VIPERS 41- 28 LEIGHTON BUZZARD
After two successive promotions, Leighton Buzzard began their league season with a difficult away match against Leicester based Vipers. Despite losing, Buzzards’ performance was encouraging with plenty of skill and commitment and were rewarded with a bonus point try with the last play of the game.
Leighton kicked off in warm, dry conditions and playing into a gentle breeze. Buzzards started well with good ball retention and it was slightly against the run of play when the home opened the scoring after five minutes. Vipers benefitted from considerable good fortune in scoring their opening try as a speculative fly- hack landed perfectly for their winger to touch down for a 5-0 lead.
Buzzards almost opened their scoring after fifteen minutes but a long-range James Brett penalty hit the post. Four minutes later captain Brett kicked a penalty following a good break by Tom Maynard to reduce the deficit to 5-3. Almost immediately Vipers scored a second try – if their first was fortuitous, Buzzards were complicit in their second with a charged down kick allowing an easy touch down. The conversion put the home side 12-3 ahead.
Despite the score the game was evenly contested. Buzzards came close to scoring after twenty-four minutes but were adjudged to have been held up over the line. However from the resulting goal-line drop out Raef Braithwaite cut through the defence and made the scoring pass to debutant George Coote to touch down. James Brett’s conversion made the score 12- 10.
There were four further tries in a ten-minute spell towards the end of the half. Firstly Vipers centre cut an excellent line to score in the corner. Raef Braithwaite made another try-making break, this time for Tom Maynard to score, and shortly afterwards a clever chip from George Coote was fielded by Jamie West who did well to score in the corner. This put Buzzards ahead for the first time at 17-20, but the lead lasted just three minutes before a fine individual try from Vipers left winger put the home side 22-20 ahead. James Brett had a chance to retake the lead but his penalty at the end of the half drifted wide.
Leighton started the second half well and a Euan Starling penalty put Buzzards back in the lead at 22-23. However, as the half progressed, it was the home side who began to gain momentum as their pack became dominant in the scrum and their backs added pace and width to their game. Vipers added tries in the tenth and sixteenth minutes – the first from a driving maul and the second from good handling in the backs, extending the lead to 34-23.
The match became increasingly tetchy as tempers frayed with the referee seemingly keener to deal with dissent (including a yellow card to Vipers fly-half after twenty-five minutes) than off the ball aggression. With fifteen minutes left Vipers extended their lead to 41-23, leaving a four-try bonus point as Buzzards most realistic target. Twice in the last five minutes, the referee called play back to give Leighton a penalty when advantage would have been beneficial. Credit to the Buzzard team, they put these frustrations behind them and when the opportunity arose in the last minute a well- practiced lineout and driving maul worked to perfection to allow Matt Bloxham to touch down.
With the conversion missed, the final score was 41-28 , but with Buzzards gaining a well deserved bonus point. Leighton can take considerable credit to compete away from home against a very strong Vipers team.
Next week Buzzards welcome Wellingborough to Wright’s Meadow