Tries: Sharples

Conversions: Neville

Pens:

Drop Goals:

On a glorious spring day, the 1st XV travelled to Reading University in the knowledge that victory over their fellow relegation candidates would guarantee BUSA Premiership rugby for next season. After last week's brutal games against UWE, Cameron Sullivan was forced into significant changes due to injuries to key personnel. Matt Sarvesvaran came in for captain Austin Dekker, while Craig Nightingale moved from the centre to open-side flanker. In the backline James Sharples moved from full-back to outside centre with Huw Williams filling the No. 15 shirt.

The Medicals relatively inexperienced side certainly started like a team with the weight of the world upon their shoulders as Reading were afforded early opportunities to score the first points of the afternoon. However, the host's kicker also looked to be suffering from big match nerves as he sent three eminently kickable penalties wide of the posts.

Thankful for their reprieve the Medicals began to work their way into the game using the tried and tested lineout as a platform. Dominant driving play by the pack allowed skipper for the day Tom Maynard to provide fly-half Dan Neville and his backline with good ball. Neville, was able to unleash his dangerous backline with Kevin Ilo, James Sharples and Huw Williams making a number of incisive breaks. Eventually, the pressure told as Sharples, who was undoubtedly the Medicals' man of the match, was able to take the ball on the Reading ten metre line, beat two cover tacklers and the full-back before coming round to touch down under the posts. Neville had little trouble with the simplest of conversions.

Leading at the break the Medicals knew they were in for a tough forty minutes but that if they kept their heads and played sensible rugby their physical dominance would see them through. However, fate was to conspire against the visitors as first scrum-half Tom Maynard was forced off with an ankle injury and soon after Harry Thompson was sin binned for retaliating after Dan Neville suffered a late hit. Maynard was replaced by the versatile Guy Martin and Thompson was joined in the bin by the Reading No. 7.

The period of turmoil knocked the Medicals out of their stride and allowed the hosts to gain the upper hand. A series of swift Reading breaks threatened the Medicals line but some excellent last ditch Medicals tackling repelled the hosts advances. However, the lack of numbers in the Medicals' backline soon told as the Reading centre was able to break through the first line of defence and, despite some desperate cover tackles, dive in to the right of the posts. The Reading kicker failed with the conversion.

Still leading by two points the Medicals again failed to learn from their mistakes, allowing Reading opportunities to score points with the unlikely hero being the much maligned Reading kicker. First, the host's fly-half slotted a drop-goal from just left of the posts on the twenty-two and soon after he made amends for his earlier mistakes by kicking a penalty from 30 metres out to give the hosts a four point lead.

With time running out the Medicals searched desperately for the try that would confirm their Premiership status. To this end the electric Jonny Fisher-Black replaced the hard working Matt Sarvesvaran as the Medicals began to play an ever more expansive game. Rob Anderson, chancing his arm in the Medicals' twenty-two, was able to release Craig Nightingale whose run was curtailed in midfield. However, from the resulting phases James Sharples was able to break free. Looking certain to score the flying fresher was cut down just inches short of the line by a splendid cover tackle. Rather harshly, seeing as play was on the Reading tryline, Sharples was shown the yellow card for holding on to the ball after the tackle.

As time expired the Medicals were faced with the realisation that they had lost a game they were more than capable of winning and more importantly that relegation was now a real threat. Indeed, the Medicals now require a win next Wednesday at home against the Oxford University Greyhounds and other results to go their way to have any chance of beating the drop. The tunnel may have come up a few metres short, making the Great Escape more difficult than first thought, but while there is still hope...

Jez