Cinderford 14 Blackheath 17
Dockham Road
Cinderford were left out in the cold on a grizzly Saturday afternoon at Dockham Road as Blackheath ground out a 17-14 victory over the Foresters in National One.
A late penalty-try gave Nic Corrigan's men a sniff of a fight-back over the Londoners but, despite a solid performance from the black, red, and amber, the home side were left unstuck and unlucky not to take more if not all of the spoils.
Victory for Old Albanian over Fylde means the Foresters fall back into the relegation zone. Corrigan takes his team to Rosslyn Park next Saturday as the survival race heats up.
Temperatures crept close to zero in the hills of Cinderford this week - the bite affecting the snap from scrum-half as players struggled to keep hold of the ball in the loose.
More time was spent with heads down at the scrum than at the fingertips. If you guided a heat sensor over Dockham Road on Saturday, the only red patches would surely have come from the friction between the ears in the front-row as the game came to a standstill.
Energy was low and, credit to the Blackheath defence, it was tight and quick off the mark, timing its assaults on James Moffat almost to perfection and causing the hosts to search for gaps that weren't visible and finding themselves vulnerable on the floor all too frequently.
There was confusion during the set-piece however. Our referee on this frightfully cold day was from the warm climates of Venice on an RFU exchange programme so to offer match officials more time to learn our grassroots game at its coalface.
Clive Stuart-Smith was caught feeding as the Foresters looked to gain control at the scrum. But it was soon the visitors who perhaps should have been penalised as the set-piece began to wheel away from them.
The tussle between Cinderford loose-head Chris Bundy and Blackheath's tight-head Stewart Maguire was an interesting clash. Bundy looked to have one over his opposite man on three occasions but his efforts went overlooked.
And it had an impact on the first try for the Londoners, it has to be said. Cinderford should not have put themselves in such a dangerous position – flanker George Mills was over-eager as Blackheath went on the rampage.
Hands in and off his feet, Mills gave the penalty on a plate for the visitors, who decided against doubling their lead after an early Ben Summers penalty kick.
They opted for the scrum instead, a luxury which perhaps wouldn't have been on offer if certain decisions fell for Cinderford. The body wheeled again, tight-head Maguire rising to a posture as upright as the posts that shadowed him.
Cinderford looked to have won the penalty against the head. A pat on Bundy's back would follow for sure. But the penalty-try was awarded and Dockham Road groaned as the half reached its winter.
Sometimes the oar gets frozen in chilly conditions. Energy saps and it is difficult to maintain momentum. Sometimes it only takes a little ignition to get it going however and, into the second half, Cinderford had returned after a well-needed oil in their engine.
The engine began to rev and gaps that weren't on offer in the first 40 began to creak open. Line-speed was the answer and soon Cinderford had control, switching play on two occasions before going through the hands to send Jack Adams over in the corner.
Moffat, whose first-half penalty attempt strayed, was more accurate from the touchline on 43 minutes, his conversion only needing a little help from the upright.
It was far more pleasing to watch. The game finally had some fire in the belly and both teams found some gas.
Where credit was given to the Blackheath defensive line in the opening half, Cinderford showed they were just as worthy with some superb collisions in the second.
The structure was not as organised as the visitor's but, against the run of play, it scrapped and nullified the black wave if not long enough.
Blackheath weren't rattled. They built the phases although Cinderford managed to hold them off for long periods. As the number of hits rose, the Foresters' defence narrowed and did so enough for outside-centre Markus Burcham to swan in between the sticks, selling the dummy to his overlap before giving the jink on 60 minutes.
Mills continued to run hard and Alex Frame went close on the wing before he was caught holding on in the tackle. And Blackheath held their own in the penalty lineout, an area where Cinderford continued to wander.
Cinderford threw everything behind their attack but some composure maybe got the better of them when the opportunity went begging.
Patience was key however. The scrum, despite a high penalty count against, finally got the least it deserved. The clock fell away and Cinderford were awarded another scrum, this time five metres from the whitewash.
They continued to bully in the front three. The machine wheeled again, the Blackheath tight-head the cause once more. The issue had been overlooked for too long but, whether it was with a little help from the crying crowds, referee Elia Rizzo ran in under the posts.
Moffat converted and, with eight minutes left, perhaps more than a bonus point was possible. Blackheath slowed their play down to a saunter and bad hands brought that unwelcome stop-start factor back to the fore.
A late burst finally came but didn't amount to much. Cinderford had some teeth but, whether let down by some questionable officiating, a three point defeat will feel like far more.
Attendance: 291
Man of the Match: Roger Birkin
Referee: Elia Rizzo
Cinderford team: Mike Wilcox (capt), Alex Frame, Jack Adams, Leo Fielding, Stefan Hawley, James Moffat, Clive Stuart-Smith, Chris Bundy, Luke Cole, Jake Caulfield, Roger Birkin, Ed King, George Mills, Marcus Brown, Dan Fry
Replacements: Jack Cosgrove, Sam Wilkes, George Evans, Sam Hanks, Shay Kerry
Tries: Jack Adams, Penalty try
Cons: James Moffat 2
Pens:
Blackheath team: Mike Canty, Ben Summers, Markus Burcham, Richard Windsor, Ryan Squires, Simon Whatling, Tom Trotter, Aston Croall, Gavin O'Meara, Stewart Maguire, Tom Bason (capt), James Catt, Richard Pike, Dave Allen, Seb Nagle-Taylor
Replacements: Nik Grier, Bertie Haskins, Ollie Lyons, Sam Eydmann, Tom Carlisle
Tries: Penalty try, Markus Burcham
Cons: Ben Summers 2
Pens: Ben Summers 1
