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vs Oakham
Maidwell 5 Oakham 49
The thirds put up a terrific display to start the season - especially given the fact that half the team had never played before - and more than held their own for the first half - going in 5 - 5. Superior fitness appeared to make a huge difference though and Oakham came out much stronger in the second half. The loss of the captain Forsyth seemed to make a huge difference and under continual pressure Maidwell allowed Oakham to make significant progress. The final score fairly reflected a very one-sided second half but Maidwell must build upon their first half performance.
vs Oundle
Maidwell 15 Oundle 32
On a very disorganised and wet afternoon the thirds took to the field a little more confident with the steadying influences of Palmer and Ayoub in the fold. However, the afternoon started badly with the loss of a player in the first five minutes. This immediately disrupted the shape of the team and Oundle took full advantage, running in three tries in quick succession. Clifton-Brown smuggled one over the line in reply but the half time score of 20 - 5 was fairly accurate. The second half saw Maidwell come out fighting and they rose manfully to the task. Two tries from Ayoub made the score a little more respectable but the man advantage was always going to be a large factor and Oundle themselves scored twice - a drawn second half says much for the team's grit and determination though.
The final score did reflect the afternoon's proceedings but having played with a man down all afternoon the thirds did well, a little more self-belief and work on retaining possession will hopefully do some good before the next match!
vs Spratton
Maidwell 12 Spratton
Due to injuries and illness both sides were depleted and so a 13-a-side match was the order of the day. Spratton began strongly and rather caught Maidwell off guard, resulting in an early try. The match then seemed to stagnate between the half way and twenty-two and Maidwell struggled to break clear. Another try soon followed and from that point on it became an uphill struggle. Maidwell continued to fight back and some strong runs from Groizard (Snr) and Piensuparp (Jnr) resulted in a Clifton Brown score, brilliantly converted by Forsyth. There was a further try from Piensuparp (Snr) but a reply and conversion from Spratton knocked the wind from Maidwell's sails. Half time score 16 - 11.
The second half saw fitness come into play much more and Maidwell were found lacking and the relentless ruck and mall game became too much. A breakaway try from Piensuparp (Snr) was a brief glimmer of light in an otherwise very grey second half in which Spratton dominated.
Before the next match Maidwell must work on retaining possession, especially in dangerous areas and improve their tackling (maybe some closer study of Ferrari's technique would do them all good!)
vs Bilton Grange
Maidwell 20 Bilton Grange 22
A very disappointing afternoon for the thirds who continued to battle well and used the ball a lot better than they had done in previous matches. Unfortunately a lack of team work and some ill-discipline led to a defeat. This was all the more galling considering the hard work put in throughout the match to battle back when under pressure and behind, to even take the lead up until the last few minutes through two tries apiece from Ayoub and Piensuparp. A re-taken conversion won the match for Bilton in the end.
The thirds must learn from today's mistakes and make the most of the time they have before their next fixtures. They must work on generating much more team spirit and organising themselves much more effectively at set pieces.
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