Match report: Oakmeadians (A)

An injury hit Bridport Daggers took a new look team to face Oakmeadians in a cup and league double header.

Daggers began the game well and took the first points of the match through a penalty from Sam Petchey. In the opening section of the game, the power of the Daggers’ pack was evident, and the scrum was placing Oakmeadians under enormous pressure.

In a somewhat cagey period, neither team were able to convert tries, with Oaks taking the lead through two penalty kicks at goal. Throughout this stage of the game, the new look combinations for Daggers were beginning to be stressed and poor discipline was compounding the pressure on the team.

It was not long after their second penalty kick, that Oakmeadians broke through to score, following powerful runs through close quarters. This first try was quickly followed by two tries scores on the widths of the pitch, as Oakmeadians showcased their ability to play with great accuracy in their wide play.

Despite being down on the scoreboard early, Daggers struck back just before half time with a long-range penalty kick from Petchey. There was clear belief within the Daggers group that they would be able to bring the game back in the second half. However, Oakmeadians made this challenge all the more difficult by scoring four tries on the bounce early in the second half.

With the game clearly beyond them, Daggers showed tremendous fight to keep throwing shots at Oakmeadians. Finding yards through their forward carrying, Rory Greening saw space open up ahead of him and stepped his way over for a try and conversion. Having found the answers to scoring tries, Daggers once again carried close to the fringes, enabling Pete Phillips to fight his way over the line in the closing moment of the game.

Daggers’ next game will be away for a league match against Wheatsheaf Cabin Crew on 23rd March 2024.