Alton Rugby Football Club

Alton Win a Potentially Tight Game

Sat 07 Sep 2013, 15:00

Newbury

17 - 42

Alton

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With all the changes on and off the field at Alton RFC, with a refurbished clubhouse, a new director of rugby, a new head coach and the loss of some eight or nine students to universities it really was anyone's guess how this challenging preseason away game against a higher rated Newbury Stags was going to play out.

Well Alton have slowly been building in training  and with the large exodus  of university players comes opportunity and a number of 1st side fringe dwellers showed their new coach  Will Brewer that they are willing and ready to fight for a position in the squad.

Alton started this game with the pace and vigour that they finished last season, with quick penalty runs and ball movement from anywhere on the park - a lovely short passing forward game. Unfortunately due to a game ending injury to key player Mark How the game was forced to uncontested scrums which might give Alton a little false sense of security as they weren't really tested in the engine room but nonetheless they adapted and implemented a game plan that left some of their heavy opponents struggling to catch up to the quick moving offload game. Discipline by both teams in the first half was an issue and Alton will certainly have to rein in a high penalty count. After a half time warning by the referee to both teams, Alton showed that they were willing to listen and early into the second half Newbury were immediately penalised for holding on and their player yellow carded. The game up till then had been very tight but now Alton could sense the momentum swing in their direction and making good use of their numbers advantage, proceeded to run in a couple of quick tries.

With a bit of daylight between them the jubilant Alton squad seemed to lose some focus. There was a fear that maybe there wasn't enough daylight when Newbury rallied to start their score board ticking over with  a few quick breaks that led to tries out wide. The game could have gone either way at this point but for a determined chase and try from an Alton kick off seemed to break Newbury's spirit; couple that with a 60 metre kick chase by Gary MacDonnell, a veteran forward who for some reason was loitering on the wing and was able to fall on the ball deep in the try zone. The watching spectators were unsure if he had fallen needing oxygen or had actually scored the well deserved  five pointer.

The game was pretty much sewn up by now and with both teams starting to feel the muggy conditions, a summer baked hard field and injuries looking to mount it was a timely final whistle leaving Alton 42-17 victors.

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