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02/02/08  Weybridge Vandals   (H)   League   W 31 - 5

Trojans entertained Weybridge Vandals just one place below in the league on a cold blustery day.  With three players out of normal position T’s had Gordon Ritson back after long injury playing on the wing. Rich Battley played on the other wing and Tom Stevenson was at full back. The early exchanges were keenly contested in the middle of the pitch but then Gordon Ritson opened the scoring after the backs finally made some space with a well worked loop move, enabling him to go over un-opposed in the corner. Chris Boyd converted from the far left. The lead was extended just before the interval when Rich Battley’s return kick appeared to be heading for the dead ball line. Gordon Ritson was on hand to snap up a ball which took a kind bounce and he broke the tackle to touch the ball down. Half time 12 – 0.

Despite the wind advantage in the second half Weybridge were unable to make the early breakthrough as they were stiffled by some good tackling in midfield, notably by Mike Boyd.  Trojans opted not to take the points to seal the game when they were awarded three fairly easy penalties but were unable to capitalise from the ensuing linouts close in. Trojans upped the pace in the final quarter with a couple of substitutions and  were rewarded with some excellent tries by Grogan, Rudi Kochanowski and finally the third by Gordon Ritson, all following passages of good handling and support play. Boyd added a couple of conversions. With the game opening up during this period Weybridge scored a try of their own to make the final score 31-5. 

28/01/08  London South Africa   (A)   League   W 25 - 17

On a cold and damp day Trojans visited LSA , a crucial match for both teams. Trojans started brightly with Jaco Bruwer opening the scoring after three minutes following a five metre scrum and a good passing move. Mike Boyd thought he had extended the lead in similar fashion but the ball was judged to have been held up. LSA responded with a penalty to make the score 5-3 but this was followed with a good passage of Trojans pressure with some quick phases of rucking and handling between forwards and backs. This was rewarded with a Jobi Kochanowski try in the corner. Two further LSA penalties reduced the arrears to a single point but they appeared unable to break the Trojans defensive line. In contrast the Trojans handling enabled them to restore a 20-9 lead at the end of the half through tries by Nick Sykes and Gary Fitzgerald.

At the start of the second half Trojans had to adjust to a couple of yellow cards (Andy Grogan just before the interval and Gary Wells) which was LSA’s reward for a their driving mauls off their own lineouts inside the Trojans 22. Adam Grogan then broke the LSA back line after what looked like a knock on by Dave Waites and Jaco Bruwer was on hand again to take his second try. LSA managed a try and a further penalty of their own but the game petered out with the final score 25-17. This was closer than it may have been had Trojans been able to make any conversions but none of these were particularly easy. A solid all-round performance though, and five tries to one a fair reflection of the game. Dan Corbet fought off an early knock to do a lot of work throughout.

15/12/07  Gosport & Fareham   (H)   League   W 39 - 3

A home league match against Gosport and Fareham to complete the first half of the season would tell Trojans if they would go on to consolidate as a mid-table team or whether they would be in a position to make a realistic challenge for one of the promotion spots in the new year.

In the early exchanges it was clear that G&F had more than the Christmas break on their minds – the early exchanges were evenly contested in the middle of the park. David Waits then broke through and although the move was halted 5 metres from the line the referee indicated that a penalty was to be given in Trojans favour. The free ball was passed out to Chris Boyd who chipped through and ran on to score the first try which was converted by Ben Collins. The rest of the half saw Trojans apply most of the pressure and although several breaks were made by Boyd, Waits and then Gary Fitzgerald, who came on to replace the injured Chris Hamp, some good cover tackling by the visitors kept them at bay. A Trojans penalty by Collins took the score to 10-0 but G&F came back strongly and after threatening the Trojans line they finally settled for a penalty in front of the posts. A further penalty by Collins restored the 10 point lead just before the break.

In the second half the lighter Trojans pack injected some more pace into the game, keeping the ball alive as they had against Farnham. With the game opening up Dave Waits showed his pace, making a break around the outside before popping the ball back inside to Clarke to score under the posts, converted by Collins. Trojans then won a penalty 5 metres out on the left hand side and opted top take the scrum. Boyd received the ball and kicked to the right hand corner where Clarke was unmarked. He drew the man and passed inside for Waits to score in the corner. Score 25-3

Trojans continued with several phases of strong running and good passing across the pitch, resulting in two further tries by Gary Fitzgerald who looked unstoppable in the wing position he had adapted to well. One of these was converted by Collins to make the final score 39-3. 

To be critical Trojans missed out on several more scoring opportunities when moves broke down due to either a poor pass or a dropped ball, but after several weeks of inactivity for a lot of the players this can be put down to rustiness. Having played all the teams now it is clear that on the day the results between the top four, including Trojans, can go either way. With there now just 2 points separating these teams then Trojans will surely have a big part to play in the seasons final outcome.

Man of the Match: David Waits

01/12/07  Farnham   (A)   League   W 73 - 7

On a blustery day with conditions wet under foot Trojans visited Farnham.  Tom McIntosh, standing in as Captain,  demanded that his players responded to the lack lustre performance of the previous week and the players did so convincingly. Straight from the kick-off it was clear that Farnham were not going to cope with the strength of  Dan Corbet, who broke free and fed Chris Hamp for an early score. Despite the narrow pitch Trojans found a lot of space by moving the ball out wide quickly. With Aaron Surtees at fly half orchestrating the plays well and putting in some good kicks the points kept coming at about one a minute. Trojans ran in five first half tries, four of which were converted by stand in kicker Mike Boyd who also added two penalties.  Half time 39 – 0 but coach Pete Surtees was still not happy that the lines of running were direct enough.

In the second half a spirited Farnham side found it increasingly difficult to contain a Trojans front row who were starting to enjoy their dominance. Using the more direct route the supporters of both sides appreciated several passages of Trojans possession in which the ball stayed alive through excellent support play, particularly by Rich Battley and Jobi Kochanowski.  This culminated in what must be the try of the season as Trojans swept upfield some 60 metres with the ball passing through at least 10 sets of hands before being finished off by Mark Greenhalgh. This type of play left even more room outside for Chris Hamp to complete his hat trick of tries. Farnham were awarded a consolation penalty try in the last minute to make the final score 73 – 7.

Trojans scorers,

Tries:  Hamp (3), Strange (2), Clarke, McIntosh,  I’Anson, Greenhalgh, Price, Kochanowski. 

Conversions: Boyd M (6).  Penalties: Boyd M (2)

24/11/07  Warlingham   (H)   League   L 7 - 23

In confident mood after a run of good form Trojans entertained Warlingham on a cold but dry afternoon. After luncheon in the club a large crowd assembled with great anticipation but unfortunately it was a day when the Trojans were unable to perform at their best. This had a lot to do with the fact that they facing what was later considered to be the best team they had faced this season. Right from the kick-off Trojans were caught ball watching as Warlingham were intent on raising their game to redress their defeat to LSA.

Early pressure was rewarded with an unconverted try for Warlingham as their No. 2 broke free at a ruck. This was soon followed by a penalty to make the score 8-0. Trojans then started to retain the ball better themselves but any back moves were thwarted by a defensive line that gave Trojans very little space. This was counteracted with a chip over by Chris Boyd for Chris Hamp to run on to and score under the posts. The Trojans revival was short lived when Warlingham scored an excellent try following a mid-field scrum. Taking the ball at pace in the line the full back chipped over and ran on to collect the ball and score in the corner. At half time with the score at 13-7 and a strong bench to draw from this game was far from being out of Trojans reach.

Trojans competed well in the second half but any advances were thwarted by a strong Warlingham defence who on several occasions were able to turn the ball over in the rucks and mauls. At one time it looked as if Chris Boyd would go over in the corner but was tackled into touch. Good kicking from within their 25 also helped to relieve any pressure that Trojans generated. Later in the half the greater pace of the Warlingham play was rewarded when the fly half stepped inside to score under  the posts for a converted try. A further penalty made the final score 23-7.

On reflection of a day when Trojans did not perform at their best, a lot of encouragement can be taken from the fact that at no time did Warlingham, the strongest side they have met in the league, look like running away with the match. Trojans will be looking forward to the return fixture with confidence that the result can be reversed.

One disappointment was the injury to Chin in the second half with a suspected broken rib following an ruck. We wish him well for a quick recovery.

17/11/07  London South Africa   (H)   League   W 16 - 10

Trojans entertained London South Africa for the second time in a month to replay their London SW4 league match. The RFU had deemed that the first encounter (narrowly won by Trojans) was a void result due to the match going to un-contested scrums. With several enforced changes it was always going to be another very close match.

Early on Trojans had to absorb pressure in their own half with some good tackles being put in, notably led by Dave Strange and Kristian Arens. This forced LSA to attack out wide and Dave Waits pounced on a handling error to kick the ball on. In the race for the line he appeared to be obstructed but Russell Clarke was on hand to dive on the ball to give Trojans an early 5-0 lead. Trojans back line always looked dangerous and thought they had scored again when Chris Hamp dived into the corner, only to hear referees distant whistle who judged that he had touched the corner flag before placing the ball down. A penalty converted by Boyd gave Trojans an 8-0 lead but this was pegged back to 8-5 after a series of quickly taken penalties, LSA going over in the corner.

The second half was a dogged affair with the Trojans side digging into all their reserves  of fitness. A further penalty converted by Boyd extended the lead to 11-5 and, as LSA pushed to stretch the Trojans defence with their flowing back moves, another handling error was pounced upon by Chris Hamp to intercept a pass and touch the ball down. Score 16-5 with eight minutes on the clock – still enough time for LSA to pull the game back. They tore straight into the Trojans 25 in a concerted effort to drive the ball over but some heroic defence - notably one diving tackle by Steve Fitzgerald, summed up the Trojans great attitude throughout the game. With the last move of the game LSA did manage to break through but with the kick being missed the final score was 16 – 10 in Trojans favour.  There was no individual man of the match in what was a thoroughly deserving team effort. Only one yellow card was issued – to the LSA captain, in what was a very fairly contested and enjoyable game to watch.

27/09/07  Old Pauline   (A)   League   W 18 - 14

On an overcast and windy afternoon, Trojans visited Old Pauline. Trojans won the toss and decided to go with the wind but started off relatively slowly compared to the more intense pace they had played at the previous week.

OP used their bigger pack well around the outskirts of the breakdowns but Trojans young back row (Jobi Kochanowski, Frazier Moncrieffe and Tom Mackintosh) worked and tackled hard and did well to stop OP No. 8 on some strong runs.

After stealing the odd ball and using the advantage of the wind with long kicks, Trojans managed to apply some good pressure around OP's 22 and Chris Boyd opened the scoring with a penalty. Further pressure with quick hands and continual phases enabled Chris Hamp to score in the corner after a well worked backs move. Trojans had further opportunities to score towards the end of the half but had to settle for an 8-0 lead at the break.

At the start of the second period OP kept Trojans in their own half of the pitch but some good defence prevented them from scoring. With their greater pace and good hands Trojans switched the play from one side of the pitch to the other and Chris Hamp managed to slip through OP's line for his second of the afternoon.

OP now upped their game and used the quick penalty well as Trojans were caught sleeping on a couple of occasions. OP missed a penalty from long distance but then scored under the posts to move the score to 13-7.

Trojans responded well to this with some strong direct runs from Gary Fitzgerald plus good support play from the rest of the team, allowing Trojans to stay in the right half of the pitch. A blind side switch from a mid field scrum saw Chris Boyd break free and then slip the ball to Russell Clarke who ran the ball in to restore a more comfortable lead. Boyd did have two more penalty chances but struggled with the windy conditions.

With just minutes to go OP scored following a chip over the top but Trojans held on for a well deserved 18-14 win away from home. Trojans will need to continue improving for next weeks home game against in form London South Africa.

AB

14/09/07  Petersfield   (H)   League   W 17 - 5

A good start to the season with the win but both sides need to improve to cope with this league.

Trojans had the best for the first twenty minutes with debutant, Chris Hamp, scoring within five minutes and Ben Collins converting and kicking a penalty.

Petersfield pulled back 5 points at the start of the second half and the rest of the match was very tense until 10 minutes to go when Hamp scored a second try, converted by Collins.

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This page last updated:  14 February, 2008