Mids Continue Push For Promotion with 41 points to 5 Win over Camberley

In cold crisp conditions at Lime Meadow Avenue Mids revelled in the sunshine with a lively display of sustained activity which resulted in a comfortable win to continue the push for promotion.  The home side were always the sharper outfit against a Camberley team who were strong in the tight but had few answers to their more enterprising opponents in open play.

Mids were ahead after 5 minutes when flanker James Macleod made good ground and No.8 Mark Butterworth and winger David Stanton took the ball to within scoring distance only for Camberley to kill the ball.  Fly half Dan Crouch kicked a fine penalty from a narrow angle.  Four minutes later Camberley had Mids under pressure but hooker Adam Stammers who had another very good game struck against the head and scrum half James Grice took the ball on.  After some clever play by full back Rhys Millar centre Dave Matthews made a scything run which all but yielded a try.  Mids continued to press and had an overlap after 14 minutes which would have produced a certain score but for a loose pass.  Millar was soon prominent again and when he was tackled  Camberley failed to release conceding another penalty which Crouch converted with ease to put the home side 6 – 0 ahead after 14 minutes.

Ten minutes later flanker Kieran Burnett grafted to win a 50-50 ball and after good support play from Stammers and another strong run from Matthews Mids set up a ruck 10 metres from the Camberley line. The ball was quickly recycled and up popped evergreen powerhouse Russell Jones to lunge forward and be driven over by his support in a copybook piece of finishing.  Crouch converted to bring the score to 13 – 0.  For the remainder of the half Camberley had good possession but lacked penetration and it was Mids who looked the more likely to score again when good driving by Butterworth set up a platform for Crouch to kick for winger Rowan Newman who fielded the ball brilliantly, only to be forced into touch.  Half time came with the score at 13 – 0.  Mids had done very well in mauling and support play but should have made more use of their talented wide men.

Five minutes into the second half Camberley took a scrum against the head and winger Zac Crabb sprinted down the blind side for an excellent solo try.  This was unconverted.

After some scrappy play in the Camberley half 10 minutes later the visitors were careless in clearing and Millar nipped in cleverly for an opportunist try near the posts converted by Crouch to put Mids 20 – 5 ahead.  On the hour Crouch scored a try himself after great work by Burnett and clever interplay between Butterworth and Grice. The conversion made it 27 – 5 and Mids were out of sight.

Camberley gallantly soldiered on but knew it was not their day when, after they were camped on the home line for five minutes they lost control of the ball and saw Mids cheekily run the ball out of defence to give Newman a chance to show his paces.  He doggedly rode tackles and ditched and banked his way to a try.  Crouch converted to make it 34 – 5 after 72 minutes.  Mids were not finished and strong-running centre James Orchard rounded off some excellent passing between Grice, Butterworth and Crouch with the final try three minutes from the end.  Crouch converted to register seven out of seven successful kicks.

This was a fine team performance in which Mids stuck to their game plan and refused to be over concerned about lack of weight in the pack.  If they can now lay the bogey of their travels to Hampshire with three matches to come in that beautiful county then promotion beckons.  This weekend they travel to Old Wellingtonians for a rearranged fixture.