Milton Keynes 0 - 36 Marlow

Milton Keynes welcomed undefeated league leaders Marlow to the Valley expecting a tough encounter and despite a valiant effort the home side were unable to record a score against the high flying outfit.

The first score came after just 11 minutes when a scrum outside the MK 22, Marlow went wide and Ross Stewart was able to capitalise as MK ran out of numbers after showing a good scramble defence. 0-5

Just 10 minutes later, following a good break out wide, Marlow were forced into touch with some more good defence. This time MK were the victims of their own set piece, failing to execute a straight line out. Marlow opted for a scrum which resulted in a push over try scored by Howard Mears 0-10

MK had a sustained period of pressure edging up the field to gain good position with some strong attacking play from the half back pairing. The away side met this with a disciplined defence and much to their credit without infringing and conceding penalties. Eventually resulting in a decision to grubber from the home side which gave them the ball back.

The resulting attack from Marlow brought the opposite type of defence from MK with infringements at the breakdown allowing them to get good field position. 30 mins in a show and go from Nick Carvey followed by some poor tackling allowed him to score under the posts for a converted try. 0-17

MK had the lions share of possession for the remaining minutes in the half but again much to the frustrations of the coach and supporters were unable to capitalise on this.

Half time 0-17. 

MK started the second half bright and were still spirited and playing well.  Defending well, but in attack quite flat and going in 1’s and 2’s.  They managed to maintain possession but we were easy to defend, and unable to create any clear chances. Essentially it was the lack of discipline at the breakdown though that gave the ball back to the opposition. Marlow were the first to score with when their impressive number 10 Matt Lebron cut through the middle of our defence to score just to the right of the posts. Converted  0 - 24.

This was followed up by a terrific solo effort from Nick Carvey for his second try of the day. It was a kick and chase which saw him run 60 metres to score but the commitment shown by the full back tipified the Marlow performance. Converted 0-31

Both sides continued to play but a distinct lack of composure meant neither were able to hold onto the ball for long periods. The last score did go Marlow to take the final score to 0-36.

It was a frustrating day for the coach with the home side showing some good play and strong team spirit against the league leaders, but unable to get any points on the board. With results not going their way in the league it compounded the defeat and saw MK slump to the bottom of the league. They will be buoyed by glimpses of good play and having played 3 of the top 5 in their first 5 games will be hoping to change their fortunes.

They take on 8th placed Wallingford this weekend at home and are preparing to battle for a much needed result.