A last-gasp conversion cost Stone a victory in the Rubery Owen Cup Final as they went down 41-40 to Whittington.
Stone had started in convincing fashion, scoring three tries in the first 20 minutes of the game with some impressive runs from the backline. Link up play between a rampant back row and 10,12 combination was causing real problems for the Whittington defence with Captain John Bekalo looking especially assured at number 10. However, it was perhaps a case of ‘too much, too soon’ as Stone eased up on their opposition and a series of errors and penalties let Whittington back in to bring the game to 28-19 to Stone at half time.
The lead changed hands several times of the course of the second half. The game became increasingly scrappy as both teams started to make more mistakes. A yellow card for Whittington gave Stone a glimmer of hope as they went to 33-29 during the 10 minute period after sustained pressure from the forwards resulted in an easy try. A further Stone try gave them a 40-29 lead with just 5 minutes remaining of the game. Sadly, it wasn’t a winning position and a series of poor decisions by the Stone team let Whittington snatch a victory.
[box type=”shadow” align=”aligncenter” ]Stone Head Coach Ged Hall said “I felt we were desperately unlucky today. The lads have really pulled together over the last few weeks and it’s gut-wrenching to have lost the game with the final kick of the game. Full credit must go to Whittington though, the way they rallied time and again was a credit to themselves. Despite the loss it’s great to have reached a final and hopefully we can use this as a stepping stone for greater success next season.” [/box]
Stone RUFC are looking to recruit players for next season, regardless of experience. If interested in playing rugby with them next season get in contact by e-mailing –stonerugbyclub@gmail.com
