Wyvern Rugby Club Match Reports

Wyvern 36 Presidents Big Fat Zero!!!!

Wyvern finish season in style.

Saturday night was Taz and Sharon's 46th and last wedding activity which meant everybody was bound to be fighting fit on Sunday morning. Planning had not been on people's minds on Saturday as several people rang on Sunday morning to say they were stranded without vehicle which was already at the Wyvern.
11.00 and people were starting to attend, Tinny obviously missing Captaincy was stood bold with clipboard in hand looking official. 11.10 and thirty players on the pitch.
Wyvern were back to full strength with the Longman brothers, the Fish, Taz, Spud, Harry, Hooley, Guy, Jason Squire, Gareth, Lenny and Terry all back from last weeks absence.
The first half started with Wyvern with the advantage of the slope playing most of the rugby in the Presidents half. Some good possession made Wyvern attack with meaning but with twenty five minutes gone there was still no 
score. The Wyvern defence was intact stopping the Presidents reaching our half on most occasions.
Taz tried to do an impression of the Fish and was quite realistic - his drop goal attempt failed.
Wyvern pressure eventually told as Mark Lees broke through the centre to score under the posts, the Fish converted. 
Wyvern went into the interval not happy that with all the pressure they had they only had 7 points.
The second half saw Wyvern click as the Presidents ran out of steam. Doug James made a break to score by the posts quickly followed by the Fish setting up Terry to score. The Fish tried hi sustomary drop goal and failed. 
Good pressure from the Wyvern pack provided gaps for Terry and James to both score again.
A fine win which took Wyvern to Won 13 Lost 11 and all layers can now look forward to the end of season dinner on the 22nd May.

Taunton 76 Wyvern 49

One incident spoils day

As injuries pile up and holidays continue at the beginning of the week it looked doubtful Wyvern could raise a team. By Saturday with the help of Wellington and Chard we had 14 on paper. Sunday morning and twelve to start. Fortunately two refs turned up and Wyvern were quick to ask Carl Whistle to play for us. 
The game started at a very quick pace which suited the Taunton backs who quickly went two scores up. Wyvern slowly adapted to twelve man rugby and managed to tighten defensively and proved they could attack themselves. The pack was very make shift with Rod Cockram propping for the first time without fuss and Doug James hooking with Andy from Chard giving the front row some experience. Surprisingly the scrums were fairly solid and certainly the Wyvern pack were winning the battle in the loose. Some good pressure from the forwards produced a penalty from which Doug James went over and Mark Lees converted. Taunton scored again then Andy Stuart with the smallest of gaps on the right wing carved down the line to score. Another break from Wyvern centre Martin Howe saw Anthony Gothard finish the move. With Wyvern managing to get all their conversions they saw themselves go in at half-time 28-27 up.
The second half was more end to end stuff with Gothy scoring again, Andy Stuart scoring again and Doug James getting two more with Taunton scoring in between. Mark Lees was on fire with the boot and with twelve minutes to go Wyvern were 49-48 up. Taunton replied with a try before the incident which marred the game. With a scrum on their own five yard line Wyvern secured and cleared. The ref had followed play when the Taunton prop (and captain) swung and smacked Rod in the face catching him unaware. This rattled many Wyvern players who couldn’t believe this entertaining friendly game warranted such action. With this in mind and probably several players low on gas Wyvern couldn’t contain Taunton who ran in three more tries.
The score line doesn’t do Wyvern justice and the thuggery on the pitch didn’t do the majority of the Taunton players justice.
Wyvern look forward to the last game of the season next week against a President’s XV.

Wyvern 0 Wiviliscombe 19

(The one that Warren dropped everything)

It seems like many moons ago we last had a home game and made a nice change to get up later and not travel through many counties to get to a match.
The niceness didn't last long. Once again Wyvern failed to produce a front row with Westy and Bleaksy injured and Spud and Taz only thinking about Holidays. With many changes to Wednesdays team we saw a welcome return to Warren Lewis, Dave Hughes and a certain Mr Martin Howe who was prepared to sub as needs must.
The Wyvern pack was very slow to start and once again it was Tim Kiwi dragging the rest of the forwards around the park. The game was quick and neither team could score in the first quarter although it was Wivy that had 
more possession. When the Wyvern backs got the ball every move seemed to break up early ( I mean before it even got to The Soap!!)
It was Wivy that scored first with some poor tackling gifting them their first try. They also scored a second before the interval.
Wyvern played down the slope second half and thought that the second half was going to be all Wyvern. Again the pack underperformed and couldn't give the backs the ball they needed. On the plus side Wyverm absorbed an awful lot of pressure and did well to keep the second half to one try. Wyvern seemed to panic and couldn't link any passage of play long enough to score. Their closest effort saw the ball grounded on the line only for the Referee to say "If I didn't see it I can't give it), and the Wivy boys were shouting louder than us.
Not a very good performance but the Wyvern have a week off before they take on Taunton away on the 18th April.

Bridgwater 19 Wyvern 25

Heavy work under lights

Only three days after a trouncing in Cannington at the hands of Spaxton, Wyvern now found themselves in the shadow the main stand at Bridgwater and Albion, with the light fading, and the home side already on the pitch running through moves.

On paper Captain Dougie James had 21 names, in the changing room he had 17 bodies. Pushing Darryl ‘Light weight’ Gardner into the front row for the first time in nearly 12 months at least saved the need for uncontested scrums.

From the kick off it was fast and furious. The referee played advantage well and allowed both sides to capitalise on the repeated mistakes. However it was the set scrum which was to be the source of most concern for Wyvern, where Bridgwater firmly pressed home their weight advantage. Indeed it was one of these early scrummages which provided Bridgwater with what looked to be the first of a flood of tries.

However the Wyvern were not taking things lying down and the loose play was both frantic and, in keeping with the Bridgwater style, very vicious. Bridgwater struggled to make ground as the Wyvern players tackled furiously in order to hold their line. A turn over ball and a break by Jimmy ‘The Fish’ Morris took the Wyvern deep into Bridgwater territory. Bridgy failed to clear their lines and gave Wyvern the opportunity to take the ball back at them: quick hands and the extra man saw Jason Squire touch down in the right corner to level the match.

A nasty stamping, un-noticed by the referee, resulted in a 5 cm gash in the top of Paul ‘Westy’ Westwood’s head. With blood pouring from the cut he was extremely vocal in his thoughts on the event, but he was forced to leave the field and head off to hospital to have the injury dealt with. Utility man Phil ‘The Helmet’ Murphy took over at prop.

While Westy literally mopped his wounds the Fish took his chance and landed his statutory drop goal of the match. And it remained mostly Wyvern for the rest of the half, eventually turning pressure into further points with a try by Anthony Gothard under the posts following a somewhat disjointed passage of play where the Wyvern players did not seem to know their way to the line. The Fish duly slotted the extra 2, putting Wyvern ahead 15-5 at the break.

Mark ‘Hoolie’ Halligan now took to the field and joined his front row colleague, Jason ‘Taz’ Bailey, in the BACK ROW!

Apart from the very occasional flourish it was all Bridgwater after the break. The Wyvern players became very familiar with the grass in their half of the pitch as they struggled to move into the opponents territory for more than just a stretch of their legs. The pressure eventually told and Bridgy eventually drove over following a 5 metre scrum, despite the valiant efforts of the Wyvern centres. The conversion narrowed the gap still further.

The resulting fallout of the previous scrum was that Lightweight had to leave the field and Captain James was forced to request uncontested scrums to alleviate further injuries to his players. Ultimately this would prove to be significant as the Bridgwater dominance in the pack was now neutered. However the constant hammering of the Bridgy forwards meant the Wyvern defenders were constantly putting their bodies into punishing tackles.

Still on the back foot it was Captain James who eased the pressure with one of his now legendary runs, confusing all around him as he went, and eventually running out of people to side step and space to run into. From the ensuing lineout in the opponents half it was now the turn of the Fish to show a touch of magic with a deft show of the ball, which opened the way before him, and then a 40 metre run in past the aging Bridgy defence. Despite the close proximity to the posts he failed to add the conversion, but nevertheless the ‘two score’ gap opened up again.

Back to Wyvern half for more and more pressure. Bridgwater new there was still time and kicked several penalties to the corner to try and use the rolling ball from the line-out, however the Wyvern spoiling was at its best [even without Westy] and the defence held strong. In the end it was a broken piece of play which gave Bridgy the break they wanted and provided them with a score under the posts, despite the valiant Wyvern defence. The conversion brought the two sides only one point apart and set the tone for a desperate last few minutes.

Still with their backs firmly to their own line, the Fish was determined to wriggle a way out and set his backs free to gallop up the park. Unfortunately it was Rod ‘The Soap’ Cockram who took the final pass, or not as the case may be, and the breakout came to an abrupt halt. However, this did at least push the home side into their own half and this is where they were kept as the clocked slowly ticked away. Then a sudden counter attack by Wyvern and Captain James once again opened up the wide open spaces as he dummied like only he can. As he took the final tackle and passed to his outside [yes, he did MAKE a pass] it was the Soap who managed to hold onto the ball, then find a gap between his man and the line which didn’t really exist and suddenly he was twenty metres from glory, sliding in under the posts to avoid dropping it! The Fish thought it was the final kick so didn’t make his best effort as it sailed past the right hand upright, but the refer was still working on his Winter Time clock and was still sure there was time to play.

Several anxious minutes passed before Taz, like any good forward, kicked the ball into touch as soon as he got it and the referee condescended to blow the final whistle.

It certainly wasn’t over till it was over and 25-19 really was a tight game. An excellent evenings entertainment and one the Wyvern can be proud of.

Spaxton 50 Wyvern 12

Wyvern Battle on in Vain

I think I must have fallen asleep only to wake up with the Wyvern in the middle of the professional era. Today was our third game in 8 days with two more to follow in the next seven days. With many players still suffering 
from injuries on tour (and Adam still being sick.... although the blue pen is off his face now) Wyvern could only meet with eleven at County Hall. We still travelled and eventually Spaxton rallied around to loan us four 
players to make it 15 a piece. With no front row as Bleaksy was injured yesterday and Mrs Bailey locking up Taz we had uncontested scrums.
Their pitch was in good condition and the game started at a fair pace. Spaxton attacked with the forwards and the Wyvern defence held its own. The play went from 22 to 22 for the first twenty minutes. Eventually Wyvern broke and the Spaxton pack gained ground before the backs ran in a try but they were made to work quite hard for it. This woke the Spaxton pack up and they found themselves deadly from lineouts as they caught and drove. Wyvern let a few soft tries in. Wyvern were working hard and it was only the well-drilled pack working as a complete team that Wyvern couldn't defend against.
At half-time we were about four tries down but with the hill against us we had nothing to lose, keep the ball away from the forwards and we had a chance.
The second half saw our pack raise the game and the backs had several chances of running but Mr Rod "The Soap" Cockram did not have the best game of his life in attack. The forwards managed to drive near the line and a 
quick penalty from Doug James saw Wyvern claw back 7 points. From the kick off Spaxton decided to kick away from the forwards. Phil "not propping today" Murphy picked the ball up and gained good ground before offloading, the Fish then broke and Jonny "Bread Basket" Wrenny was on hand to take the credit. Unfortunately Wyvern started to run out of steam and the Spaxton pack once again took control of the game as they managed to romp through for several tries of their own.
A very entertaining game but hopefully more players are available for Wyvern's trip to Bridgewater on Wednesday.

Frome Valley Lions 12 Wyvern 36

Wyvern enjoy day out!

Now I always thought that Butleigh was going to be the hardest game to get fifteen players to go to. Wyvern entertained newly formed Frome Valley Lions before Christmas and had arranged an away fixture at Chard. By Christmas this had changed to Bridport. On Sunday Martin Howe confirmed that Frome Valley wanted a 12.30 ko at Puddletown RFC. For those poor at geography let me put that in perspective… it’s just as far as last year’s tour!!!! Being the week before tour players were asked and all up for it. 18 Friday night dwindled down to 15 at 10.15 Sunday morning and via a few stops and a couple of wrong turns we ended up at Piddle Hinton. The wet and wind followed us all the way, the pitch was remote, the changing rooms were cold and loud ( we were greeted by head banging music in the changing rooms…. Tinny would have been in his element.)

Frome Valley only had thirteen and Martin Mortimer did the honours and guested for the opposition. Wyvern played against the wind in the first half. Frome Valley also didn’t have a front row (to my relief as I was down to prop) which made the game very quick and open. The play went between 22’s for the first ten minutes and the Frome Valley backs always seemed to have an overlap. Wyvern’s new centre Mark Halligan had his work cut out trying to work out which one should run pass him. Wyvern scored first with the forwards providing the platform for Doug James to fall over the line. Frome Valley replied and both teams scored again before the interval with Jonny ‘Bread Basket’ Wren enjoying Centre stage. Half-time 12-12.

Wyvern then had the wind to their advantage. Line-outs weren’t a great success and the pack seemed to do some excellent work then lose concentration and get turned over. Wyvern seemed to break out their 22 on several occasions but could only come close to scoring. Then last fifteen and the tries came rolling in for Mark Halligan, Jason Squire and Doug James got two more.

A very good win before tour and people who need a mention …. Andy had a good game on the wing, Guy ‘the munch’ Loader who seems as consistent as Richard Hill was ever present. The Fish didn’t win 'kick of the game' for once but instead Westy, who knew it was the last play of the first half and delicately found touch.

North Petherton 20 Wyvern 20

A very different looking Wyvern XV from the previous Friday travelled to North Petherton for the second Merit Table game in the space of ten days. The pressures of the professional era!

Taz Baily arrived, post Chard stag night, doing an impressive ‘Casper’ impersonation.

An entertaining first half saw North Petherton start well, scoring twice with one score converted. The switching of Guy ‘I don’t want to play at centre, its crap out here’ Loader to flanker generated more possession for the Wyvern backs. Flight Lieutenant James, guesting in the front row, replied with a well worked try, showing agility, athleticism and a good use of his burgeoning frame to score in the narrowest of spaces. Half time beckoned with another Petherton score. Taz Baily, hangover shaken off, slotted a difficult penalty to ensure Wyvern kept in touch , down 17 – 8 at half time.

The appearance of Monsignor Le Poisson on the side line, orange bobble hat and feigned limp gave the Wyvern team the lift they needed. Coerced into coming on by physical threats and promises of as many pole dancers as he can handle in Blackpool, the Fish succumbed.

A spirited start to the second half saw the Wyvern move into the lead. The Fish’s deceptive running opened up a ‘very large’ space for centre Johnny Wren to run through, untouched, to score under the posts. The Fish converted. Further fluent play saw Wyverns own ‘Mick the Munch’ Loader crash over in the corner. 20 – 17 with Wyvern seemingly in control. Petherton replied with a well struck penalty to tie the scores at 20 – 20, despite assurances from the referee that Wyvern were 21 – 20 up!!

The Fish attempted to win the day with a couple of drop goals, but a swirling wind and Vaseline on the left boot denied him.

An excellent defensive performance in many areas laid the foundations for a good result, consolidating mid-table obscurity in the Merit table for the Wyvern.

Pasties and beans were laid on in the clubhouse. Flight Lieutenant James was keen to show that if he cannot have the most appearances in a season accolade or, the most tries of the season, then he can easily win the most post match pasties eaten – last seen on pastie number 5 at two o’clock in the Petherton clubhouse! 

Wyvern 31 Chard 12

Return of the Fish

Taunton under floodlights was the extravagant venue for this return Merit Table fixture which saw Chard take the win by a solitary point in September. A partisan crowd of over 50, two dogs and several small children were evidence of the importance of this fixture. Several Wyvern ‘stars’ were seen mooching around the sidelines (no names no pack drill, Lewis and Bailey) saving themselves for Saturday games.

Many thanks must be extended to the match sponsor John ‘RBS’ Howe who it is rumoured has recently signed a three season, multi million pound deal with Corporal James to sponsor all future matches. Sky were outbid with comparative ease by the affluent Howe senior!!

A sweeping blizzard met the teams as they ran out, with Wyvern starting with 13 despite a squad of 22 on the night. An entertaining and close fought first half saw Westies quick tap and scintillating run put Corporal James in for the first score of the evening. Gareth Hughes kept Chard at bay with an excellent display of kicking from the fly-half position. Chard came back with two scores of their own despite some resolute Wyvern defence. One of the scores was converted. Half-time beckoned at 12 – 5 when Corporal James picked up a lose ball in his own half. Electric pace and devastating dummies sent not only the Chard defence the wrong way but also the Wyvern support. A classic Wyvern try, which was converted by Rod the Boot. All square at the break.

Sweeping changes at half time saw the return of the prodigal Wyvern son ‘Jimmy The Fish’ Morris (or Monsieur Maurice as he prefers), and the addition of the Longman brothers, adding a new dimension to the Wyvern game plan.

Monsieur Fish proceeded to pin the Chard team in their own ‘22’. Two tries followed from this pressure by Gareth Hughes and Vic the ‘Vicar’. The Fish converted both. A final flourish saw centre Johnny Wren outpace a ‘quick looking’ Chard front row to score. The Fish missed!!

Corporal James continues to add to his burgeoning squad with selection dilemmas not dissimilar to Sir Clive. An excellent win with the continued evolution of Captain James’s ‘Dream Team’. It should all be in place by May!!

Wyvern 5 Wellington 20

Valiant effort by Wyvern

Wyvern broke through several barriers today but unfortunately victory was not one of them. Brody (Adams brother) became the 50th player this season to play for the Wyvern just showing how popular we are this year. And if that doesn't show then the fact we comfortably had six replacements does and I would like to thank those that didn't get to play a part on today's events.

So with plenty to chose from Wyvern started quite strongly, the pack was up for it and Dave Hughes was commanding the backs. Wyvern were playing down the hill in the first half and dominated several areas, defended against the break and for the first twenty five minutes things were level. It was Wyvern that broke the deadlock with the Wyvern forwards gaining good ground allowing Doug James to cross the line. Wyvern went into the break 5-0 up heads up high. 

The second half was a different tale. Wellington made a few tactical changes bringing in the big blokes off the wing and bringing on a full-back on stilts. The Wyvern tackling was immense at times but could not sustain the Wellington pressure. Three miss tackles resulted in three Wellington tries (plus a dodgy forward pass). Wyvern played their part in a very entertaining game and can hold their heads up high.

Next week sees another Merit table game on FRIDAY NIGHT at Taunton against Chard, 7.30ko.

Somerton 20 Wyvern 22

A strong North wind provided a chill backdrop to the mornings rugby at the Somerton Recreation Ground. Whilst Captain James was developing cultural relations with our Czechoslovakian cousins in Prague, a committed Wyvern performance resulted in a 22 - 20 victory.

John Atkins, back from the 'smoke', opened the scoring with a strong run. Pouncing on a mistake at the base of the Somerton scrum he ran 'a long way', leaving a trail of Somerton defenders in his wake. The Hughes brothers marshalled the backs well, whilst the Longman brothers and a resurgent Guy 'The Munch' Loader kept the Somerton forwards in check. A last minute Somerton penalty saw the teams turn around at 5 - 3.

The second half started with a Wyvern blitz (a term not used in any other match report in the history of the club!). A quickly taken lineout from Westy saw Taz Bailey swerve, sprint and wobble occasionally, to the try line. Jason 'Skippy' Squire scored a classic English try, whilst Dave Hughes proved that he is quicker than his brother Gareth, scoring the fourth and final Wyvern try. Rod 'The Boots' return of one conversion from four, was scant reward for some fine goal kicking. Are you watching Sir Clive, Rod 'Wilko' could be the answer!

A strong riposte from Somerton saw them move to within two points in the final quarter. Taz Bailey questioned the referees judgement and parentage once too often during this spell of sustained pressure, spending the last 10 minutes of the game in 'the bin'.

Phrases of the day included; 'we've got the shirts', 'dream team', 'isn't
Westy fast compared to Dougie' and 'Dougie who?'

Spud Murphy's unique motivational methods of vice-captaincy (he wasn't there), learnt from the Welsh Wizard Tinny Tindall (who was often there but always injured), laid the foundations for this victory!!

Wyvern 7 Minehead 33

Good display by Wyvern, not good enough for well drilled Minehead

Wyvern became hosts to Minehead this weekend in their return League fixture which saw Minehead win 55-5 on their own soil. The game started with Wyvern playing towards the clubhouse and started very well. The pack had the slight advantage in the first half winning scrums at ease. Lineouts were a bit more dificult but the pack was hungry and Minehead couldn't attack easily with the great pressure being put on them particularly by Tim Colhourn. Minehead did get a penalty near the posts and took the three points. Wyvern attacks were breaking down with more ease and silly little errors were costing Wyvern valuable ground. Warren Lewis again was steady at fly-half but found himself in a completely different game to last week. Minehead scored a try from turnover ball, Wyvern couldn't cut down their errors. The effort for 95% of the game was outstanding and Wyvern were competing in all areas but everytime Wyvern made a mistake it cost them dearly.

In the second half the Wyvern defence stepped up a gear and at one time were held in their twenty two for about fifteen minutes before Minehead could go over and score. The last move of the game saw Ben Leisure break through but was caught just short of the line, from the following scrum Wyvern broke through with Doug James scoring.

A very good game to play in with the score line slightly flattering Minehead who are top of the league, if we play like this against the other teams we will have no problem.
Next week sees Wyvern travel to Bridport to take on Frome Valley Lions.

Butleigh 7 Wyvern 12

Great Wyvern Win

It's days like this I could write all day....... what a great day for Wyvern Rugby. I have been very pleased with the numbers which have turned out for the Wyvern this season but knew this was a dificult one as an away game at Butleigh is more like a day out than a morning game of rugby. Friday night I had seventeen but knew things could change. Sunday morning I had sixteen and when we met at County Hall I had a possibility of fifteen providing Johnny Wren did go direct and Martin Mortimer was waiting at McDonalds in Street.... er...... I mean Sainsburys. A special thank you to those that turned out and those that helped find players... THANK YOU.
We picked up Martin and would like to state that I wasn't the only one to burger up. Westy took us the scenic route and we arrived at Butleigh's ground with the sun shining. The mulled wine tasted great and I was chatting to Fatty Edwards thinking that everything was going smoothly untill he pulled out the whistle around his neck.....yep ... he refereed.
In the usual laid back manner at Butleigh we eventually got around to playing rugby. Wyvern welcomed back James "Terry" Duder who played for us last year aswell as two new recruits Ian Longman and Tim Colhoun (hope you are impressed Martin- I'm even getting surnames!!). Wyvern played up the hill and recieved the kick. Right from the word go there seemed to be a spring in the Wyvern step. Warren Lewis ran the show extremely well at fly-half and Wyvern were making breaks very well although they couldn't seem to finish them off. Lineouts were amazing, both Ian Scovell and Tim Colhoun were winning good ball and with Ben Leisure at scrum-half the backs were getting good possession. When the ball was lost the Wyvern defence in forwards and backs was solid and we kept moving up their half. Warren Lewis broke through and although he had men outside he saw the cover off with a dummy and tore through the defence to score by the posts. Warren converted. 
Wyvern still dominated and once again saw themselves in the opposition's twenty-two. This time the ball was off loaded to Johnny Wren who burst through from ten yards out to score. Phil Murphy didn't convert but he hit several worms on the head with his attempt. Wyvern went into the break 12-0 up.
Butleigh made several changes in ther pack at half-time and started the second half the stronger team. Within ten minutes they got a score back. 
Wyvern managed to hold on and fight back, one break saw James Duder tear down the wing and everyone walked back to our half as we assumed he had scored although somehow he found the wrong line so Wyvern were awarded a 5 yard scrum but could not capitilise. Wyvern were again pinned down by their own line when they were awarded a penalty, the referee had said that when the ball went dead the game was over. Horrified when Tim Colhoun took the penalty and started running I was well relieved to see he can kick aswell as he can catch as the ball was hoofed into touch.
A great victory for Wyvern as I see they haven't won away to Butleigh for over five years, good stuff as we go into a merit table game home to Minehead next week.

Best excuse for not being available " Sorry- I have broken my ribs" 
Worst excuse " I'm busy doing stuff around the house."

Wyvern 36 Blake Bears 0

Wyvern Back To Winning Ways

Wyvern achieve their first double of the season with a convincing win over the Bridgewater pub side. With Wyvern a bit more organised than last week they were changed and raring to go and even had time to practice. Wyvern played up the hill in the first half and seemed comfortable in all phases. 
Wyvern soaked up a little pressure before going up the opponents half and coming away with three points. The scrums and lineouts were working well and good hands from a ruck saw Westy's vision able to put winger Andy Stewart through to score. A fine try by Guy Loader saw Wyvern 10-0 up at the half way stage.
Due to Wyvern having a squad of 19, substitutions were made with Mat 6ft7 Scovell and Murray Russell coming on for Harry and Scampi (welcome back Scampi). Wyvern carried on the pressure in the second half and good possession by the forwards allowed the backs to release Johnny Wren to score by the posts.
Ten minutes into the second half the Fish came on. The Fish went off. Wyvern also got tries through Guy Loader again, Ben Leisure.
A fine victory as Wyvern prepare for that famous trip to Butleigh next week

4th January 2004

Wyvern go for Gold .............without their captain.

Wiviliscombe 31 Wyvern 5

O dear o dear what a day and I do hate talking about myself in these match reports but I do think I have no choice. The whole truth will come out but the first ten minutes of the game has to be improvised as stupid Dougie was on his way back to Taunton to pick up the shirts. Some one managed to organise a kit from Wivy... a nice gold little number which apparently looked very good in the team photo, and it looked a good game as I ran passed  to get changed. Fortunatley for me Spud managed to hurt his ankle whilst doing his boot lace and I got chucked into the front row. At this point we were atleast a try down and had followed the Captain's example of being completely disarray. The Wyvern welcomed Ian's brother Mat Scovell and his mate Andy to the team. Mat is 6ft7 but we still struggled in the lineouts. Poor tackling by the Wyvern allowed Wivy to score 4 tries in the first half as Wyvern trailed 26-0. The second-half seem to wake the Wyvern up and as their urgency grew their play got a lot better. Wyvern held their own in the scrums and one good passage of play let Jason Squire finish in the corner. Wiviliscome did manage to score a try back but had to work a lot harder for it than the gifts they got in the first half.

COME ON YOU REDS !!!!

Wyvern 39 Bridgewater 3rds 10

Another home game for the Wyvern and eighteen on the team sheet all was looking well. That was until Bridgy skipper Mike Berry mentioned that their shirts were on the "Red Side", having a look to clariify the situation - yep 
-they were red. At this point I was not at all worried as I new this wouldn't affect my game. The ref seemed to be able to cope as Bridgy had a few squiggles and numbers. Wyvern started off very well and the backs looked 
very sharp and would have made a few early scores but decided to perfect the forward pass instead. Gareth Hughes was running the show at Fly-Half for the first half and his calls sounded very impessive - I must work out what they mean one day. First blood came to the Wyvern as Full-back Doug James got the ball kicked to him from Ian Scovell at the Bridgy 22 and managed to find a gap through to score. James helped the score again as breaking through from his 22 he PASSED to let Ben Leisure, who still had work to do, score.

With a penalty under the posts and skipper James sure that three points were on offer managed to let Warren Lewis convince him that a kick near the corner and our own lineout would lead to a sure 5 points. James was less convinced when Warren's kick went backwards five yards and then completely down and out when for once we lost the lineout.
Wyvern went into half-time 10-0 up but were now playing up the hill. The Fish came on at Fly-Half whilst Gareth Hughes went to Full-back and Doug James went on the wing, Lenny replace Ben Leisure on the other wing. In the 
pack Martin came off for Nick Graham at second row.Wyvern started the second half poorly and Bridgy pounced on the occasion to score two tries quite quickly. Wyvern managed to regain their composure and the next time they got into the Bridgy half the Fish was on hand for a right-footed drop goal.

In the last twenty it was all Wyvern and superb tries from Jason squire, Lenny And Gareth Hughes helped improve the lead. Try of the game though with out a doubt came from a penalty just outside Wyvern's 22. Wyvern grouped as if the kick was for touch then the ball got to the Fish who managed to find a massive gap to break through, Johnny Wren in support the Fish drew his man which allowed a simple pass to Wrenny to score. Johnny was obviously going to be disappointed with a comment in the match report like "and Johnny fell the three yards over the line to score," so decided to tap forward with his left hand, then his right, then his head before catching it and scoring.

A great game to play in putting Wyvern on two wins on the trot before they play next weeks game against Spud's Fire Brigade again at home.

Wyvern turn the lights on.

Wyvern 27 Frome Valley Lions 5

The last few weeks have seen the Wyvern Pack turn up with key positions missing and it was a relief to turn up to today’s game with a full pack. Ironically the Frome Valley Lions’ Captain’s first words were ‘uncontested scrums please.’
The game started as a very free-flowing game considering the conditions and it was fairly obvious that Frome Valley were not going to stick it up their jumper but run everything. The first twenty minutes saw Frome Valley attack quite a lot but once again Wyvern’s reliable defence stood up to the task and withstood some great pressure. Wyvern too looked threatening in attack as the game went from 22 to 22.
Wyvern broke the deadlock first with the forwards keeping it tight as they neared the Frome Valley try line and it was Phil (spud) Murphy who burst through the gap and fell over the line. Wyvern managed another score before half-time as the Fish managed to find a gap and score in the corner.
Ten-nil at half-time meant the game wasn’t won yet although Wyvern were optimistic as for once they had several options including a working lineout. Early in the second half it was from a Lineout inside the Frome Valley 22 which saw Ian Mariner catch and drive and with the quick ball Jason Squire found the gap and broke through to score.
Wyvern followed that score with a well worked move from the scrum allowing Johnny Wren to go over.
Try of the game though came next with an outstanding move inter-linking forwards and backs running from inside our half on the right hand side to the left hand corner where Rod Cockran finished off the move.
The Fish was looking for a drop goal as he sat in the pocket but he could only stand and cry as the ever-present Guy Loader intercepted the pass and carried on playing proper rugby.
Frome Valley did manage to cross the line with a well-deserved try.
A great entertaining match and a nice earnt victory, a good start to December.

Minehead Manage to Keep Score Down!

Wyvern 3 Minehead 34

It was a dismal performance from the Wyvern. The whole team looked half asleep and, despite the best efforts of a few, they were lucky not to have had a cricket score run up against them.

Minehead brought the better part of their 2nd XV with them and the hold they placed on the game at the start was never released. Unfortunately for Minehead their backs simply couldn't string more than two passes together and Wyvern were kept in the game by virtue of knock-ons and forward passes: it certainly wasn't anything to do with the Wyvern tackling.

At the turn around with the sun, wind and slope in their favour it looked like Wyvern might actually get back into the game as they were only two tries to none down. However the Minehead pack pulled together and the slowly developing Wyvern co-ordination soon left them, allowing Minehead to run in 4 more tries before the end.

A consolation drop goal from Jim Morris (kicked with his 'wrong' foot) momentarily boosted the flagging Wyvern moral. But this too was short-lived.

The whole game was strongly influenced by the referee who was slow to communicate his decisions and allowed situations to develop which turned nasty, when some quicker actions would have alleviated things. With only minutes to go the frustration of the some of the Wyvern side eventually became too much for the referee who sent Warren Lewis from the field (sin bin) for an off the ball comment, which the referee said was the third time he had heard something said and that was enough.

All in all a fairly miserable day and one not to be reflected on at all in the future. 

Jonny's Our Boy!

Wyvern 18 Spaxton 14

Cold, wet weather greeted Spaxton when they visited Wyvern at Mountfields Road last weekend. However this did not dampen their spirits as they drove into the home side right from the start, the larger bulk within their forwards giving them an early try as they drove Wyvern back in a set piece scrum to score a converted pushover try.

However, the Spaxton side were willing to mix it up and run the ball, rather than just keep it tight and use their extra weight. Unfortunately this was probably their undoing as this gave the defending Wyvern players some easier targets to knock over. While England have the big hitting Jonny Wilkinson, Wyvern have their own 'big hitting Jonny', centre Jon Wren, who was instrumental in keeping the Spaxton attack at bay.

Wyvern made several forays into the Spaxton half, but on each occasion were forced back down the hill towards their own line. Indiscipline from both sides was severely punished by the referee, though on several occasions it was Spaxton players who thougth they knew better and the referee marched them back a further 10 metres. It was such an incident which brought Wyvern into kicking range and fly half Jim Morris obliged with the 3 points.

It was near the end of the first half and Spaxton were firmly camped in the Wyvern 22, though unable to keep contol of the ball in the wet conditions, thus giving Wyvern chances to clear their lines. Wyvern had the put in to a scrum only 5 metres out and were being driven back when, in desperation, scrum half Jason Squires threw the ball between his legs in the the direction of fly half Morris. He caught the ball and suddenly set out from beneath his own posts, drawing his man and passing to centre Warren Lewis who carried up to the 22 metre line before releasing wing Rod Cockram who slipped his opposite number and set out up the touchline. Faced with 2 defenders he drew one and passed inside to Morris who showed is speed by winning the 40 metre sprint to the line, scoring tight in the corner. He failed with the conversion.

After the turn-around it was Spaxton, Spaxton, Spaxton. However the resolute defenders kept the visitors out and, using the slope to their advantage, Wyvern kicked themselves out of trouble on numerous occasions. The dreadful handling conditions meant chances were few and the game settled into a routine of set pieces following failed handling moves. Morris added 3 points with a well taken long range effort, which was pretty much against the run of play.

It was a sustained period of attack on the Wyvern line that should have seen Spaxton score. Instead Wyvern cleared their lines with a kick from Morris and Lewis used his pace to beat the defenders to the bouncing ball, gather and then race the remaining 60 metres to the line to score, with Morris converting.

A demorilised Spaxton never gave up and continued to apply pressure, eventually being rewarded with a converted try when the forwards drove over near the posts. But it was all too little to late and Wyvern were victorious by 18 - 14.

For more information on forthcoming Wyvern fixtures, please visit their website at www.wyvernrfc.co.uk.

First Win for Wyvern in Merit Table

Wyvern 19 North Petherton 7

Wyvern ran out at Mountfields Road last Sunday for their third outing in the West Somerset 2nd Team Merit table. Having lost the first two matches of their 10 match campaign, there was a real need for a winning performance against visitors North Petherton.

Unfortunately for the home side the poor tackling and passing which has plagued them over recent weeks was again in evidence and North Petherton were gifted an easy converted try after only seven minutes. The game then moved into a period where all phases of play were ended by simple dropped balls, forward passes or un-necessary infringements, keeping the game locked in something of a stalemate.

After 30 minutes the Wyvern were presented with an opportunity to change their fortunes with a penalty 5 metres from the Petherton line. Prop Paul Westwood looked like he was about to tap and go at the already set defence, but instead threw it wide to centre Jon Wren who took the tackle of his opposite number and made his pass to Murray Walker on the wing who, although tackled on the line, was able to get the ball down to bring Wyvern back into the game.

Shortly after this another Wyvern break should have seen the home side take the lead, but a superb cover tackle by the Petherton fullback put centre Ben Liesure on his back and he was unable to ground the ball.

The turn around now put Wyvern at the top of the slope with the bright sunshine and stiff breeze behind them. They used the elements to keep Petherton pinned back in their own half, but Petherton were not to be bottled up and continually forced Wyvern back to defend within their 22. And it was from their own 22 that Wyvern broke from a quick penalty, Captain Doug James taking the long ball from fly half Jim Morris, and James putting wing Rod Cochran away on the half way line to score under the posts, having wrong footed the fullback. Morris slotted the conversion.

Once in the lead Wyvern never looked like giving it up. The tackling was now much more forceful, particularly from prop Jason Bailey, and the whole attitude of the team became more positive and focused. This was well demonstrated with Wyvern's third try, where the forwards turned over a Petherton attack on the Wyvern 10 metre line and swift hands in the Wyvern back division released fullback Gareth Hughes who created a huge space with an excellent dummy and then beat the defence to the line from 35 metres. Morris again added the extra points.

With only 10 minutes to go North Petherton made a huge effort and got close just on the final whistle, but it was Wyvern's day. The final score 19-7.

Jekyl and Hyde play by Wyvern

Minehead 55 Wyvern 5 (Merit Table)

The trip to Minehead brings back memories every year and last year the two trips were without a full side. So to have 18 players on Sunday morning was very pleasing. When we turned up I wasn't sure what pitch we were playing on as the colts looked like they had a game......o... my mistake they were playing us. The game started and within minutes Wyvern were down a score, the Minehead pack just went forwards setting up the ball for their young backs who were devastating in attack. The pace of the game just left Wyvern 
standing and as the tries kept coming in from Minehead the only positive play was our scrummaging. Wyvern went into the break 39-0 down. The team talk was simple, we were letting Minehead look good and playing right into their hands, we should keep the ball in hand and keep it tide up with the forwards. At half-time Geoff Flowers and Doug James came on in the pack. The second half was a different game, Wyvern started with eagerness and for the first time put pressure on Minehead. The Wyvern pack looked very impressive at the scrums and their confidence was growing. A penalty ten yards out saw 
Wyvern go for the scrum and the pack again kept attacking forcing another penalty in which Dougie James took quickly and went over. The rest of the second half saw Wyvern go hot and cold and the three tries Minehead scored were from Wyvern errors. Although Wyvern lost the match by a high margin the second half was a very good effort and should hold their heads up high, the level of opposition this year is definitely a lot higher than last year.

So close in first Merit Table match

Chard 34 Wyvern 33 (Merit Table)

Wyvern joined the ranks of 'league' rugby when they ran out against Chard for their first game in the 2nd Team Merit Table, which will run throughout the season. And what a great way to start this new venture, under lights, on a Friday evening, against a new opposition.

On paper the home side would have been considered strong favourites for this fixture, but Wyvern remained true to form and stepped up their game from the start. Indeed, for the first 15 minutes play it was all Wyvern, driving from second phase through their elusive backs to keep Chard pinned in their own half. However, against this run of play it was Chard who were able to break out and score first.

The game now moved into a pattern of play with Chard dominating forward play, but Wyvern tackling and tackling to force the error and then counter. It was an excellent break by Jason Squire at scrum half which took him right through the Chard defence and almost to the line, where fly half Jim Morris was on hand to take the pass and touch down under the posts. Morris then kicked the points to level the score.

Two further exchanges before half time, with Grant Gibson driving over from a short penalty for Wyvern, kept the scores level at half time.

The second half saw the fervor of league rugby come to the for, with desperate breaks and heroic efforts on the part of both teams. Captain Doug James was first to a charged down ball when Chard were pinned to their own line, with Morris claiming the extra two from out wide. Once again Chard responded, though the missed conversion left them trailing. However, they opted to take the kick at goal following a penalty and the resulting kick put the home side one point ahead.

Wyvern's luck looked like it had changed for the worse when full back Warren Lewis took a long kick through and, as he attempted to run from deep, he sold a dummy pass but actually let go of the ball, gifting the play to Chard who took the ball through several phases of play before scoring another converted try. Doug James soon raised the heads again with a quickly taken penalty just past the Chard ten metre line: he actually made the dummy Lewis had failed to make and charged through the resulting gap, scoring under the posts for Morris to convert.

Into the last quarter and it was all Wyvern. Though not dominant in the forward play at set piece, they were doing enough to disrupt the well drilled Chard forwards and then counter with excellent interpassing between forwards and backs. One such break saw hooker Mark Halligan race into the Chard half, bisecting the Chard defence and almost making it to the line, where back row Paul Cogan was on hand to take the inside pass and touch down for Morris to do the honours with the conversion.

But Chard made one last effort and drove from a lineout in their own half almost to the Wyvern 22 metre line before Wyvern infringed. The resulting penalty was punted into the corner and the line out lead to several minutes desperate defence on the part of the whole Wyvern team before the Chard forwards finally made the line. The Chard kicker took his time with the kick which sailed over to give Chard a one point lead and, minutes later, victory on the night.

There were excellent performances throughout the Wyvern side, but mention should go to Darryl Gardiner and Jason Bailey who both worked doggedly in both attack and particularly defence.

The Wyvern return  to Mountfields Road and back to Sunday morning for their next game against the mixed talents of Butleigh, kick off being 11.30 AM.

Wyvern get into gear

Blake Bears 12 Wyvern 31

Wyvern started their away fixtures this season with a well deserved victory against the Bridgewater pub side.
Wyvern turned up with a bare fifteen but some welcome returns for Jim Fewings, Clem Woodward, Warren Lewis and to Johnny Wren who officially came out of retirement for this game.
The game was won by basic rugby, the forwards won the backs the ball and the backs put in a very good display with full support to produce some very good rugby to watch. The Fish at fly-half orchestrated the backs and enabled the runners to find plenty of space which was well-utilised. Warren Lewis opened up the scoring and managed to get another to become the leading try scorer 
of the season. In the second-half the pack dominated more and some good mauling and rucking found space for Martin Mortimer to go over and score. 
Mark Halligan also managed to score and the game finished with Johhny Wren steaming through a gap like a paper-boy possessed to finish the try scoring. 
The Fish converted Three of the tries.

Next week sees Wyvern travel to Chard for their first Merit Table Match on Friday night.

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