Enfield Ignations 5–38 Letchworth GC 38

Any side that scores six tries and concedes only one has to be pleased with their performance, and in spells Letchworth played some great rugby in this match.

But they were not quite at their best and there was always a feeling that they had another gear or two to move up to if needed.

Letchworth welcomed back burly Adam Amos in the second row and classy Michael Waters at outside centre who have been unavailable in recent weeks due to a shoulder injury and work commitments abroad respectively. Both were to have fine games.

It took Letchworth less than 5 minutes to get on the scoreboard. Enfield were penalised for not retreating 10m when Letchworth took a quick tap penalty in the Enfield 22, and fly half Hem Johal kicked to the right corner.

The lineout was won cleanly by Letchworth and from the resulting maul the ball went quickly through the hands to left wing Arun Johal who dotted down in the corner. The conversion was missed, so 0-5 to Letchworth.

Enfield responded well and had good territory and possession.

Their 7 and 8 were awkward runners and difficult to take to ground and their big fly half looked classy too, although he faded as the game went on.

After 10 minutes it was the 10 who chased and caught his own chip before being tackled on Letchworth's 22 and quick ball from the ruck was spread wide for Enfield's winger to score in the corner.

It went unconverted so the scores were level at 5 apiece.

Midway in to the half Letchworth were starting to apply more and more pressure. The Letchworth pack shoved Enfield back at a scrum, and the ball was fed out to Johal on the left wing who kicked and chased.

The Enfield winger dropped on the ball within 5m of his own goal line and when Letchworth won the ruck a try looked certain but the referee judged the ball went forward.

Letchworth again shoved Enfield back on their own put in at the scrum, but the Enfield 10 managed to clear his lines with a long kick to touch.

Within minutes Letchworth were back on the attack and were awarded a penalty on Enfield's 22. Hem Johal kicked to the right touchline and from the lineout the ball was spread left.

Talented back rower Luke Mongston burst though but was held up over the line.

The resulting goal line drop out was charged down by Amos (or rather the kick was taken quickly but was a poor one, and it hit the retreating Amos on the back of the head!) and Enfield's defence scrambled to touch the ball down over their own goal line.

At the 5m scrum Letchworth again managed to get the shove on and the ball was spread wide to Arun Johal who's nimble footwork allowed him to touch down in the left corner just before being barged in to touch.

A great score and fittingly his brother Hem managed to add the extras with a superb kick. 5-12 to Letchworth.

Five minutes later and Letchworth were again on the attack.

Enfield were penalised for a high tackle and Hem Johal again kicked to touch in the right corner.

From the lineout the ball went left in to the hands of Amos, who barged his way through Enfield's defence to gain valuable yards before offloading to Mongston who crashed over to score just to the right of the posts. Hem Johal added the extras to make it 5-19 to Letchworth.

The Letchworth centres Waters and Titherington looked threatening all afternoon with their mazy, evasive running.

However it was Enfield who had the best opportunity to score in the last few minutes of the half when they were awarded a penalty in front of the posts for a Letchworth player holding on, but the kick was missed and it remained 5-19 at half time.

Head coach Baz Basra has used his relatively small squad wisely all season, ensuring players are rested and niggling injuries not aggravated. The versatility of the backs also helps, and in the second half full back Gibbs moved to scrum half and Arun Johal switched from the wing to full back.

Within a couple of minutes of the restart Letchworth added to their score. A great handling move resulted in a Letchworth penalty on Enfield's 5m line, and the good handling continued with some fine offloading from the forwards leading to prop Oscar Robinson crashing over the whitewash for the fourth and therefore bonus point try which Hem Johal converted. 5 – 26 to Letchworth.

Martin Day had replaced number 8 Joe Allison at half time but wasn't on the pitch for long as he was soon yellow carded for leading with a forearm when entering a ruck.

Enfield sensed this was now probably their best opportunity to score and they started to play some good rugby in Letchworth's half and did manage to get over the try line but were held up.

Not long after and it was Letchworth who nearly scored. A chip from Luke Mongston was chased by replacement winger Josh Dell but the ball bounced awkwardly and he was unable to cling on. If he had a try was certain.

Mid way through the half Cameron Dennis replaced prop Mark Tate, and to his credit Letchworth's scrummaging remained on top.

And minutes after his introduction a great counter ruck by Letchworth on Enfield's 22 saw Gibbs feed Mongston with a lovely flat pass, and his excellent running line saw him cross the try line unopposed for his second. Hem Johal converted to make it 5-33.

Ten minutes later and Letchworth were awarded a penalty in Enfield's 22 for holding on. Gibbs took a quick tap and go and was about to touch down under the posts when the ref called him back as he had judged he hadn't taken it from the mark.

Letchworth decided to scrum and Mongston, now playing at 8, picked up and the ball was sent through the hands to Arun Johal who touched it down for his hat-trick mid-way between the posts and the right touchline.

This time his brother Hem couldn't add the extras so the score was 5–38, which is how it remained until the final whistle blew a few minutes later.

This win means that Letchworth now move in to second place as Old Priorians lost narrowly to league leaders HAC on Friday night.

And it is Old Priorians who visit Legends Lane next Saturday for the final league game of the season, and Letchworth will need to be at their best to hang on not just to second place but also their proud record of being undefeated at home this season.

A big crowd is expected for lunch but there are still places available so contact Brian Burke on 07768 274037 to book in for what could be another great day in Legends remarkable season.

Team from 1:

Tate

Robinson

Amos

Fitts (c)

Howman

Campbell

Titherington

Gibbs

Day