Tamworth found themselves without a fixture on Friday morning, when Telford’s 3rd team cried off, however Spartans 2nd team were also in the same situation, so the Bassett’s Pole based outfit volunteered to travel to Wiggington Park to fulfil the fixture. Credit to the Spartans team, who despite only turning up with 14 players, declined the offer of the use of a Tamworth sub to make up their numbers, happy to go with what they had. Tamworth’s veteran players will no doubt feel they deserved a one man advantage given the disparity in average ages. It was going to be the age old battle of enthusiastic youth versus grizzled experience.
Tamworth’s recent unavailability issues had abated during last week’s rest week, and suddenly the numbers swelled to the point lack of game time available was going to be more of an issue, than lack of bodies. Friday morning a squad of 30/31 was on the cards, but a couple of late cry off’s and a few victims of ‘black Friday’, meant a much more balanced squad of 23 players was at skipper Stuart Burrows disposal. Paul Fitter and Olly Tomson returned from injury and work commitments respectively to line up alongside Burrows in the front row. Graham Hakes and Andy Goodeve were present as ever to provide the horsepower in the second row. Rich Spencer and Richard Randolph reunited in the back row from the last outing at Whittington, joined this week by Paul Stewart, back after almost 18 months out following surgery to line up at openside. Robbie Smith and Leon Milligan formed the familiar halfback combination, Daz Barber and Carl Crook lined up in the centres, Graham Wright marshalled from full back, with Scott Spencer and Allan Wood on the wings, all returning in the after work, injury and family commitments kept them out of the previous fixture. Tommy Franks returned from a short lived hiatus at Burntwood, Muarice Merriman and Andy Passmore completed the forwards compliment on the bench, with Michael Clarke, Roy Cole, Scott Tamplin and Andy Lakin, joined by fit again Andy Smith, to provide backs cover.
Burrows won the coin toss, and opted to have the favour of the elements in the second half, always a bonus when the aging limbs of the Vets start to tire. The start was a typical arm wrestle, as each side tried to feel out the strengths and weaknesses of the other, but it soon became clear that Tamworth’s strength as always lay in the power of the pack, whilst Spartans younger legs had the gas out wide to cause problems. The game would be very simple for Tamworth, grab the ball, and keep it, strangle the game through brute force. The irony of that was, the opening score came through some expansive width put on the ball by the home side, with both wingers seeing the ball in the phases up to, and including, the score. Barber and Crook combined to make the most of the numbers mismatch in the backs form just inside their own half, to send Scott Spencer streaking away down the right wing. As the cover came across, Spencer bumped and rode tackles until finally being felled ten metres inside the Spartans half. A quick clear out provided Smith with clean ball, to find Milligan, who sent another forward runner careering towards the posts, sucking in the visitors defence. The ball was quick again, Smith arrowing the ball to Burrows on the left hand fringe, with the overlap now on, simple draw and gives one after the other from Burrows, Richard Spencer and Wright, fixed the cover and saw Wood receive the ball in space on the 22, galloping away to grab the first score, a neat finish to a well worked team try.
The scrum was dominant, and Richard Spencer was stealing a fair share of Spartans lineout ball too. 5-0 and cruising, Tamworth became too complacent, and coughing up possession with a loose kick saw Spartans counter, linking well to race in from inside their own half and level the scores. The home side failed to heed this warning about the dangers of Spartans pace out wide, and the soon found themselves 10-5 down, conceding a debatable penalty at a scrum, they were not quick enough to react. Spartans far sharper, took a quick tap penalty and immediately got the ball away from the danger of Tamworth’s pack, putting width on the play to exploit a gap out wide, racing in once again from their own half, showing clinical finishing with the limited possession Tamworth were allowing them.
10-5 done at half time, was not a fair reflection of the game. Burrows rang the changes, utilising some fresh legs against their younger counterparts. Franks joined the fray in the front row, whilst Passmore took over the 8 shirt from Randolph. In the backs, Lakin bought his experience to fullback. Cole and Tamplin had already been drafted in on the wings due to first half injuries to Wood and Spencer. The second half started with a renewed focus from the Tamworth pack, after starting to get on the wrong end of the referee’s interpretations towards the end of the first half, they sharpened up around the breakdown and at scrum time. This paid dividends as they started to maintain possession through a series of phases, and gather momentum without the shrill ping of the official’s whistle halting their progression. The close quarter pick and drive play was causing Spartans problems, Tamworth’s bigger more physical pack playing to their strengths and keeping the play narrow, starving Spartans enthusiastic young pack of chances to isolate the attackers out wide and strip the ball. The hard running presence of Burrows, Goodeve and Passmore, were able to get their offload game going. Stewart and Fitter were working hard to link the play in support as secondary runners, with Hakes, Franks and Spencer providing the continuity of possession with some relentless and effective clearouts.
Smith was directing play imperiously, mixing up his options well, commanding his forward runners and throwing the occasional dummy to snipe for cheap metres. Milligan, Barber and Crook were keeping things simple yet effective, giving the forwards all the support they could to provide a platform to attack from. This barrage got Tamworth deep inside Spartans half, when whilst stretched the visitors were forced to infringe less than 10 metres out, Burrows took the instant decision to call for a scrum rather than kick. The front row had to be impeccable with their technique, to avoid giving the opposition a chance to milk a penalty under pressure. The tioming was good, the push was straight and true, as the pack rumbled ominously forwards, Passmore guided the ball forwards with careful precision, before picking and diving over the line to level the scores.
The message had been simple and clear, keep the ball tight, reap the rewards. However, Tamworth were once more undone by their own overconfidence and ambition. A wide attack lacked the previous precision, and an offload fell straight to a grateful Spartans back, and he raced 60 metres to hand the lead back to Spartans 15-10. Not a day for goal kickers thus far, due to the unstable conditions underfoot.
Back to basics was the message ringing around the Tamworth side. Spencer took a rest and Randolph re-joined the action, adding yet another destructive ball carrier to suit the brand of rugby Tamworth needed to reproduce. Smith and Clark also entered the game in midfield, to add some fresh direction. To give the pack a break in their workload periodically, the added kicking options now on the park were starting to pay dividends, as Tamworth utilised the stiff breeze to pen Spartans back. Lakin was patrolling his territory at full back, mopping up loose clearances and setting bringing the ball to the safety of the pack to reinitiate waves of attack. Both wingers, Cole and Tamplin were tracking the play down their wings, adding extra carriers when the forwards drove that way, sharing the load well. After Lakin cleared up one kick, Crook broke well done the left, setting Cole away with a neat inside offload. Cole battered and bounced his way between defenders, making ground up from nowhere, but just as it looked like he was about to get his debut try, he was held just short. The pack were in support to continue the assault, driving around the fringes, before Franks plundered over from close range to level the match once more.
Tamworth now sensed the game was there for the taking, and stepped up a gear. Robbie Smith was bossing around the fringes, Clark added some neat touches at 10, whilst Crook and Andy Smith were giving a calm assurance in the centres. They were able to break down the right, getting into the Spartans half. Tamplin making the telling carry to break the line out wide. The forwards took up the battle once more, picking and driving around the fringes in two’s and three’s, to gain yards and protect the ball at the same time. As the line loomed closer, Smith spotted a mismatch, firing the ball infield to Stewart, spinning and crashing through the tackle of the smaller defender to grab Tamworth’s fourth try, Crook adding the conversion to push out to a 22-15 lead.
With only minutes left, Tamworth were able to sustain the attacks, keeping the ball away from the opposition, and at the same time, the opposition away from any potential match levelling score. Despite coming close on a couple more occasions, they weren’t able to add to the score, but saw out the win with the minimum of trauma. A great team performance, displaying all their experience to grind out a win against a team more than capable of posing a threat to their defence. Equally credit to Spartans though too, taking the fixture on short notice, they battled for the full 80 with enthusiasm, commitment and determination that will surely see them win more than they lose. They were not found wanting for effort, just experience.

Team – P Fitter, O Tomson (T Franks), S Burrows (c), G Hakes, A Goodeve, R Spencer, P Stewart, R Randolph (A Passmore), R Smith, L Milligan (M Clarke), A Wood (R Cole), D Barber (A Smith), C Crook, S Spencer (S Tamplin), G Wright (A Lakin).

M.o.m – Robbie Smith. Directed the play in attack with variety and precision, but worked around the fringes like a fourth back rower in defence.