TWO’S CONSOLIDATE SECOND SPOT – SHOWING PROMOTION FORM!

February 13, 2023

TROJANS 2 CAME OUT ON TOP IN THE CLUB DERBY AS THEY DEFEATED THEIR THIRD TEAM 69-40 AT HEREWARD COLLEGE TO GAIN REVENGE FOR THEIR TEN-POINT DEFEAT BY THREE EARLIER IN THE SEASON.

FIELDING A FULL-STRENGTH TEAM, COACH BEN LINNETT (PICTURED) HAD THE LUXURY OF SUBSTITUTING HIS MEN AT REGULAR INTERVALS, WHILST THE THIRDS WERE HIT BY INJURIES AND WORK-RELATED ABSENCE LEAVING THIER COACH TREVOR ROBINSON WITH JUST SIX PLAYERS, AN AVERAGE AGE OF OVER 50 AND AN UPHILL BATTLE TO COME AS THE TEAMS TIPPED-OFF AT THE START.

BUT THE EARLY STAGES TURNED OUT TO BE MORE COMPETITIVE THAN WAS PREDICTED AS THE SECONDS HELD A SLENDER LEAD GOING INTO THE SECOND QUARTER, WHEN, SHOCK AND HORROR FOR LINNETT, THE VETERANS WENT AHEAD TO LEAD 22-18 WITH MATTY NOVELSKAS AND IAIN MAXWELL SHOWING GOOD FORM.

BUT THEN, THE PARTY WAS OVER AS LINNETT SWITCHED HIS DEFENSE AND THE THIRDS’ BALLOON BURST.

EITHER SIDE OF HALF-TIME, TH2 RATTLED IN THIRTY-EIGHT TO EIGHT AND IT WAS GAME OVER. THE SECONDS WERE RUNNING RIOT ON THE BACK OF MISSED SHOTS FROM THEIR CLUB COUNTERPARTS AND THE FAST-BREAK WAS USED TO DYNAMIC EFFECT AS THE SENIORS TIRED. BUT THE GAME WAS PLAYED IN A HIGHLY-COMPETITIVE BUT SPORTING MANNER BY BOTH AND ENDED WITH A HOT STREAK FROM NAV SINGH FOR THE “HOSTS” AND NOVELSKAS FOR THE “VISITORS” AS TWO CONSOLIDATED SECOND PLACE IN THE DIVISION TWO TABLE.

SCORERS: TH2 – GURUNG 2, DICKSON JNR. 15, WU 10, EALES 2, UBAVICIUS 4, LUMLEY 0, GODWIN 2, BALIUNAS 16, ZEXIAN 9, LINNETT 2, SINGH 17.

TH3 – ROBINSON 14, WANG 5, NOVELSKAS 20, DICKSON SNR. 6, MAXWELL 15, MADDOX 0.