Report: Moseley Oak 42 - 23 Crewe and Nantwich

[Communications Team]

Saturday, 22 March 2014
Ludlow 12 - 44 Leek
Moseley Oak 42 - 23 Crewe and Nantwich
Old Saltleians 32 - 3 Camp Hill
Stafford 10 - 30 Bridgnorth
Tamworth 77 - 10 Aston Old Edwardians
Wolverhampton 20 - 17 Willenhall

Team P W D L F A Pts
Leek 19 18 0 1 735 222 84
Crewe and Nantwich 19 15 0 4 691 301 72
Moseley Oak 18 14 0 4 562 268 69
Bridgnorth 19 14 0 5 532 227 68
Old Saltleians 19 11 0 8 528 346 49
Ludlow 18 9 1 8 460 450 48
Wolverhampton 17 8 1 8 433 390 44
Tamworth 19 6 0 13 396 428 33
Stafford 19 6 0 13 361 438 32
Camp Hill 18 4 0 14 328 482 24
Willenhall 19 5 0 14 244 618 22
Aston Old Edwardians 18 0 0 18 123 1223 1

Top side promoted to Midlands 1 West

Second goes in to play off against 2nd in Mids 2 West South - winner promoted to Midlands 1 West

[kingsheathlad]

Great result and still a game in hand over second place Crewe, so still on for a play off.

[Communications Team]

Moseley Oak back in promotion race


Moseley Oak raised their game to beat Crewe & Nantwich 42-23 at Billesley Common in a thrilling tussle.
The experienced players turned it on when it mattered most.

Duncan White was outstanding and Ben Gerry ferocious – both got yellow cards but thankfully their team mates bailed them out. Second row Mike Maguire equally stood out – catching ball after ball in the lineout.

As always there are critical periods in tight games when it could go either way. Moseley Oak were tested but came through for a brilliant result.

Leek have almost certainly clinched the automatic promotion place in Midlands Two West (North) and it is now between Moseley Oak, Crewe & Nantwich and Bridgnorth for second and a play off against the runners up in the South division.

Crewe & Nantwich are on 72 points, Moseley Oak on 69 and Bridgnorth on 68.
Moseley Oak have a match in hand on both … but it’s Leek away.
Moseley Oak hammered Leek at home; rarely does a team beat Leek at their place.
So all to play for.

Crewe & Nantwich got a smacking in the opening minutes before they had even worked out where they were, with White powering over and Chris Carlin converting.

The visitors pulled back a penalty before a push over saw Moseley Oak hooker James Weaver touch down – with Carlin by now off injured Moseley Oak never managed another conversion.

A White burst put Gerry in but Crewe & Nantwich kept pulling back the scoreline – Reuben Davies crossing.

Next, the try of the game.
Maguire rose in the lineout, scrum half Ed Jeffrey quickly had it in the hands of fly half Pierre Meunier, a miss pass allowed the ball to transfer to Antonio Solomon for him to beat his man, and wing forward Charlie Thomas backing up just made it to the corner.

Four tries and a bonus point by the 30 minute mark.

Crewe & Nantwich came back once more with a Joe Gammage score after poor Moseley Oak tackling.
Moseley Oak went further ahead with Gerry’s second as a scrum heave disrupted the Crewe & Nantwich set piece.
A penalty reduced the latter’s arrears to leave it 27-18 at half time.

Then came the deciding period as first Gerry and then White were yellow carded within three minutes of each other.
Against 13 men Gammage sliced through for his second to make the difference just four points.

But in a Herculean effort Moseley Oak got themselves on to the Crewe & Nantwich five metre line and, with Gerry back but White still off the park, slung it wide for Solomon to outwit the cover.

Back to 15, and with a Crewe & Nantwich forward in the bin, it was effectively all over.
Tries from White and Jack Fairhurst provided the coup de grace.