Mayfield Rugby League

23/02/2008 Navy 6 Mayfield 36 : Navy sunk by HMS Mayfield

23/02/2008 Navy 6 Mayfield 36 : Navy sunk by HMS Mayfield

By “Mad Mal The Mauler”

Two coaches made the long trip with one going down on Friday evening and staying overnight and the second making the journey early Saturday morning and returning Sunday morning after staying over Saturday night.

With a cold wind blowing off Portsmouth harbour kick off was at 1.30pm and both sides were raring to go.

The game had barely been under way when in the 3rd minute Janan Billings lost the ball 5 metres out under a heavy challenge from the Navy massed defence. In trying to bring the ball away the Navy’s giant No3 Silivenusi Buinimasi lost it in a big hit and was seeing stars for a few minutes while Referee Steve Davies stopped play for treatment!

Mayfield then should have made the most of their advantage but Tony Hilton was penalised having made a high shot on No8 Jamie Goss relieving the situation for the Navy who proceeded to work the ball up field where No7 Scott Partis put in a neat grubber hastily put dead by Rob Kershaw.

Only three minutes later having seen how close he had just come, Partis replicated the grubber and No1 Kev Botwood was fast to react to put the first points on the board on 12 minutes. No6 Dane Smallbone successfully converting for a 6 – 0 lead.

Not long after the restart Tony Hilton sustained an injury to his elbow and wrist and took no further part in the game, Chris Brett replacing him.

On 18 minutes a break by No9 Billings with No15 Brett in support took Mayfield to the Navy’s 10 metre line and a Quick play the ball by No7 Paul Rolls found No5 Mike Kaufman on the right wing to nip in at the corner. Mike couldn’t make the difficult conversion on this quite wide pitch 6 -4

On 23 minutes with the Mayfield line under immense pressure Pete Draper read the pass from Smallbone and intercepted to scoot off to the halfway line before being hauled down. Then to return the favour Scott Partis intercepted a billings pass and ran as far as Mayfield’s 20 metre line where he spilled the ball in the ensuing tackle. In trying to pick up the lost ball he crumpled to the grass grasping his left knee which apparently he had recent surgery. He was carried off not to return!

It was at this point that the navy seemed to lose their way as Partis had been the hub the Navy activity? Just two minutes after his exit Paul Rolls nipped through a somewhat disorganised defence to slip a nice pass to Ryan Douglas on his inside to score under the posts. Rolls stepped up to add the two 6 – 10

More woe was to follow for the Navy boys when No8 Jamie Goss was yellowed for interference while in an offside position, deemed to be a professional foul which seemed just a tad harsh to be honest?

The on 35 minutes a strange try came from what appeared to be a Mayfield play the ball 5 metres out where nobody seemed to want to pick up the ball while the Navy appealed for a knock on. Ben Naumatua cheekily scooped up the errant ball and skipped round the perplexed Navy defence to score. Kaufman’s attempt to convert just grazed the wrong side of the woodwork. 6 – 14

With half time imminent Mayfield’s No 16 Ian Sampson was given 10 minutes in the bin for a high shot after the TJ intervened!

On 37 minutes the Navy came close again with a grubber from Smallbone that was knocked on in goal by Matt Calland, but Mayfield defended the half out after hat!

As the teams headed off, “Harry” a young Mayfield supporter, gave the half time entertainment with a very athletic STREAK across the pitch returning doing a series of at least a dozen high flick-flacks and somersaults, to the excitement of the watching female attendance. To say he had more balls than me was evident on BOTH counts, believe me!!!

The second half began in a similar fashion to the first with some astute long kicks by Smallbone keeping Mayfield in their half for the first 6 or 7 minutes, but after Ben Nuamatua broke to reach the halfway line Mayfield slowly built up the pressure on the right of the Navy line, but a quick switch to the left side through several passes found Rob Kershaw on the wing to dive in at the corner. Kaufman’s kick faded under the bar in the face of the stiff breeze, 6 – 18

The Navy thought they had replied on 55 minutes with No 10 Lewis Taylor blasting through several tacklers but his pass to Buinimasi was given forward as he touched down under the posts?

Barely a minute later Paul Rolls put a peach of a pass to Ste Wood who wove his way past several Navy lads to touch down between the uprights to give Rolls an easy two pointer 6 – 24.

65 minutes saw Pete Draper and Ben Nuamatua take the ball past the halfway, but Navy’s No2 Andy Vance was handed a yellow for holding Ben down a bit too long? From the restart a lovely move with passes right across the width of the field ended with Mike Kaufman inexplicably squirting the ball out of his grasp after crossing the whitewash to miss an easy try! Just to show this was no fluke only a couple of minutes later, Mike proceeded to do his impression of a juggler with a bar of soap in the shower and losing it again over the line, but in fairness it was under the attention of a fairly vigorous tackle from Kevin Botwood

Mayfield again regained control of the ball in the 70th minute midfield with Jonathon Muir scattering defenders in his wake to gallop 50 metres to score under the crossbar. Rolls again adding the two 6 – 30

73 minutes and Paul Rolls hoisted a huge up and under well taken by Ryan Douglas who scampered under the sticks for the final try. Mike Kaufman converting to make the final score a well earned 6 – 36

These Navy lads are in their infancy as a team and only competed twice together and put up a very commendable show of skill and commitment, but the loss of their play maker Scott Partis in the first half really affected their rhythm.

Dane Smallbone, Jamie Goss, Lewis Taylor and Kevin Botwood stood out for the Navy.

Mayfield played some sweet football, but at times one would have thought they were behind with some uncalled for wayward passing and off-loading where steady up-the-jumper would have been more appropriate?

Ben Naumatua, Janan Billings, Paul Rolls. Pete Draper and Ryan Douglas performed extremely well with the rest of the boys doing sterling work in their various positions.

After the game the Navy’s “Band of Brothers” presented Mayfield’s Barry Edwards a commemorative silver salver to mark the occasion, a wonderful gesture! Also they presented Komah ‘Ben’ Nuamatua with a silver salver as their choice as “Man of Steel” for the match.

The chicken curry and papadoms went down a treat too with all who tucked in the Navy hospitality, thanks Navy and good luck in your furtherance of Rugby League amongst the United Services and Armed Forces?