MK 1st XV Away to Beaconsfield

MK 1st XV were away to Beaconsfield on Saturday, and following a casual meeting at Beaconsfield service station it was onto their club house for the match prep, having lost away to Beaconsfield last year a great deal of build up was required and Sam Viggers and Stuart Tomkinson didn’t disappoint. So completely against the pressure of the game with MK in Beaconsfield's 22 for the first 5 minutes of the half, and very nearly scoring, that Beaconsfield found themselves with the ball and ran from their 22 with some uncontested running from their backs and so after only four minutes into the game they scored a try which was converted to give them the lead. After the kick off and once again against the flow of play after a loose kick from MK that didn’t make touch, the ball was gathered by Beaconsfield’s fastest player who ran almost the full length of the field with some backs in support and so it was that after only 11 minutes after the first try, Beaconsfield scored again which was also converted.

What followed was 23 minutes of aggressive and fast flowing rugby which enabled Beaconsfield to score once more out on the wing which wasn’t converted, MK then went on to show what they could do in attack and finally getting the ball out to the wing, saw a fast backs move and some fierce hand offs and breaking tackles which saw Daniel Rolfe go in just to the left of the posts which was converted by Philip Powell. Although Beaconsfield received a penalty for what was deemed a high tackle although what everyone else saw was an excellent and well executed tackle across the chest, the ref awarded the penalty which was converted on the stoke of half time, which saw the half time score at 22 – 7 to Beaconsfield.

There was one replacement at half time with Aaron McConnell coming on to replace Neil Forton, and fifteen minutes into the second half with no further scores so far saw Dave Brown being yellow carded for an offence that was the start of the slippery slope for what was to prove some very confusing and misconstrued understanding of the laws of rugby by the senior official.

Although MK did manage to prove that their game plan could work and following an excellent drive by the pack and some really effective running by the backs, a ruck and some further running saw Rob Lasbrey go in under the posts which was converted by Philip Powell this was to be the last time that MK would score.

The remainder of the second half really was something like a scene out of gladiator, with the referee losing control of the match and at one stage with all 30 players involved in a melee, having witnessed one of the Beaconsfield players kick Aaron McConnell in the head, only a glancing blow as one of the MK team managed to pull the Beaconsfield player off balance just in time, resulted in the Referee and without the aid of qualified officials running the touch, sending four randomly selected players, two from each team, from the field of play which saw Simon Kockelbergh and Aaron McConnell the selected two for MK.

It was this scrappy play that resulted in Mark Austin receiving a serious blow to the head and he took no further part in the game, being replaced by Stuart Webb, who after only 25 minutes of play was himself replaced by Neil Forton after he received a heavy stamp to the knee from a Beaconsfield player, obviously not seen by the Referee in a very loose and uncontrolled ruck. The subsequent play saw Beaconsfield scoring in the right hand corner, and unless Beaconsfield have ghosts, everyone watching saw the corner flag hit the floor before the player did and with their man running that touch and fifty meters behind the play and with the referee completely unsighted the try was awarded but unconverted. There was to be one more substation from MK with Mads Jensen coming on to replace Dave Brown, but by this time the MK heads were down and the match was lost, and although the game was fiercely defended, the closing minutes of the game saw Beaconsfield run in three more tries, none of which were converted, and the match ended Beaconsfield 37, MK 14.

It was a comprehensive win by Beaconsfield and although one would normally say under these circumstances deserved I can’t in this instance, although MK lost the game half way through the second half when the lack of self belief replaced what is normally a well drilled and physically fit team, although I have to have the courage of my convictions and be honest with you that weren’t there to see this game and say, that the referee did play a huge part in this defeat.