Longlevens II took centre stage at Longford Lane this Saturday as they entertained Tewkesbury II in this re-arranged fixture.
It was a great chance for many aspiring 1st team players to put their case forward to the watching coaching and management team and many took their chance to shine, but the game was a slow burner as Longlevens made heavy work of moving the slower Tewkesbury pack around.
Poor decision making was the order of the day for the first half, with the kicking option being taken at times when going wide was the right call, this gave Tewkesbury too much possession, and the chance to play their slower short game. Longlevens got off the mark after 10 minutes with a try from Stu Baker, who was impressive all game, converted by Furley. This didn't open the expected floodgates though, and Tewkesbury got on the scoresheet with a well worked catch and drive.
The rest of the half was a poor affair, with mistakes from both sides, but Levens did get another score just before half time with a catch and drive of their own, with Rueben Mitchell flopping over. Half time score 12-5.
DoR Andy Deacon didn't hold back at half time, getting across to the players that a big crowd had turned up to watch them play, and they weren't doing themselves justice at all.
The message was heard loud and clear, with better decisions being made, and the ball being moved into the wider channels. This was creating holes that the large Tewkesbury pack couldn't fill, and full back Fox was able to exploit this with two great tries. The first of which was a great line and sprint to the line, and the next coming from receiving a high ball. Fox stepped three men and gassed the entire defence to make it under the posts for a converted try, score now 24-5.
Old habits started to creep back in as the half wore on with more poor kicking options being displayed. Levens were camped in their 22 for a long period and should have been clearing their lines, however they were unable to do so. From this pressure Tewkesbury managed another score, taking the game to 24-10.
However, Levens finished the stronger, with two more tries coming their way. Impressive centre Tom Porter cut a great line from an off the top lineout, going in under the posts, and fellow centre Mat Snyder scored an almost identical try five minutes later, making the final score 36-10.
This was a good win in the end and the players will be pleased with their start to the season, but there is definitely room for improvement.
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