Cranleigh 1st XV Keep A Clean Sheet!

A good day for the club all round. 

First, the excellent lunch was attended by 70 members and guests, which was encouraging seeing it was the last lunch and home game of the season. The game started with an additional 120 spectators. Perhaps the fact that Cranleigh had won their last three games had an effect. 

The team was well prepared before the game as was Haslemere, and the first 15 minutes were played in the middle of the pitch with neither side getting any advantage. Cranleigh scrum did start to dominate, most of the second part of the first half was in the Haslemere territory. On thirty minutes the pressure paid off with a scrum 15 yards out and subsequent maul found Jake Tetley bulldozing over for a try,duly converted by Jamie Williams.

Pressure continued and from another scrum on Haselmere 22, Jamie White made a blindside break to feed Max Bracewell to score. Cranleigh was well in control of the game at half time 12-0. 

Unfortunately, their domination wilted at the start of the second half . Dropped passes /penalties, mainly for what the referee judged as high tackles and offside disrupted Cranleighs progress. Haslemere also started to attack with their hooker and inside centre very difficult to tackle on weaving runs. But the Cranleigh forwards had the edge on the set scrub,helped by replacements Liam Kennedy and Ben Terson.

Thankfully the lineouts improved from previous weeks and were excellent, even stealing three of Haslemere’s throws. After 25 minutes, Cranleigh got back putting Haslemere under pressure on their 25 . From a scrum and subsequent decent maul, Ben Terson barged over halfway out 19-0.

Haslemere decided they would up the tempo and attack, especially in the last 12 minutes and Cranleigh had to defend. Seven penalties in a row for an assortment of offences and with a yellow card to George Disley did not help. But Haslemere did not look like scoring against some fierce tackling from Cranleigh.

The final score 19-0 and in doing so pushed us up in the league to 5th with 8 wins and 9 losses.

A really good team effort. Unfortunately, Zak Hebron and Max Bracewell had to be replaced during the game, but the bench stood up well. The back row Josh Baraud, Charlie Pankhurst and George Disley were outstanding.

There was great pleasure from the players and the coaches that we had not conceded a point. 

The last game of the league is due to be played at Cranleigh in two weeks time.

John Bailey 
Cranleigh RFC Chief Correspondent