Peterborough v Olney - 18th November 2023

On the road again for the trip to Peterborough who usually prove to be tough opponents although Olney did come away with a victory here on their last visit. With the winter well and truly here the travelling supporters were glad of the cover afforded by the stand which would possibly be a welcome addition to Doff’s field in the future. We learned this week that Mr Harris was not the greatest academic and when at school was asked to name something he wasn’t very good at beginning with N, so he said “spelling!”

Olney took to the field with the usual few changes from the previous week but not to the detriment of the side and they looked capable of any challenge that came their way. From the early exchanges it was clear that Boro were to be playing a different style of game to the expansive open game which Olney have adopted over the past seasons with their forwards taking on the ball in short bursts and hoping to break holes in the defence. The Olney boys stood up well to this and negated the attacks until the 15th minute when a break from the base of a scrum saw the fly half make enough room for their stocky centre to slide over for the first score. Olney were looking sharp with the ball in hand though and good running with slick handling allowed the ball to traverse the pitch a couple of times with Mac Staughton eventually crossing for a try wide on the left. This approach worked well and Olney looked dangerous in attack but unfortunately were not able to capitalise further with the final pass occasionally seeing the move break down at the crucial moment. Boro did work their way into the Olney 22 and a couple of quick penalties gave them momentum to eventually cross for their second try of the day. With the conversion it made the half time score 12-5.

Olney’s pack was operating well and had the upper hand at times, which is testament to the work put in at training, and some good recycling of the ball with more slick handling gave Harvey Dench (back from his travels) the chance he needed to score wide on the left. Boro soon came back on the attack to force a penalty on the 22 which they duly converted to keep them just that bit further ahead. The lead was increased again when a lost ball in the centre of the pitch was gathered by Borough who outstripped the broken defence for a try to the left of the post which, after the conversion took the score to 22-10 to Boro. Olney spent several minutes late in the game camped on the Boro line but to no avail as good defence kept the scoreline the same at the final whistle.

A good performance from the boys in cerise and grey and again something for the coaches to get their teeth into next week but possibly one that got away but for a few handling mistakes and passes which went astray. Sometimes it’s nice to talk after the game and get the opinions from the knowledgeable travelling band of supporters who we know are much appreciated by the players. Mrs Bennett is good value and always sums it up quite well in very few words. Mr Bennett is generally very analytical. Mr Salsbury is presidential and diplomatic in his views. Two nameless young ladies (Beth and Alice) want to win every game but as long as there is a drink at the end it doesn’t really matter that much.

Single man Plod Soman has decided to sharpen up his wardrobe to impress the ladies. He bought a £500 leather coat off eBay for £20. When it arrived he examined it closely and the only minor fault he could detect was that the left arm was slightly shorter than the other two.