Mavericks lose

The Mavericks started the day as table toppers in sale sharks division 5 west and were well prepared travelling to Prenton in what promised to be a pivotal fixture in the season. And so it proved to be.
The day started out challenging enough when last weeks man of the match Mike Potter was taken to the twos leaving a depleted front row and the gaffer was required to make last minute positional changes . Despite the usual Saturday morning shenanigans a strong squad of 17 arrived at Prenton and we welcomed a new addition to the team Ben Evans who hopefully will be a regular member of the team and , for his first game in five years, played a strong game at blind side flanker.
By now I think most people are aware of the revised structure within Prenton Rugby Club and their partnership with the University of Chester, as a result the team that took the field were by common acceptance the majority of the Prenton 2nd team of last season. Big mobile forwards and a good back line. Despite the 'beefed up' opposition, early indications in the scrum and maul showed that the Maverick team were more than capable of holding their own. The area in which we found it difficult to compete was the dominant running of their big ball carriers. This kept us on the defensive for the majority of the game and as a result we found it difficult to put our game plan into effect. It was early in the second half when we began to unsettle the Prenton defence when we scored two well worked tries by putting the ball into the hands of the backs who used their superior speed to find open space as with Billy's opening try and gaps as with Toms sniping second. Once again the score of 60-12 is a cold statistic when you measure it against the heart and commitment that the Mavs put into their performance. Yes, Prenton where physically superior to us and deserved their win , however some significant comments must be made regarding individual players from The Mavs. Firstly thanks to Plum, Les and Craig who were subject to some severe pressure and where required to play out of position in order to secure a stable scrum. Due to the early loss of Andy Barker it was important we bolstered the second row and as a result Plum was asked to step into the breach, and in doing so I'm convinced it prevented us from being pushed all over the park by the large Prenton pack. Thanks and welcome to Ben Evans who started at blind side for the Mavericks in what was the first of hopefully many appearances for the Mavericks this season. As a constant was Nev Pickard who found himself on the receiving end of many an exuberant Prenton assault yet managed to keep his calm and even managed to laugh at some of the efforts of Prenton to intimidate him ( either that or he's just getting too old to fight).
Onto the backs and in particular the back three of Billy Alderson, Christian McIvor and Cal Thomas, possibly the three lightest in weight but strongest in character. The ferocious tackling demonstrated throughout the game from Billy and Cal was an absolute joy to behold especially when hitting large forwards. The Gaffer received compliments from the watching Prenton crowd and coaching team in respect of their performance and all where certain the score could have been a lot higher if it weren't for our back three . The backs performed well and were never really threatened by the Prenton back line , as I stated before it was predominantly the running of the forwards that caused the damage. Gordon, Andy, Del and Tom all performed well and managed a very difficult situation however it was a close call this week but my man if the match goes to Billy Alderson who demonstrated maturity and skill in both defence and attack. Scoring a try was a foregone conclusion, however it was a combination of defensive commitment in the tackle together with the interaction between himself and Cal that impressed me most. A very competent performance from a developing player.
A tough day at the office , however we should not lose heart and concentrate on planning for Mossley Hill next week. Remember if we want to improve we need to train. The more who train the stronger we will be.

Semel a Mavericus, Semper a Mavericus

The Gaffer.