Woolerton to the squad and gave a first team debut to Will Bradley – but were otherwise unchanged from last week’s cup win against Worksop. A tough game was expected against a young Melbourne side that had finished fourth in the league last season.

Kesteven won the toss and opted to play with the strong wind behind their backs. This helped with field position and the majority of the half was spent attacking the Melbourne line. A strong scrum and some great work in the loose gave K’s plenty of possession. The back row was particularly effective in both securing and turning over ball at the break down. Rob Cooper made a great break and popped the ball inside to James Goodrich who was unlucky to be held up just short of line. The break through eventually came when Aaron Whittaker fielded a loose clearance kick and linked with Cooper who attacked the broken Melbourne defence and passed back to Whittaker who beat three defenders to score a great try in the corner. Harland was just short with the difficult conversion.

Olly Wood who was controlling the game well at scrum half linked well with Phil Jordan on the right hand side of the pitch and Jordan chipped inside for the supporting players, but the bounce just went the wrong way and the try went begging. Several more chances were created but the final ball didn’t quite go to hand and the score remained 5 – 0 at half time. K’s knew they would be up against it in the second half with the wind behind Melbourne and their strong kicking fly-half. For half an hour this was how the game went and only excellent defence from the Black Army kept Melbourne out. This included several crunching hits that left the Melbourne players wincing. Harland helped clear the lines with some good kicks and the front five made some good hard yards up front.

Will Bradley made a couple of excellent runs on his debut to relieve the pressure and Turner was unlucky to miss with a shot at goal into the wind. Jack Gordon came on for Will Pert and won some good line out ball and was unlucky not to score when he touched the ball down just short of the line supporting a strong break by Goodrich. Eventually the second try came and it was Whittaker again who beat his man on the outside to score in the corner. Again the conversion was just short. This settled K’s and the game was killed off with a fantastic try. The front five won a heel against the head on their own 22. Dan Turner picked up from the base of the scrum and ran 80 metres as he outpaced the Melbourne backs to score under the posts. Turner converted his own try to give Kesteven a 17 – 0 lead and this was how the game finished.

It was a good first win in the league against some tough opposition and Kesteven now look forward to a trip to Mellish this coming weekend.

Team was: R Cooper, A Whittaker, W Bradley, J Goodrich, P Jordan, M Harland, O Wood; S Odams, A Brown, D Hayward, J Cowley, W Pert, A Peabody, T Woolerton, D Turner. Reps: M Paton, J Gordon, R Jordan.

Worksop 20 vs Kesteven 42

Kesteven travelled to Worksop confident after last week’s friendly win at Southwell. The return of Paton, Peabody, Hayward and Charles added some experience to the young side. After a comprehensive warm-up in the sunshine with JLS pumping out from the Worksop fun day disco, the Black Army were ready for the task ahead.

Kesteven started strongly, but against the run of play the Worksop scrum half and captain produced a great individual try as he chipped over the flat K’s defence, collected the ball and raced away to score under the posts. Rob Cooper charged down the conversion and the score remained 5 – 0.

K’s got straight back into the game and following some great work up front from Jamie Flear and Clayton Hill, Scott Odams drove over the line from close range. Matt Harland converted to put K’s in front. This gave K’s confidence and the forwards continued to produce good ball for the backs to attack. Cooper had a couple of great runs and only last ditch tackling from the home side prevented the score being added to

Towards the end of the half Harland produced a great cross field kick that Dan Turner collected and touched down. Harland converted to give K’s a 14 – 5 half-time lead.

Some great scrummaging from the front five continued to give K’s a great source of possession and following early pressure in the second half, Dan Turner took the ball at pace from Olly Wood and crashed over for his second try. Harland again converted. Some lapses in concentration did allow Worksop back into the game and they kicked a penalty and scored a second try through their forwards to bring the score back to 21 – 13. But K’s came back and the ball was worked down the line to Aaron Whittaker who stepped inside the last defender and scored under the posts, converted by Harland.

Peabody, Gordon, Charles and Paton all came on to give the side some fresh legs. And when Cooper came back on following a 10 minute rest the side was back to full strength. Turner completed his hat-trick with another powerful run and converted his own try. Worksop did score again through their young centre. But the game was finished off with a great try for Kesteven. Olly Wood chipped over the Worksop defence and Turner collected the ball at full stretch on the touch line, popped inside to Andy Peabody who off-loaded to Aaron Whittaker to score his second try. James Goodrich slotted the tricky conversion and the final score was Worksop 20 Kesteven 42

It was a much improved performance from the week before and the side now look forward to the first league game of the season this Saturday at home to Melbourne – 3pm kick-off. The club is open from 9am showing the England v Argentina World Cup match and all support for both England and Kesteven is welcome!

Team was: R Cooper, A Whittaker, P Jordan, J Goodrich, R Jordan, M Harland, O Wood; S Odams, A Brown, D Hayward, J Cowley, W Pert, J Flear, C Hill, D Turner. Reps: M Paton, J Gordon, A Peabody, I Charles.

Southwell 10 vs Kesteven 17

Kesteven continued their warm up for the new season with a trial match at Southwell. New skipper Phil Jordan led a young side out with the intention of playing an expansive game, relying on their pace to take the sting out of the opposition.

Southwell who were unlcky to be relegated at the end of last season field a strong pack and they exercised early control of the game. They were rewarded with an early penalty which they converte dto take a 3 point lead. This spurred the visitors and soon K's were runnning the game. Olly Wood at scrum half was keen to exploit evrey gap and it was he who created the space for the first try. He broke down the blind side and when he was stopped the ball was quickly spread out left for Phil Jordan to finish the move with a try. Dan Turner converted with a fine kick from the touchline.

Tony Woolerton who had started promisingly in the back row retired with an ankle injury. Young Clayton Hill came on to make his first team debut and fitted in very well. Kesteven continued to attack from every opportunity and soon added a second try when Dan Turner broke through. When he was stopped the ball was again worked out to the backs and Justin Dingley crossed for the try. The third try followed shortly after the break. This time it was young Clayton Hill who finished off a move by supporting the backs to score a try on his debut.

In the fourth quarter the Kesteven forwards were still dominating but the desire to run everything led to their undoing. The backs failed to deal with retreatin possession and Southwell scored with 10 minutes left . The conversion narrowed the gap to 17 - 10. There was no further scoring amd Kesteven had sealed a comfortable win.

Team was J Dingley; B Betts, P Jordan, J Goodrich, A Whittaker; J Douglas, O Wood; D Tweddle, A Brown, S Odams, J Cowley, J Gordon, J Flear, T Woolerton, D Turner Reps R Jordan, C Hill

This week the 1st team are away to Worksop in th eNLD Shield while the 2nds entertain Ilkestn at home.