The 1st XV travelled to newly promoted national Two side Oundle RFC for their first pre-season game ahead of the new format Champ Rugby season.
Oundle are a very ambitious level four club, coached by Ampthill legend Vili Ma’asi and have recruited heavily over the summer as they look to climb through the National Leagues. Their squad included a number of recent Championship players with multiple ex-Ampthill players among them including prop Matt Collins and back-row forward Jac Arthur. Many more watched from the sidelines.
Ampthill won the toss and chose to play into the wind in the first half. Our hosts were looking to test themselves against their Champ opposition and spent the first fifteen minutes of the game camped in and around the Ampthill twenty-two. Only some resolute determined defence from the Mob prevented Oundle from opening the scoring on three or four occasions.
However it was Ampthill who struck fist. Awarded a penalty on halfway, captain Louis Grimoldby kicked into the twenty two. The line out was efficient and two quick passes later centre Matt Salisbury crossed the line for his first try in maroon and gold. Grimoldy added a simple conversion 0 v 7
Ten minutes later the Mob doubled their advantage. The forwards worked patient phases in the Oundle twenty two before hooker Harrison Dakin broke free. The Oundle defence stopped him short of the kine but he popped the ball up for scrum-half Alex Davies to dive over under the posts. 0 v 14
Davies added his second and Ampthill third minutes later when he broke the Oundle line and scored right of the posts 0 v 21
But Oundle completed the first half scoring. After another period of sustained pressure in the Ampthill twenty-two, working closer to the try-line the ball was thrown wide to the wing who dived over in the corner. The conversion came back off the post to leave the scores 5 v 21 at half time.
New head coach Dave Ward had named a 29 man squad for the game including a number of trialists and he made multiple changing for the second half.
Playing with the wind, the Mob found themselves exerting early pressure on Oundle. A penalty on twenty-two provided the platform for Ampthill’s fourth try – full back Joe Heslop gathering the overthrown line out and scoring right of posts before converting his own try, 5 v 28
Oundle scored their second minutes later, their highly experienced line out was working well all afternoon and they scored from a driving maul. 10 v 28
Ampthill’s fifth came from an Oundle scrum ten metres from their own try-line. The Ampthill pack turned the ball over and quick hands from the Ampthill backs put replacement scrum-half Joe Adams in. Great to see Joe back playing after a horrible injury on the final day of last season. Heslop added his second conversion 10 v 35
With just over twenty minutes to play, Ward made more changes including 1st XV debuts for junior pros Albie Matthews and Aaron Gear.
Oundle scored their third try minutes later – a carbon copy of their second from a line out drive and this time the conversion was good. 17 v 35.
Ampthill sixth try came from the work of Matthews showing no nerves at this level. He collected the ball deep in the Ampthill 22 and ran at Oundle before chipping the defence. The ball took a fortunate deflection was passed back to Matthews who with the try-line in sight unselfishly offloaded to fellow wing Mason Cullen to score. A third Heslop conversion 17 v 42.
Cullen completed the scoring in the final minute, working with Sione Va’enuku to hunt the ball down and turnover before sprinting in to score in the corner.
Final score 17 v 47.
Following the game, Head Coach Dave Ward said “the result is very pleasing but the performance is what we’re interested in pre-season. There were lots of elements of that performance that we’ll take away and be positive about but on the other side of the coin there were areas we need to work on.”
The 1st XV welcome Worcester Warriors to The Olney Field on Sat 13th September. Tickets and hospitality are available to book online
Starting XV
1. Jevaughn Warren 2. Harrison Dakin 3. Dom Hardman (vc) 4. Totoa Auvaa 5. Jake Parkinson
6. Barney Merritt 7. Matt Parry 8. Ollie Mullarkey 9. Alex Davies 10. Louis Grimoldby (c)
11. Alex Green 12. Oscar Wilson 13. Matt Salisbury 14. Sam Kildunne 15. Joe Heslop
Replacements:
16. James Isaacs 17. Harrison Courtney 18. Callum Norrie 19. Aiden King 20. Aaron Gear
21. Joe Adam 22. Fraser Strachan 23. Mason Cullen 24. Jacob Easterling 25. Sione Vaenuku
26. Rhys Thomas 27. Albie Matthews 28. Seva Kava 29. Kima Ravuvu
