Longlevens RFC

Longlevens took part in a combination cup final for the first time since the 1960s and came away as winners of the junior cup.

The game was played at a sunny Kingsholm stadium in front of hundreds of local rugby fans and the boys certainly put on a show.

The day started at noon in the changing rooms at Longlevens, where former England international and World Cup winner, Phil Vickery, handed each player their shirt followed by some wise and informative words.

After a short trip across town to Kingsholm, the team enjoyed the last 20 minutes of the third team cup before making their way to the away changing rooms, following a delay due to stadium Wi-Fi issues. Once out on the pitch for the warm up they familiarised themselves with the unfamiliar surroundings before going through the usual routines. A rousing speech by DoR, and former Gloucester stalwart, Andy Deacon, gave the boys some idea of what it meant to play at Kingsholm as they made their way to the pitch.

The game started slowly with both sides getting used to the 3G pitch and playing in front of a larger than usual crowd. Matson coped with it better for the first 20, playing intelligent rugby and using the boot. On 15 minutes the Matson number 10 dummied through the defence on the Levens 22 and managed to offload to a team mate who was able to sprint over the line for the first score 7-0.

The Levens players started to become more comfortable with the occasion and began to link up well and play for territory. From a defensive lineout on the their 22 Matson cleared their lines from 10, only for the ball to be fielded by Henry York. He began to move in field before he noticed the Matson winger step in. York took advantage of this and changed his arc to round his man and make a bee line for the white wash, scoring a great try, 7-7.

The game then ebbed and flowed with both sides creating opportunities but unable to finish them off, leaving the half time score 7 apiece.

The message at halftime was to calm the play down and stick to the structures, unfortunately, the otherwise flawless captain, Martin Deacon dropped the kick off resulting in a scrum on the 22, right hand side. The Matson 9 got the ball away from a retreating scrum and found his 10, he then stabbed through a perfectly weighted grubber for the 13 to pounce on to score, 14-7.

The Griffins were far from out of the game and began to put pressure on Matson. From a ruck on the right Matson attempted to run out of the 22. When they found their way blocked, they grubbered through only for the ball to ricochet off Sam Hester’s leg. He managed to hack the ball forward and won the foot race to the line, this time unconverted, 14-12.

The game stayed at this score until the last five minutes, until Matson were awarded a scrum centre right just inside their half. The 9 scooped the ball from the back and arced around to the blind side where he stepped inside the covering tackles to make an excellent break through the middle. He executed a 2 v 1 and put the winger in for what looked like the final score of the match, not converted, 19-12.

The missed conversion meant it was still a seven-point game, so a converted try was all that was needed to draw level. Up stepped Kory Holman-Jones. From the kick off he plucked the ball from the air, broke a tackle, pirouetted, and bull dozed his way to the line to go over to rapturous applause. Sam Hester had been distinctly average from the Tee all game so it was a nervous wait for the conversion, however he was about to turn that form around, converting for what looked like a draw and extra time.

Right at the death Matson gave a penalty away deep in the Levens half, giving them a chance to either kick for the corner or tap and kick it out for extra time. A Matson player however, had other ideas, he decided to politely tell the ref he got the decision wrong, resulting in a 10-metre march back. This put it in range and up stepped Hester to boldly point at the sticks.

The crowd held their breath as he lined up the kick, a full metre inside the half. Hester struck it perfectly and it seemed to take an age to sail through the middle of the sticks, sparking pandemonium on the pitch and in the crowd, final score 19-22.

This was a sweet victory for The Griffins, upsetting the usual order of things within the North Gloucester Combination. The cup was presented to captain Deacon and the team, followed by the traditional spraying of Champagne in the changing room. The clubhouse was bouncing back at Longford Lane, with many of the players celebrating until the early hours.

Thanks must go to the coaching staff, and the management team of Mark Pope and Paul Churchill, who have kept the team on track all season.