The game was played in torrential rain in conditions which were reminiscent of mid-Winter rather than mid-August! From the kick-off Garstang gained the upper hand and within minutes they were putting intense pressure on the Broughton line. However, Broughton looked like they were really up for the contest and their early defence was outstanding. With twenty minutes gone Garstang looked certain to break the deadlock but again they were thwarted by the home side. First Keith Yates was held up on the line and then Andy Bhagat-Lowe lost the ball as he was going over the try line in the corner. Against the run of play it was Broughton who finally broke the deadlock. The ball was spilled by Garstang and the home winger hacked the ball forward, Andy Bhagat-Lowe had no choice but to kick the ball into touch on the Garstang line. From the subsequent line out Broughton gained a scrum in a dangerous position, a cleverly worked move from the base of the scrum created space and allowed the right winger to scamper over in the corner (5-0). This score spurred Garstang into action and within seconds of the restart they had taken the lead. The ball was driven forward by the Garstang pack before being spun out to Andy Bhagat-Lowe, who slid over the line. Andy Blackley added the extra two points with an accomplished conversion from the touch line (5-7). A couple of minutes later Garstang were awarded a penalty on half way after some blatant foul play by a Broughton player. Andy Blackley went for the long goal attempt and the ball flew through the uprights to extend the lead (5-10).
At this point Garstang should have stamped their authority on the game but a moment of ill-discipline gave Broughton a penalty which they also converted (8-10). In the dying moments of the first half Richard Orr collected the ball from a line out and he was able to force his way over the line to extend the Garstang lead to 15-8.
Garstang started the second half as they had finished the first with wave after wave of attacks on the Broughton line. After several near misses they eventually scored, Allan Whitaker spun out a beautiful long pass to Andy Bhagat-Lowe who clung on and grounded in the corner (8-20). At this point Garstang made a couple of changes with Guy Lambert and Mike Bunn replacing Simon Whittingham and Duncan Lambert. The question now was not whether Garstang would win but how many they would win by. The ball was being flung from side to side and eventually John Robinson received it in space, he accelerated round his man and scored in the corner (8-25). Broughton were rattled by now and they were getting increasingly frustrated, this particularly showed when they spilled the ball on half way. Mark Gorst hacked it forward and Mike Bunn, showing incredible pace, beat everybody to it and slid over the line. The conversion from the corner unfortunately hit the post (8-30). At this point, Tim Harries came on to replace Dave Bosson. With time running out Jimmy Richardson, who had an excellent game, went over to score the final try of the day (8-37). With the game won Garstang made two final substitutions with Roddy Bettany and Phil Brighouse coming on. The win puts Garstang through to round two of the Lancashire Plate where they will play Chorley or Old Bedians at Hudson Park on 2nd/3rd Septmber (date to be confirmed). Man of the Match award: This was won by Andy Bhagat-Lowe who made an excellent start to the season, scoring two tries. Captain's verdict: It was an excellent win in difficult conditions, we will be looking for improvement in the coming weeks. The most pleasing aspect was that we had half a dozen people who were making their First XV debuts, which bodes well for the squad for the forthcoming season. Despite the fact that we have boosted our squad we are still looking for new recruits, particularly in the back division, so anybody who like to join the club is more than welcome. See our website for more details. - Garstang’s next game is the opening fixture of the North Lancs Two League. Garstang play Fylde Saracens at Hudson Park on 26 August, K.O 15:00. The match will be sponsored by Singletons Ltd.
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