For the first home league game this season, Olney entertained local side Old Scouts who enjoy a Friday evening game under floodlights.

In front of a large crowd, expectations were high for a close and hard fought contest as both clubs had convincing wins last week. This reporter must now make an apology if the report bears little similarity to what happened on the pitch but a dark night and failing eyesight allows for a bit of journalistic trickery. In fact it was difficult to see who was in goal at the far end at times!

Scouts kicked off and made their intentions clear with the heavier pack making inroads immediately, testing the Olney defence who stood firm under considerable pressure. This pressure came to fruition after 10 minutes though, when a number of penalties eventually allowed the kick at goal and the first points to Scouts. Olney must have learned from their video training session on Thursday and stuck to what they do best which is maintain the width and shape to look for quick ball then spread the play to make the most of opportunities when they arrive.

Scouts were still having the majority of possession and Olney were giving away a considerable amount of penalties, some of which seemed a little harsh but the warning signs were there to keep the discipline. A nasty collision between themselves caused injury to a couple of Scouts players which meant they had to re-shuffle their back division midway through the half. Hopefully nothing too serious. Olney did work their way up the park soon after this and a bit of a fracas led to the Scouts second row receiving a yellow which could well have been red had the whole incident been spotted. The resulting penalty led to Olney attacking with intent and a further penalty taken quickly paid off when the backs created enough space for Struan Brooks to dive over in the corner. Scouts came back well and a quick penalty of theirs also led to a try after a well angled run split the defence for the sprint in. After a half littered with penalties and a few injuries which seemed to stutter the flow of the game a bit, the half time score was 5-11 in favour of Scouts.

The second half started in much the same way as the first. Baden-Powell himself would have been proud of the way the Scouts set up camp in the Olney half, but all the attacks were being cancelled out with some excellent defending and some good old fashioned hard graft from the Olney forwards in particular. Scouts eventually had to take a shot at goal to give them at least 3 points for their efforts. Having soaked up enough pressure and made one or two changes, the time had come for Olney to open things up as they knew they could. With Scouts in possession but going backwards, a loose pass was seized on by Stu Livesey who took out two defenders leaving Elliot Simpson a run in from 30 metres to dot down under the posts which he duly converted himself. More attacking play with both backs and forwards combining well kept Olney on the front foot and a little indiscipline from the Scouts pack gave them another yellow card. The home side made the most of the man advantage when quick ball from a successful lineout gave Ash Elvers sight of the line and he took his chance well. Olney now at 17-11 to the good.

The latter stages of the match continued in much the same pattern with Olney running well but, as expected, Scouts not letting them get too far ahead, contesting the breakdown and tackling well right to the end. It was the boys in cerise and grey who had the final say though when Elvers took on the defence on halfway and gave Phil Bowden enough space on his left wing to add to his tally of tries for the season. This was converted by Simpson to finish the game with a hard earned win at 24-11 and a bonus point to go with it.

Thanks to both sets of supporters for turning out on a chilly Friday and to the Olney under 10’s for sponsoring the game. Things like this prove that grass roots rugby clubs like ours are often at the heart of the community and do far more for the game than is sometimes recognised further up the rugby tree. Olney is very much a family club and it’s always nice to get stories from parents. With this in mind, if you see Eddie Goss then ask him about his mum and the fly tipping incident!