ball was judged to be held up and a 5m scrum followed. A missed pass found the ball on the ground and the Saints fullback scooped and ran the length of the field to score a conver ted try against the run of play. Ten minutes later Matt Reece-Edwards scored with Lamber t conver ting to draw level at 7-7. Kearsney enjoyed territorial advantage but failed to add points to the tally. Saints broke into the Kearsney half and was awarded a penalty which was conver ted to take the half time lead of 10-7. Kearsney star ted the second half in similar fashion to the first and was awarded a penalty 7m from the goal line. The captain opted for a lineout and JL du Preez duly scored an unconver ted try from the lineout drive. Saints slotted a long range penalty to secure a 13-12 lead. Rober t du Preez then had a “show and go” and with a clean break ran 30 m to score next to the right hand upright for Lamber t to conver t. Kearsney again dominated the last 5 minutes and the reward came with a very good Cullen Collopy try after some good work by eight man Declan Ahern. Final score 29-20 to Kearsney. Nor thwood hosted Kearsney on their founders day and the match produced the expected hard and physical encounter. Kearsney dominated possession in the first half but did not always capitalise on opportunities. James Lamber t opened the scoring with two penalties in the first 15 minutes and Matt Reece-Edwards produced a spectacular 40m run from a break around the tail of a lineout and, when stopped meters shor t of the try line, managed to put lock Chad Myburgh over for an unconver ted try and a half time score of 11 – 0. The remainder of the match was very much a forward orientated affair with very little backline movement. The Nor thwood tactics were matched with the Kearsney pack playing and defending brilliantly around the fringes. Kearsney dominated except for a last try. The final score was 21 – 8. In the penultimate fixture Kearsney hosted Michaelhouse on our founders weekend in front of a large crowd in almost perfect conditions. Kearsney dominated the first half possession and territory stakes and fly half Rober t du Preez scored the first of six tries after some individual brilliance under the posts for Lamber t to conver t. With Kearsney leading 12 – 0 MHS was awarded a penalty which they conver ted. The MHS backs launched another attack with a grubber which was collected by Rober t du Preez who launched a counter attack with some good handling by Daniel du Preez and Kubeka for Ngidi to score his second but unconver ted try in the left corner. All credit to MHS for a determined and spirited performance in the second half. Soon after the kick off the MHS fly half attempted a grubber which fullback Michael Steel collected masterfully and with a well-aimed punt upfield created havoc for the defenders. The final points of the match followed from some excellent interplay between the Kearsney backs and forwards. JL du Preez, Declan Ahern, Jason Valenti and Cullen Collopy were prominent with Brendan Clements scoring the try for Lamber t to conver t. The final score of 38 – 17 a good reflection and deserving result. The final match of a most enjoyable and successful season against St Charles followed the next week. Kearsney dominated the first half as expected but missed out on many try scoring oppor tunities. Soon after the kick off St Charles scored a deserved try with hard running by their loose forwards in par ticular for a half time score of 17 – 8. Unfor tunately the 2nd half did not produce much excitement except for two individual snipes by scrumhalf Matt Reece-Edwards with one leading to an unconver ted try to produce the final score of 22 – 8. St Charles suppor ters were happy with their team’s gutsy performance but the Kearsney players seemed exhausted after a long season. My sincere thanks must go to our captain Cullen Collopy as well as Rober t du Preez and Declan Ahern who formed the leadership group of the team. They always put the interests of the team first and it was an absolute pleasure to work with them. My gratitude must also go to Francois Lubbe for his invaluable assistance and advice. Barend Steyn 149 RUGBY
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