Bournemouth v camberley

Team Selection: The backs are unchanged from that selected for the voided Banbury game. In the forwards, two changes: Henry Turner was replaced by the returning Tom Napier at loosehead prop and Matt Warwick came off the bench to replace Lock Ben Goodall. On the bench; Louis Allum was replaced by the returning Conrad Carkeet and Ademuwagun Anjolaoluwa replaced Matt Warwick. Overcast and cold but crucially no wind. Underfoot, the pitch looked in good nick, all amounting to perfect conditions for a game of rugby football.

Hancox’s Flawless Kicking Maximizes His Team’s Extraordinary Effort

It is perhaps invidious to pick out an individual in a team game as I do in my headline, but Grant’s kicking proved to be the difference between the two teams. Whereas Bournemouth were penalized off the park, Camberley chose not to kick for goal once. Grant, on the other hand, kicked at every opportunity his team presented to him and returned a crucial haul of four goals. Despite this he was not even nominated Bournemouth’s Man of the Match that being awarded to lock Connor McCaffery who nicked much of Camberley’s lineout ball thus robbing them of much of their momentum that would be gained at this set piece. Right from the kick-off Bournemouth, although under constant pressure, showed remarkable energy in smothering any Camberley threat giving the visitors no chance to develop any scoring chance. It was largely stalemate for the first quarter of an hour, but an exchange of kicks saw Alan Manning in possession and the prop was over just right of the posts. Hancox kicked the first of his goals and Bournemouth lead 7-nil.

15m: 7-0 Manning/C/1/t, Hancox/12/c.

Bournemouth almost broke through to score going left inside the Camberley 22m but were penalized for holding on. Camberley found touch to their left, but McCaffery ‘stole’ the ball at the line-out. Bournemouth attacked first left then back right then back left. A chip forward saw the ball go into the dead-ball area. It was chased down by the rapid Ryan Morrell and he beat the opposition to secure the touchdown. From wide out, and on the ‘wrong side’ for the left-footed Hancox, the centre kicked a quite remarkable and most valuable, in the context of this game, goal much to the evident pleasure of those of us looking on.

23m: 14-0 Morrell/11/t, Hancox/12/c.

Camberley recovered their own restart and put Bournemouth under much pressure. This was stoutly resisted but Camberley weren’t to be denied. From a line-out on their right, the forwards drove for the line and scored only for the kick at goal to be pulled wide of the posts. Perhaps reflecting the pressure they were under, that completed Bournemouth’s try-scoring efforts for the afternoon

34m: 14-5 Camberley/t.

Bournemouth recovered their own restart and Camberley were penalized in the contact. Hancox kicked the goal to partially restore the situation.

38m: 17-5 Hancox/12/p.

Camberley threatened at the death of the first half when they had a line out on the Bournemouth 5m. When they drove off the line-out but were forced wide, Bournemouth broke it up to end the half.

46m: 17-5 Half-time. Clock reset to 40m for the second half.

Ademuwagun Anjolaoluwa, on for No 8 Matt Warwick, was in much evidence in the early exchanges of the second period and helped get Bournemouth going forward. It was this pressure that yielded a penalty in front of the posts, that Hancox duly kicked to give his side an apparent comfortable lead at 20-5.

54m: 20-5 Hancox/12/p.

Not only did this mark the completion of the Bournemouth scoring for the afternoon, but the opposition demonstrated that this was by no means comfortable lead. Bournemouth’s cause was not helped when they ‘lost’ scrumhalf Warr to a yellow card, Hancox taking over scrum-half duties.

70m: 20-5 Warr/9 yellow card.

With the penalty, Camberley found touch to their left for a 5m line-out. Driving off the line-out, the forwards got the ball over the line but were held up for a Bournemouth try-line drop out. Camberley countered right but were penalized on the Bournemouth 22m and Hancox found a very useful touch to his left on the halfway line. Despite Bournemouth securing the throw-in, Camberley were awarded a scrum where Bournemouth were penalized. Finding touch to their right Camberley attacked first left and then back right but a low pass caused the knock-on for a Bournemouth scrum on their 22m. Camberley’s shove yielded the penalty and from a line-out 10m out on their drove for the line and scored. The kick failed but the lead was looking particularly vulnerable especially to nervous supporters.

80m: 20-10 Camberley/t.

We were nw into time added on for injury. Bournemouth chased down the restart, but the ball was knocked on for Camberley scrum. Going right, a great run took play deep into the Bournemouth half and they scored under the posts. The conversion was a formality and there was just a score in it. The remainder of extra time was going to be an eternity, well at least for the Bournemouth supporters.

83m: 20-17 Camberley/t.

And so it proved. Another six minutes of tense rugby. Perhaps a reflection of that was Camberley being penalized and then a further 10m for dissent straight from the restart. Fitch found touch to his left outside the Camberley 22m. However, a ‘not straight’ gave Camberley the put-in at a scrum. Bournemouth compounded this error by getting themselves penalized yet again and Camberley found touch to their right on the Bournemouth 10m. Camberley drove off the line-out countered by Bournemouth who were awarded a scrum for their efforts.

The restored Warr put the ball in at the scrum and unceremoniously kicked the ball off the park when it was successfully hooked to end the agony for the rest of us.

89m: 20-17 Full Time.

Fixtures Next Week:

Bournemouth v Havant, Bracknell v Banbury, Royal Wootton Bassett v Maidenhead, Sutton & Epsom v Camberley.

Bournemouth’s next match is the game postponed from December 17 against Havant this coming Saturday (February 4, KO 2.00PM.

Doug Warren, Bournemouth RFC.