Crows show strong spirit brings victory

Royston 2nd XV travelled south, coming up against Hackney 3’s. The Crow’s were fairly disorganised at the start of the game, conceding an early try that blew out the cobwebs. Royston began to build phases and quick hands by Lee Gilbert and Tom Dummett put Mike Robertson across the line in the corner. Hackney responded aggressively, attacking Royston and looking to keep deep into their opponents half. Royston also made errors, trying to ship the ball wide before building phases, isolating players and allowing the ball to be turned over. Hackney scored three quick tries and Royston looked in serious trouble. The Crow’s managed to scrape back a try with Jake Steel crashing over the line just before the end of the half. Royston 28 – 10 down at half time.

The second half would prove to be an altogether different story as Royston, reminded of their game plan, began to build phases. Using the power of the forwards to gain ground, the Crow’s put together we executed attacks controlled by fly half Lee Gilbert and started to score tries. The strength of Royston’s pack was shown as captain Colin Letch scored from the back of a rolling mall. Brian Bergin also showed his rugged aggression, bouncing tackles to score in the corner. It wasn’t just the forwards that had the glory, as a well-executed move put youngster Charlie Oughton into space for a try. The rout continued as Lee Gilberts deft footwork once again afforded Royston another try, converted by Luke Ackford. The final try of the game came as Danny Gwilliams picked from the back of a ruck and bounded over the line. The final whistle saw Royston 2’s victorious 39 – 28, with an exceptional second half performance and match winning display of heart.