I’ll start this week’s report by being completely honest. I fully expected to be having to somehow explain away another absolute drubbing at the hands of our opponents this weekend. The formbook would have expected it and with a selection crisis during the week only exacerbating things, it seemed inevitable that the VPs day crowd would witness a capitulation.

This was absolutely not the case and I write today with enormous pride in the performance that the boys put in. Ultimately, we fell just short and didn’t come away with a W, but the two losing bonus and the manner of the defeat will do wonders for our season.

It was a lesson for me in not worrying about who isn’t available, or who isn’t playing because the calibre of boys you’d want beside you will always make sure they’re there for the team. Sam Cullinane and Andy Bolton personified this massively this weekend but they weren’t the only ones.

I was mostly being poorly during the warm up, so can’t remember much but what looked to be a really well drilled team warmed up opposite us and this only further tightened the resolve amongst the Stoke troops. I rarely say nice things about him but having Sam Cullinane back, I thought, made a big difference. Similarly, whilst he has his moments, Ben Griffiths is exactly the person I think you need in a side on a day like that, constantly lifting the spirits and injecting the passion amongst the group.

Whilst Shipston wouldn’t have known pre game about the frankly cobbled together side that would line up against them, they may have been expectant of coming away with a fairly healthy victory looking at the league table. From my perspective though, this was a massive advantage for us. From the kick off, Stoke showed they weren’t going to roll over and put in some huge defensive hits. When the time came to get the ball in hand Stoke were on the front foot and regularly broke through the Shipston defensive line. Adam Tyrrell set about relentlessly bullying his opposite man in defence and attack and at scrum time the Stoke pack demonstrated that this would not be an easy day for Shipston.

This definitely took them by surprise and probably contributed to them opting to kick a penalty and get the scoreboard turning rather than attempt to break through the Stoke defence. Stoke were quick to respond though. After collecting a high kick, centre Tom Elves stepped past the dog legged Shipston defence and made yards into the Shipston 10 metre. After failing to spot Kyle Timms in support he was hauled down and presented the platform for Ben Griffiths, outstanding at scrum half on the day, to release quick ball to David Pretty, orchestrating his forwards brilliantly they drove Stoke further forward. Ben Griffiths eventually found himself held up just before the try line, but released a magical offload for Skipper Michael Tyrrell to crash over the line in the corner.

David Pretty, more like DPD than Royal Mail, was unable to find the posts.

Shipston were making gains though and scored 2 unanswered tries to put some distance between the two sides. The Stoke heads never dropped though and they continued to find huge holes in the Shipston defence themselves, Kyle Timms and Adam Tyrrell in particular again making huge breaks.

Ben Griffiths, my choice for Man of the Match, did as he does best and sniped a try from a quick penalty to go over and tighten the gap.
At the half, the boys were confident. We had much more to come and attacking towards club house corner on VPs day always adds something extra.

It looked as if this was going to give us the edge when Stoke were awarded a penalty and Dave Pretty sent the ball into the corner. The backs gave the message, let us put this away. The forwards duly obliged, collecting the line out and giving Dave forward momentum, finding Adam Tyrrell who somehow basketball passed to Daniel Freeman, Daniel managed to get his offload off and into the grateful arms of winger Jason Baber to dot the ball down under pressure and score his first Stoke Old Boys try. I've never seen a more passionate celebration but I loved it!

The lead didn’t last for long though, as a controversial refereeing call saw Shipston go in under the posts. I normally wouldn’t mention the referee playing a part in an opposition try but being on the pitch and seeing, the nicest man in rugby, David Pretty’s reaction to the referee not calling the play back for obstruction made up my mind.

The game swayed back and forth but Stoke were clinical in the redzone. As another penalty saw Stoke back up the field, it was the turn of the forwards to convert the pressure into points and a perfectly executed lineout move saw Michael Tyrrell round the corner and dive over the line untouched.

Shipston responded to keep the lead before Ben Griffiths sniped at the bottom of a ruck to cross the line and level the scores. I say level the scores, for the last 10 minutes of the match there was total confusion on the pitch as to what the score was, the referee failing to do the maths and answer requests from both sides. After some scratching of heads players from both sides agreed that the score was currently 27-27 and with 5 minutes to play, it was likely that the next scorer would go on to win.

It felt as if a W was written in the stars for Stoke Old Boys, after the adversity they had overcome during the week and the morning of the game, but ultimately it wasn’t to be. Another controversial penalty call saw Shipston take the opportunity of the easy 3 points in front of the posts and see out the game.

This was a true demonstration of Stoke Old Boys spirit and I actually feel sorry for those that let their team mates down and chose to miss out on it. No single player is bigger than the collective and 15 players will walk across that white line on a Saturday regardless. Stoke is a special club and it deserves to be treated that way, as do the people you call teammates. Some people would do well to remember that.
Although falling to defeat, this game felt like a win. I cannot express how proud I am of everyone involved on Saturday. We could well look back at the end of the season and circle this fixture as the beginning of the turnaround. Stoke will look to take the momentum built in this game on to Upton on the 2nd November and aim to come back with the 5 points we need.

Thank you as always to those that turn out on VPs day and create the type of atmosphere that spurs the boys on.

Last words go to the Skipper:

“I’ve experienced few strangers days than Saturday. Waking up to a potential disaster and being 5 minutes away from having to make the call to cancel the game before seeing the whole club rally and in particular Sam Cullinane who was a massive help. We had 3 lads step up into the fold and show us exactly what it means to be a Stoke Old Boy.

We started the game strong, I think surprising ourselves. Heart, perseverance and a strong performance from the pack gave us a platform and both sides played some good rugby. Ultimately we failed to convert a few chances but ive never been prouder to put on the jersey.
All the lads should be incredibly proud, the two points will be invaluable to our campaign.”