Cobham progress in the cup and maintain their unbeaten start to the season

Cobham welcomed Andover to Fairmile Lane for the second round of the RFU Community Cup competition (24 October). It was the 14th time that Cobham had played Andover but the first since 2016. Andover play in level 7, in the Hampshire equivalent of Cobham's league and currently lie third place, so in line with recent Cobham / Andover matches, a tight game was expected. The home side made six changes to the starting line-up, with Ben Yorke making his first start for many a year in the back row and a welcome return for former Captain Ryan Saunders.

Cobham kicked off, immediately won the ball and went on the attack. Andover turned possession over but failed to find touch allowing Cobham to run the ball back, resulting in Charley Redknapp being held up over the line and a goal line drop out. Andover kicked it straight out and from the scrum five metres out, Jake McQuade crashed over (7-0).

Cobham ran the kick-off back as usual, with great breaks from Tom Davison and Taylor Burnett resulting in a great opportunity though that ended in a penalty for a Andover infringement. Sadly, the lineout was lost but Andover couldn't get past the solid defence and the pressure led to a knock-on and a Cobham scrum. Good running lines from the backs enabled Saunders to go over under the posts (14-0) with 17 minutes gone.

The next score soon followed as a lovely counter ruck won Cobham a penalty and a kick to touch. A simple move from the lineout saw Farmer feed Saunders, before a pass to McQuade allowed him to claim his second try that put the hosts 21-0 ahead. Andover won a decent position in the Cobham half, but good defence and a turnover from Ben Yorke allowed Cobham to clear their lines. Andover attacked again and with Cobham offside, a tap penalty enables the visitors to open their account (21-7).

Senior Joyce came on for Ryan Aujla, joining his son in the front row. Cobham ideally needed to score next to give the scoreboard the right feel to the play and indeed they did. The backs again ran some good lines, with Redknapp was nearly going over again, before Farmer finished things off with an outrageous dive (26-7).

Cobham's back row returned kick-off with interest by taking play into Andover's half. The backs took it on and Rory Penfold nearly gathered his chip ahead, only for a knock-on presenting Andover with a defensive scrum. However, after some back and forth play deep in the Andover half, the Cobham backs found some space and a lovely behind the body pass from Davison put Taylor Burnett in a scoring position (31-7).

Andover attempted to get their second score but a poor kick from a penalty only got to the Cobham twenty-two. Good work from Farmer turned the ball over and a clearance kick downfield. Cobham won the ball back and Redknapp stepped inside twice before adding to the total, making the score 38-7 at half-time. The match had so far been played mostly in the Andover half and we waited to see if the visitors could up their game in the second 40 minutes.

As it turned out, not much changed and Cobham again had a lot of the ball and played their usual attacking rugby. This resulted in four more tries but equally as important, an impressive desire to defend their line meant Andover failed to score in the second half, despite periods with the ball. It also allowed the Cobham bench to be emptied to ensure game time for all. There were some excellent contributions, especially a couple of bullocking runs by Gabe Clark and tries for Oli Alcorn.

As mentioned earlier, following last week’s great away win at Eastbourne, there were six changes this week so if Cobham ever had full availability and zero injuries, selection would be a headache. The four tries were scored by Will Stephens from full back, following a great line and pass, Porter on an equally good line after a lovely soft pass from McQuade, before two late scores from Alcorn. The latter came in the last play following a great blocking line by Stephens, which created the space for Alcorn to speed into the corner. Final score 64-7.

Another pleasing performance this season, meaning Cobham move into the next round of the RFU Community Cup that will take place on 31January next year.

Cobham 1st XV Squad:-

1. Chris Lippiatt (Capt.)

2. Lewis Joyce

3. Ryan Aujla

4. Hugh Farmer

5. Louis Porter

6. Ben Yorke

7. Tom Davison

8. Jake McQuade

9. Ryan Saunders

10. Connor Dellapina

11. James Edmondson

12. Taylor Burnett

13. Charley Redknapp

14. Rory Penfold

15. Will Stephens

Substitutes:

16. Gabe Clark

17. Ben Joyce

18. George Spires

19. Oli Alcorn

20. James Mitchell

Scorers:

Tries: McQuade (2), Porter, Farmer, Redknapp, Alcorn (2), Burnett, Stephens, Saunders

Conversions: Dellapina (7)