Tamworth Triumph In Terrible Conditions

Tamworth made the trip to Cromford Meadows to face Matlock looking to halt the run of defeats that had seen them drop to 6th place in the league.
After just shading the victory at home early doors Tamworth were expecting a very different prospect from the hosts on their own turf.
A heavy but better than expected pitch and an extremely stiff breeze welcomed the sides on a day when only the hardiest of supporters braved the conditions.
Tamworth would face into the wind in the first period which meant that any chance of a kicking game would be restricted meaning keeping the ball in hand and trying to gain territory inch by steady inch and also trying to halt attacking phases from the home side who were taking full advantage of the wind at their backs kicking behind Tamworth lines forcing them onto the back foot. Tamworth repelled them for a while but soon found themselves down on the scoreboard and in personnel as indiscipline saw them first concede a penalty for not retreating ten metres closely followed by a penalty try resulting in yellow cards for two Tamworth players handing Matlock a 10-0 lead and a huge advantage in numbers.
The thirteen Tamworth players that remained on the field realised that they had a big ten minutes ahead of them until they were returned to full strength where they could either capitulate and let Matlock get out of sight on the scoreboard or they could dig in and work twice as hard to plug every gap in defence.
One thing this Tamworth side has shown this term is they never give up and not only did they dig in they even went on the attack forcing Matlock back deep into their own territory and being rewarded with a penalty that was struck sweetly between the uprights by Danny Norton to give them hope going into the break 10-3
The second period was welcomed by horizontal rain of biblical proportions turning the already heavy pitch into a quagmire.
Tamworth now had the strengthening wind too their backs and a change in tactics soon had them on the front foot as Matlock struggled under the high ball in the horrendous conditions.
It was a moment of individual skill and tenacity though that would see Tamworth on level terms Liam Saayman receiving the ball just inside the Matlock half his strength breaking him free of the tackle and then his jinking mazy run that was quite extraordinary considering it like trying to run in porridge saw him leave two more Matlock defenders in his wake to score. Norton slotted the extras and the teams were all square 10-10
Tamworth soon backed this up with another score this time from close range Macauley Green Burrowing over after a period of sustained pressure on the Matlock line. Again Norton’s boot was true and Tamworth were now gaining the upper hand against a deflated looking Matlock side. 10-17
As the conditions got even worse scoring opportunities were becoming scarce Tamworth holding a battling Matlock at bay in midfield with frustration causing the home sides discipline to fray a little giving Tamworth and the trusty right peg of Danny Norton a couple of penalties in kickable areas which he duly dispatched to give Tamworth a hard earned if not pretty victory on the road. Other results meant they remained in 6th place but most importantly the run of losses was halted.
Final Score
Matlock 10
Tamworth 23