Kettering travelled to Long Buckby looking to get back to winning ways after defeat against Bedford. It was great to see several of the injured squad members making the journey to support their team mates on a cold and windy December day.

Long Buckby kicked off with the wind at their backs and indecision under the high ball put pressure on the Kettering 22. However handling was proving difficult for both sides as cold hands knocked on and the first 10 minutes saw play stuck between opposing 10 metre lines. Long Buckby showed great determination at the first breakdown, brushing Kettering aside, and early signs were that they were determined to win as much possession as possible.

Winning a scrum against the head Kettering kept the ball in hand and moved up to half way where they quickly recycled ball. A well worked move saw Dom Ferreira crash into the line and he bulldozed his way past several tackles. From the eventual ruck the ball was moved left then right with George York feeding Ed Drake -Lee who slipped the ball inside to Henri Styles - returning to the team after several months off with a knee injury. Henri showed how glad he was to be back by powering through a gap in the defence and crashing over the line taking two defenders with him. Ed was unable to convert. 0-5.

Further handling errors from the kick off saw knock ons from both teams. Again Kettering proved strong in the scrum and soon worked their way back to half way. Chris Owen picked up from the back of the scrum , offloaded well to Tasker Stables who fed Henri on a great angle cutting through the defence again to score under the posts from 40 metres out. Ed converted the try. 0-12.

Long Buckby were not to be denied and showed their mettle in forcing Kettering errors again under the high ball . Winning a scrum near the Kettering line they drove forward strongly keeping the ball close before their hooker broke clear and powered over the line unopposed. The try was converted and Long Buckby were back in the game. 7-12.

The game now swung between the two halves and Long Buckby enjoyed pressure and territory using the wind well to pin Kettering back in their own half. Both teams were penalised for various infringements at the scrum and the referee had his work cut out keeping the contest fair. Long Buckby were penalised for a crooked put in near half way and with your correspondent calling for the ball to be put into touch ,as half-time beckoned , Tasker took a quick tap and set Ed off on a run at the retreating Long Buckby defence. Ed fed Henri who released Josh Owen (making a guest appearance at full back) on the right wing. Josh turned on the gas rounding two defenders before cutting back and side stepping one more man before dotting down under the posts. A great try and a great advert for heads-up, attacking rugby! The try as converted by Ed. Half-Time 7-19.

At this point my pen froze - so the rest of this report is dredged from the depths of my memory.

Kettering kicked off and used the wind well to try and hold Long Buckby deep in their territory. The game grew scrappy for a while as further problems emerged with the scrum as the referee spent more time getting the front rows to engage squarely. Long Buckby showed flair on several occasions to break out of their half from deep but were regularly frustrated either by strong Kettering tackling or by unforced handling errors.

Both teams seemed to be set for deadlock as Long Buckby defended strongly against Kettering attacks on their line. however pressure eventually told as Kettering won another scrum against the head and Chris picked up from the base of the scrum. He set off on a trademark charge for the line from the 22 and despite brave tackles he bullocked his way over for a try to the right of the posts which went unconverted by Henri. 7-24.

There was still time for another Kettering score as Long Buckby were penalised for not retreating 10 metres from a penalty. Tasker tapped and went setting the back line into action. The ball went through hands swiftly putting Hayden Bennet into space. He took an awkward ball well behind his head and beat the last defender to touch down in the left corner. This time Harvey Lewis was unable to convert from wide out. 7-29.

Full Time - Long Buckby 7 - Kettering 29.

A much improved performance from Kettering who had to be on top of their game to beat a strong and skillful Long Buckby side. Solid scrums and robust rucking and mauling from the forwards as well as a dominant line out meant there was plenty of ball to work with. The backs used the possession wisely - keeping it simple when under pressure but showing the vision to use width and pace when the opportunity arose. With several players injured or unavailable this was a true squad performance demonstrating the excellent progress the team has made.

Thanks to Long Buckby for their generous hospitality and best of luck for the rest of the season.

Forwards man of the match - Dom Ferreira - gained 30-40 metres with several barnstorming charges in the loose as well as showing much improved body position in a bullish show of propping power.

Backs man of the match - Henri Styles - a big welcome back for a young man with superb handling skills and an ability to read the game and make things happen with an electric turn of pace.

Happy Christmas to all players and parents and festive best wishes to Matt, Mirin, Bill and Jon - hope you enjoy the time off from the coaching hot seats!!