Ampthill V. Coventry 11Th January 2020
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PROGRAMME £3 AMPTHILL V. COVENTRY 11TH JANUARY 2020 KICK OFF 1.45PM PRIMARY PARTNER SENIOR PARTNERS Primary Partner: Ampthill & District Community Rugby Club Limited Senior Partners: Dillingham Park, Woburn St, Ampthill, Bedford, MK45 2HX www.ampthillrufc.com Tel: 01525 403303 Vat Reg No. 196 7536 11 Registered in England and Wales 00629333 WELCOME Chairman’s welcome to Ealing Trailfinders For today’s Green King IPA Championship match and for the second time this season, we offer a warm Bedfordshire welcome to our friends from Coventry RUFC to Dillingham Park. You will probably know that Coventry have been here during the National 1 campaign but last year they played in the Green King IPA Championship finishing in 8th position. Coventry is not too far from Ampthill, so we hope to see a good following making the trip down to add to what is bound to be a great atmosphere. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome the Mayor of Ampthill, Mr Ian Titman, the Lady Mayoress, Ms Maggie Fuller and the Mayor’s honourable guests to our club lunch. I hope you enjoy the day. Our last fixture against the visitors was at the Butts Park Arena where we were given a bit of a rugby lesson. The final score was 64-26 with the home side throwing the ball around and attacking from all over the park. Let us hope our defence holds firm today during the league encounter. Coventry currently lie in a very creditable 3rd place in the league, having won four matches and drawn one (two points behind Cornish Pirates in the 2nd spot). Ampthill fans will still be smiling from our last game, away to Bedford on Boxing day!! Many of us will have seen the quality of teams playing against Bedford over the years but never would have believed they would have seen Ampthill challenging in a competitive fixture but challenge we did. The second half was a pleasure to observe. The team held firm in defence and expressed themselves well in attack. Bedford became more and more frustrated and Ampthill held their nerve. To finish with a score line of 23-10 demonstrated a real milestone for the club. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of the club members, coach’s staff and supporters a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. Come on you A’s Alex Radley - Chairman, Ampthill and District RUFC 2 Saturday 11th January 2020 Ampthill & District RUFC v Coventry ACHIEVEMENTS PRESIDENT NATIONAL 1 LEAGUE WINNERS 2018-2019 Pat Sherry [email protected] NATIONAL 1 4TH PLACE 2017-2018 NATIONAL 1 3RD PLACE 2016-2017 CHAIRMAN Alex Radley NATIONAL 1 4TH PLACE 2015-2016 [email protected] NATIONAL 2 PROMOTION PLAYOFF WINNERS 2014-15 CHAIRMAN OF MINI & YOUTH NATIONAL 2 NORTH RUNNERS-UP 2014-15 James Wiggett NATIONAL 2 SOUTH 2013-2014 RUNNERS UP ChairmanMiniYouth@ ampthillrufc.com LEAGUE WINNERS 2012/13 HONORARY SECRETARY WINNERS OF EAST MIDLANDS CUP FINAL 2012 Ian Titman LEAGUE WINNERS 2009/10 [email protected] LEAGUE WINNERS 2008/09 TREASURER CUP WINNERS 2004/05, 2006/07 Bill Warfield CUP RUNNERS-UP 2005/06 [email protected] RED CIRCLE CUP 1998/99 DIRECTOR OF RUGBY Mark Lavery DirectorOfRugby@ ampthillrufc.com Ampthill & District Community Rugby Club, Dillingham Park, Woburn Street, Ampthill, Beds, MK45 2HX Email [email protected] Congratulations to Joe Bercis on his 150th Telephone 01525 403303 appearance for Ampthill against Bedford www.ampthillrufc.com Blues in our last home game! Picture, Iain Frankish, Actuance Photography 3 Extensive experience of major Electrical and Mechanical installations in domestic, industrial and commercial sector environments, Wheeler Electrical Ltd have traded in the Ampthill area since 1961. We are currently working for the UK’s major House Builders and Main Contractors. Please send all enquiries to [email protected] UNIT 3-4 BLACK MOOR BUSINESS PARK | NEW ROAD | MAULDEN | MK45 2BG T: 01525 720022 / F: 01525 718844 WWW.WHEELERELECTRICAL.COM LAST TIME OUT 5000 Watch Ampthill Secure Their Third Consecutive Win Over Bedford Blues Ampthill travelled the 9 miles to a wet Goldington Road on a miserable Boxing Day which had seen significant rain all day until an hour or so before kick off. Thankfully the remaining drizzle ceased as the two sides ran out while the pitch was in surprisingly good condition and there was little wind to trouble the kickers. The bumper capacity crowd (nominally 5,000) indicated the sense of playing a local derby on a bank holiday while the demand for tickets exceeded supply. Amps squad saw a number of changes, up front former Blue Soane Tonga’uiha (prop), Syd Blackmore (hooker), Billy Johnson (lock) & Sam Hudson (No 8) rotated to the starting lineup, as did Tongan Leon Fukofuka (scrum half) and Argentine Serafin Bordoli (centre) in the backs. On the bench Dave Ward (hooker), Carl Burgess (lock) and Sam Hanks (centre) rotated while Matt Collins (prop) and Argentine Facundo Dominguez (flanker) returned. A’s began well, taking the game to Bedford and putting their defence under pressure for the first 15 minutes or so which increased when the visitors secured two successive scrum penalty goal chances for Ampthill fly half & Captain Louis Grimoldby, the former (on 6 minutes) sliding past the post while the latter (13 minutes) bisecting them. Going behind seemed to trigger the home side to raise their game with the remainder of the half belonging to hosts in both territory and possession. The game was essentially being played pack to pack with both sets of backs committed to their defensive duties but having little to no chance to shine going forward. Blues pack had recovered to the point of forcing penalties against Amps scrum while their line out was proving secure and the loose exchanges shaded in their favour. The result was a quarter of tough defence for A’s, with little respite, as every time they cleared their lines Bedford put them straight back under pressure. 6 Eventually after multiple phases in the red zone the 32nd minute saw number 8 Alafoti Faosiliva crash over from close range to right of the posts, fly half Will Hooley adding the extras. Blues exerted further pressure through to half time but were unable to trouble the scoreboard again leaving them leading 3-7 at oranges. Whatever was said during the interval the visitors came out of the blocks firing winning a 44th minute penalty which Grimoldby converted to reduce the lead to 1pt. Just 2 minutes later, more or less straight from the kick off, the hosts were penalised and the resulting penalty kicked to the corner. Ampthill executed a perfect catch & drive with hooker Syd Blackmore coming up with the ball having touched down wide on the left, Grimoldby’s difficult conversion adding insult to injury. On 54 minutes, after the home side’s first period of possession in the half, Amps were penalised allowing Hooley to reduce the deficit to 13-10 with a penalty goal. A’s responded with a fine period of play, multiple phases deep in Bedford’s 22 stretching the defence, a fact noted by Grimoldby whose double missed pass gave wing Sam Baker a 58th minute try scoring opportunity wide on the left with which he made no mistake, Grimoldby again adding an excellent touch line conversion. Such was the tightness of the game this was possibly the only backs opportunity of the match! Now leading by 10 pts the visitors stretched their lead further on 66 mins as more pressure led to another penalty goal chance, Grimoldby continuing his streak with another fine kick. 7 Blues redoubled their efforts forcing Ampthill onto the back foot but Grimoldby cleared the lines to half way twice from deep inside his 22. As the pressure built and time was running out the game became a little fractious with one or two sets of handbags interrupting play. Eventually as Amps again foiled a Bedford maul attack lock Shay Kerry received a yellow card but, having chosen a scrum, the hosts failed to capitalise. A’s now retained possession running down the clock until replacement scrum half Darryl Veenendaal kicked the ball dead to bring an end to a fine afternoon’s entertainment. Having beaten the home side three times in a row Ampthill retained bragging rights but the result could have been different if Bedford had taken their chances in the first half. With a played 7 won 3 drawn 1 record in the Championship, Amps connections can feel satisfied with their first set of fixtures at level 2 but there are another 15 remaining, no one involved should underestimate the challenge remaining. Ampthill head coach Paul Turner commnented “I am proud of the passion and improved accuracy shown in the 2nd half which proved decisive. We just did enough against a good Bedford side and I am very pleased for the group who responded to the pressure we placed onto them during our preparation. “ Scorers Bedford Try :- Faosiliva (32) Conversion :- Hooley (33) Penalty :- Hooley (54) Ampthill Tries :- Blackmore (46), Baker (58) Conversions :- Grimoldby (47, 59) Penalties :- Grimoldby (13, 44, 66) Half Time Score :- 7-3 Referee :- Anthony Woodthorpe Attendance :- 5000+ Man of the Match :- Louis Grimoldby and/or the entire Ampthill pack 8 TODAY’S OPPONENTS Coventry RUFC The first headquarters were established at Old Bull Fields and in the formative years Coventry remained pretty well unbeaten. When the ground became enclosed, it became known as the Butts with the first match played there against Stourbridge in 1880. By the late 1890s, involvement began in the Midland Counties Cup which was won a total of five times.