Rugby union: Ex-Club man Tarrant has costly slip
CAMBRIDGE 3
BY GRAHAM COX AT WELL HALL
The conditions ranged from difficult to almost impossible in this contest. At least that’s a sentiment Joe Tarrant might agree with.
Early in the second period, and with a ferocious hailstorm in his face, the former Blackheath full-back lost his footing coming to meet Leo Fielding’s punt forward, and as the ball bounced kindly for the hosts, Alex Pickersgill gathered and raced over for the try.
Mark Cooke added a superb conversion from out wide, and at 12-3 down, with the elements firmly against them, and with Josh Poole consistently turning over possession for Blackheath, Cambridge were left with a mountain they could not scale.
The visitors had the better start, a Ben Penfold penalty on four minutes giving them an early lead, while Blackheath failed to make their early territorial advantage count.
Tom Burns’ break off the blind-side of a scrum put the Club on the attack, but three times lineout ball went astray, and even though the hosts had dominance at the scrum, the greasy ball was all too easily lost forward.
Nevertheless, on 28 minutes, lineout ball on halfway was successfully palmed by Josh Peters to produce quick ball for Stef Liebenberg.
Nick Foster came off his wing to combine with Fielding, the latter throwing an outrageous backward pass for the former to collect and score.
It put Blackheath 5-3 ahead at the break, before Pickersgill’s 42nd-minute effort effectively sealed it.
Blackheath head for the West Country and the Forest of Dean tomorrow to take on Cinderford (3pm).
