Bancroft RFC 26–15 Thames RFC
YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP!
The Director's Cut — 13 men, two debutants, a birthday boy, a hat-trick hero and a little help
from Sir.
An Unconventional Start
Bancroft's first home fixture of the season against Thames RFC began in circumstances that
could best be described as less than ideal.
Three late injury withdrawals left the hosts with just 14 players at kick-off. Reinforcements
were promised for the second half, including Tony How, who was bravely abandoning his
young daughter's birthday celebrations to answer the call of duty.
Thames, meanwhile, arrived with a full complement of 15 and elected not to match
Bancroft's numbers. Entirely within their rights under the competition rules, of course,
although perhaps not quite in the traditional spirit of merit-table rugby.
To add to the unusual circumstances, Thames were unable to field a suitably trained front
row, meaning uncontested scrums from the outset.
Nevertheless, Bancroft had 14 willing bodies, a rugby ball and a referee.
Game on.
The Young Guns Make Their Mark
Thames threatened first, just three minutes into the contest, when their winger broke down
the right touchline after collecting a pass inside his own half.
With only debutant fullback Eren Ozelci standing between him and the try line, the youngster
showed admirable composure, holding his ground and forcing the attacker to hesitate just
long enough for captain George Reynolds to arrive in pursuit.
Under pressure, the winger threw a hurried pass that Bancroft gratefully collected.
It was an early indication that Eren had no intention of being overawed by his first taste of
senior rugby.
At the other end, fellow senior debutant Jack Fenwick was equally determined to make an
impression.
Following a Bancroft clearance from deep inside their own 22, Jack chased the kick all the
way downfield, putting the Thames fullback under sufficient pressure to force a hurried
clearance straight into touch near the visitors' 10-metre line.
The two youngsters were already making their presence felt.
Toby Draws First Blood
Bancroft's reward came after just seven minutes, courtesy of some rather generous Thames
kicking.
Having won a penalty, the visitors managed to find touch barely 15 metres from the mark.
Their subsequent lineout throw wasn't straight, handing Bancroft possession.
Toby Weingarth kicked intelligently into the Thames 22, but the visitors regained possession
and elected to clear their lines.
Unfortunately for Thames, the kick travelled approximately three metres before dropping
invitingly into the hands of Lee Irvine.
Lee surged forward, making good ground before feeding Toby in support. The vice-captain
needed no second invitation, accelerating through the defensive line, bouncing the Thames
fullback out of his way and carrying two desperate covering defenders with him to crash over
beneath the posts.
A superb individual finish.
Toby dusted himself off and added the conversion.
Bancroft 7–0 Thames (7 minutes)
Unfortunately, the celebrations were short-lived.
Lee had picked up an injury during the move and was unable to continue, leaving Bancroft
with just 13 players after seven minutes.
Against 15.
For the remaining 33 minutes of the half, Bancroft would have to find a way to compensate
for being two men short.
Thirteen Against Fifteen
Predictably, Thames began to enjoy more possession and territory, but Bancroft's defensive
organisation, commitment and sheer determination largely frustrated the visitors.
Despite their numerical advantage, Thames struggled to create clear-cut opportunities.
Toby continued to demonstrate an excellent tactical kicking game, repeatedly gaining
valuable territory from penalties, while the Bancroft forwards worked tirelessly to disrupt the
visitors' possession.
Jack Fenwick, meanwhile, appeared to have decided that the best way to celebrate his senior
debut was to spend the afternoon sprinting after everything Toby kicked.
One particularly impressive effort came around the 20-minute mark.
With Bancroft defending deep inside their own 22, Toby launched a clearance down the right
touchline. The kick only just cleared the Thames winger, forcing him to turn and retreat
towards halfway.
Jack, who had started his chase from near his own try line, somehow arrived in time to make
the tackle and help force a penalty at the resulting breakdown.
An extraordinary effort from the youngster, and exactly the sort of commitment Bancroft
needed.
Play continued largely between the two 22s, with neither side able to establish sustained
attacking pressure.
At the half-hour mark, the referee called both captains together for a discussion about the
numerical imbalance.
Thames remained at 15. Bancroft remained at 13.
On we went.
Eren to the Rescue
Shortly afterwards, Thames finally began to exploit the additional space.
A strong break down the right touchline saw the visitors' winger racing towards the Bancroft
22, with a try looking increasingly inevitable.
Unfortunately for him, nobody had told Eren Ozelci.
The young fullback produced a tremendous covering tackle, stopping the attack in its tracks
and drawing an appreciative roar from the home supporters.
Thames retained possession, however, and quickly moved the ball across their backline. With
Bancroft stretched, another attacker looked certain to score beneath the posts.
Once again, Eren intervened, somehow getting enough of the ball carrier to bring him down
just metres short.
Two potentially try-saving tackles in the same passage of play.
Not a bad introduction to senior rugby.
Unfortunately, Thames had been playing under penalty advantage. After several further
phases failed to produce a score, the referee brought play back for the original infringement.
The visitors were quicker to react, taking a tap penalty before Bancroft could reorganise and
crossing out wide.
The conversion sailed well wide.
Bancroft 7–5 Thames (30 minutes)
From One End to the Other
Bancroft responded immediately, with Jack again leading the chase from the restart and
helping force a penalty.
Toby found touch just eight metres from the Thames line, and Hugh Kelliher drove
powerfully towards the try line before being penalised for holding on.
A little later, Toby appeared to produce a magnificent 50:22, only for the referee to rule that
the ball had gone into touch-in-goal.
A close call, much to the bewilderment of the home crowd.
But no complaints from Bancroft.
Sir is always right.
With four minutes remaining, another monster Toby penalty found touch inside the Thames
22.
A cheeky front-ball lineout released Daniel James, who powered towards the line before
being stopped five metres short.
With Bancroft threatening, Noah Hathaway moved possession to Aiden Lowden-Skilton,
whose attempted pass back to Toby was intercepted by a grateful Thames defender.
Suddenly, Bancroft were defending a breakaway.
Toby gave chase, disrupted the attack, recovered possession and launched a clearance deep
into Thames territory.
He then chased his own kick and nearly charged down the visitors' response, prompting a
brief exchange of pleasantries with the Thames winger.
The winger thought better of continuing the conversation.
However, Thames weren't finished.
Following a Bancroft obstruction penalty, the visitors took a quick tap before producing an
excellent 50:22, earning an attacking lineout just 15 metres from the Bancroft line.
Thames moved the ball quickly through their backs, exploiting the space available against 13
defenders.
Their centre looked to have found a gap, only to encounter Eren Ozelci, who produced his
third outstanding covering tackle of the half.
Unfortunately, the Thames player somehow retained possession through the collision and
offloaded to a supporting teammate. The ball was quickly transferred to the winger, who
crossed in the corner despite a desperate last-ditch intervention from Toby.
The conversion drifted wide, but Thames had snatched the lead.
Half-time: Bancroft 7–10 Thames
Having played with 13 men for more than 30 minutes, Bancroft had more than matched their
opponents. The forwards had worked tirelessly, the debutants had impressed, and Toby
appeared to be covering several positions simultaneously.
With reinforcements on their way, there was everything still to play for.
Thirty Seconds of Magic
Bancroft emerged for the second half with a welcome addition.
Tony How had arrived, having abandoned his young daughter's birthday celebrations, and
slotted straight in at flanker.
The hosts were back to 14. Still a man short, but at least heading in the right direction.
Meanwhile, the Chairman had been working on another potential reinforcement.
Chris Edwards had turned up to watch on his birthday, and the suggestion that his marauding,
physical style was exactly what the game needed had already been planted.
Chris initially declined.
He'd enjoyed a pint or two and, more importantly, had a motor race the following weekend
for which he couldn't afford to pick up an injury.
A perfectly reasonable decision.
For now.
Thames restarted, and Bancroft immediately took the game to their visitors.
Daniel James collected the short kick, with Alex Neave and Conor McDonald securing
possession. Harry Chilcott made good ground, supported by Anthony Marie and Aiden
Lowden-Skilton, before Will Purkis produced some quick feet and an excellent pass to
release Toby Weingarth.
Collecting the ball just outside his own 10-metre line, Toby spotted a dogleg in the Thames
defence, stepped inside his opposite number and accelerated into space.
With Tony How and Jack Fenwick offering support, defenders scrambling behind him and
the fullback coming across, Toby produced a perfectly weighted chip off his right boot
without breaking stride.
He chased his own kick, collected the bouncing ball above his head on the try line and
touched down inches from the corner flag.
Thirty seconds into the second half.
The home crowd erupted.
The difficult conversion missed, but Bancroft were back in front.
Bancroft 12–10 Thames
Thames Strike Back
The lead was short-lived.
After Jack Fenwick had produced another excellent tackle to halt a dangerous Thames break,
the visitors worked their way into Bancroft's 22.
Their fullback produced a clever kick towards the left wing, where the Thames flanker
collected under pressure from Eren Ozelci, fended off the covering fullback and crossed for
the visitors' third try.
The conversion was missed.
Bancroft 12–15 Thames (46 minutes)
There was a brief moment of concern when Toby went down with cramp, although two
Thames players sportingly helped him stretch it out.
With Bancroft already struggling for numbers, losing their fly-half would have been
disastrous.
Fortunately, Toby recovered.
The Birthday Boy Answers the Call
The next ten minutes saw both sides exchanging possession, with the forwards enjoying
plenty of opportunities to batter into one another.
Then, around 15 minutes into the half, a rather unexpected figure appeared on the touchline.
Chris Edwards.
In full kit.
The birthday boy had apparently reconsidered his earlier decision and was now demanding to
join the action.
Whether it was the Chairman's persuasive powers, the prospect of a good old-fashioned
physical contest or simply the irresistible lure of playing rugby on his birthday, nobody could
be entirely sure.
Chris took his place in the front row, with Daniel James moving into the backs.
For the first time all afternoon, Bancroft had 15 players.
Unfortunately, it didn't last.
At the drinks break, captain George Reynolds was forced off with a knee injury and could not
return.
Back to 14.
By this stage, the Bancroft replacements policy appeared to consist largely of finding
somebody willing to put on a shirt and hoping they stayed in one piece.
Eren's Moment — A Little Help from Sir?
With around ten minutes remaining, Bancroft were still trailing 12–15 but enjoying the better
of the territory.
A period of sustained pressure eventually earned Bancroft a penalty inside the Thames 22.
Noah Hathaway spotted an opportunity and took a quick tap, charging straight into four
defenders in an attempt to force his way over.
The Bancroft forwards piled in behind him, driving the mass of bodies across the line, where
everyone disappeared beneath a heap of bodies.
The home supporters appealed for the try, but Sir had other ideas.
Five-metre scrum to Bancroft.
Not a goal-line dropout. A scrum.
Quite why was anybody's guess.
Perhaps Sir had spotted something nobody else had. Perhaps he'd briefly travelled back in
time to the days before goal-line dropouts were introduced.
Either way, Thames weren't happy, and their protests earned their captain a private audience
with the referee.
Sir remained unmoved.
And as we all know, Sir is always right.
From the resulting scrum, Noah fed Toby, who fired a long pass towards the right. Conor
McDonald intelligently let it travel past him to Eren Ozelci, who collected five metres out
and crossed beneath the posts.
A try on his senior debut.
After his outstanding defensive performance in the first half, it was a richly deserved reward
for the young fullback.
Toby added the conversion, and Bancroft were back in front.
Bancroft 19–15 Thames (70 minutes)
Whether it was an inspired refereeing decision, an obscure interpretation of the laws or
simply a little rugby karma for Thames' earlier reluctance to match numbers, nobody could
say for certain.
But Bancroft weren't complaining.
Hat-Trick Hero
Thames restarted long, but Bancroft retained possession and worked their way out of trouble
before Conor McDonald cleared to halfway.
The visitors won the resulting lineout and looked to launch another attack.
Their scrum-half moved the ball left to the fly-half, who attempted a long, flat pass across the
midfield.
Unfortunately for Thames, Toby Weingarth had read it perfectly.
Intercepting at full pace, Toby found himself in open space with nothing but the try line
ahead.
There was no catching him.
He raced beneath the posts to complete a magnificent hat-trick, before calmly adding the
conversion.
Bancroft 26–15 Thames
Three tries. Three conversions. Twenty-one points.
Not a bad afternoon's work.
One Last Stand
With Bancroft apparently home and dry, the referee indicated there were still another ten
minutes to play owing to injury stoppages.
Thames weren't finished and launched a determined final assault on the Bancroft line.
Eren was again called upon to make an important tackle, before a clever passing move
appeared to have created a certain try out wide.
The Thames attacker, however, elected to cut inside rather than exploit the overlap and was
met on the try line by Conor McDonald, whose thunderous tackle forced a knock-on.
Bancroft failed to clear their lines from the resulting dropout, handing Thames another
attacking opportunity.
A series of close-range drives and a quickly taken penalty eventually saw the visitors move
the ball wide, where they appeared to have crossed for a consolation try.
Unfortunately for Thames, the final pass had travelled forward.
No try.
A subsequent infringement handed Bancroft a penalty, which Toby tapped before kicking
into touch to bring proceedings to a close.
Full-time: Bancroft RFC 26–15 Thames RFC
You Really Couldn't Make It Up
Four tries to three. An eleven-point victory. And a match that will live long in the memory of
those involved.
Bancroft started with 14, dropped to 13 after seven minutes, battled through the rest of the
first half two men short, gained a player at half-time, finally reached 15 midway through the
second half, then promptly lost their captain and finished with 14 again.
Along the way, two youngsters made their senior debuts, one scoring a try and producing a
series of outstanding defensive interventions, the other chasing everything that moved and
tackling as though he'd been playing senior rugby for years.
Toby Weingarth delivered a magnificent hat-trick and 21-point haul, seemingly deciding that
if Bancroft couldn't field a full team, he'd simply have to do the work of several players
himself.
Tony How abandoned his daughter's birthday celebrations to answer the call, while Chris
Edwards arrived intending to enjoy a few birthday beers and watch the rugby, only to end up
packing down in the front row.
The forwards worked tirelessly, the backs defended heroically, and the entire side
demonstrated the commitment and character that make grassroots rugby what it is.
And Alex Neave is still the best-looking bloke on the team.
As for Thames, they had the numerical advantage for most of the afternoon, enjoyed
uncontested scrums and led twice.
And still lost.
Sometimes rugby is a complicated game.
Sometimes it really isn't.
Bancroft RFC 26–15 Thames RFC.
You couldn't make it up.