Lymington II/Vets v Petersfield Combined – Match Report

Mariners Combo romp home with outstanding victory

Lymington II/Vets 46 – 10 Petersfield Combined

Lymington Mariners fielded an exceptionally high quality squad of players for this combined 2^nd XV and Vets friendly fixture with Petersfield.

The Mariners dominated just about every facet of play throughout the game.  The commitment and dedication to training on Wednesday evenings at Woodside is beginning to pay off.  Mariners’ fitness levels were far superior to Petersfield.  In the last twenty minutes of the game when play can often become scrappy and open, the Mariners maintained their team discipline and kept to their game plan of keeping the ball tight in mid field and playing expansive rugby closer to the opposition line.

The old adage of ‘the forwards win matches and the backs decide by how much’ was most certainly true for the Mariners at Woodside last Saturday.  Props Stuart Harvey and John Hyde were solid as rocks in the scrum, providing a perfect platform and protection for rookie Hooker Neil Foot to excel and achieve the Lymington Man of the Match award.

Mariners Captain for the day  Andy O’Callaghan lead by example, dominating at the rucks and mauls.  However, it was the superb fitness and guile of flanker Ben Bradley-Watson that ensured Mariners with 70% possession throughout the match.

Eight tries by Mariners produced an exciting and enjoyable spectacle for the spectators, many of whom, it would appear were bussed in from Swansea to watch Paul Banasik conjure up his magic at 5/8ths.  Those in the know will find it hard to believe that besides his hat trick of tries, Phil Jenner managed to feed the wings with ball after ball, providing Rupert Badderly Simon Holt and Toby Bradley-Watson with numerous penetrating runs swerving in and outside opposition players adjacent to the touch lines.

Mariners’ strength in depth allowed for all replacements to take to the field without minimising the impact and dynamism of the team.  One player though, who could not be replaced was Full Back Craig Esterhuizen his all round offensive and defensive skill is at an advanced level, that fellow Mariners should emulate.

There were no weak links in the Mariners team.  They all battled through to the 80^th minute, giving of their best.  The Referee was complimentary on the sportsmanship of the Mariners players.  The camaraderie at Lymington Mariners is second to none.