Tribute Western Counties North

Cirencester 40

Cheltenham 34

CIRENCESTER put on a display fit for a town mayor – councillor Mark Harris was indeed among the large and vocal crowd – as the local side beat Cheltenham 40-34 in an exhilarating match.

Director of rugby Andy Deacon described the game as the best he has seen at The Whiteway.

It wasn’t a pretty start for the home side when a chip over the advancing defensive line was gathered by the Cheltenham full back who crashed over. The game was not a minute old.

To their credit Cirencester then scored the next two tries through the impressive Matt Berry, both converted by the returning James Fisher, to bring the score to 14-5.

The game was played at an energetic pace with Cheltenham enjoying more of the territory and possession. They used the catch and drive to great effect with the next four tries being scored by the Spa men which turned the match on its head (14-27).

One-man scoring machine Fisher took it upon himself to put matters right, touching down and adding the conversion before his penalty took the half-time score to 24-27.

The second half fully lived up to the frenetic first.

Fisher once again stood up and nailed a huge penalty from halfway which was still on the up as it went through the sticks.

Cheltenham were by no means finished, however, and hit back immediately with a try which was converted, taking the score back in their favour (27-34).

At half-time the Ciren coaches had asked their men if they “could win a tight game.” The answer was an emphatic ‘yes’ as they turned up the accuracy and intensity with half backs Oli Newman and Jack Lister directing things smartly.

Forwards Alex Hammond, Will McCarthy, Keiran Stubley and Doug Cooper were working their socks off, while James Isaacs, the powerhouse winger, made inroads into the Cheltenham defence.

Fisher stepped up once more to reduce the deficit to just four points. And then with Ciren keeping possession through numerous phases, Fisher crashed over and crucially kicked the conversion as the hosts got their noses in front 37-34.

The Ciren front row of Darren Stephens, Scott Brandreth and Aaron Lockitt, who had replaced the gallant Matt Carter, were now in charge.

Field position was key, as the away side’s discipline had been tested all day long, and there was time for one more indiscretion. Fisher slotted the last penalty.

Cheltenham hit back but Ciren's defence held firm and at the final whistle the biggest cheer of the day went up.

The likes of Zeb Waite, Dan Halpin, and Dave Evans, who were heroic all day could celebrate, along with Fisher who had scored 30 points – a league record perhaps? – to earn a deserved MoM award.

Director of rugby Andy Deacon said: “This was the best game of rugby I have seen at The Whiteway and while James was a well-deserved man of the match, I have to say that it was a true team effort and I was pleased with all performances.

"The crowd were fantastic and we were happy to deliver this win, especially with our guests including rugby charity Wooden Spoon and town mayor Mark Harris.

"We go into training this week on a high and it's now our focus to repeat this impressive rugby away at Stroud on Saturday.”

“The 2nd XV had a tough game away at Brockworth 2s but there were some individual very strong performances. The side is improving.”