A solitary bonus point was scant consolation for Dunstablians in what had the potential to be their first win of the season.

Electing to play into the teeth of a howling gale, the home side were soon put to the test in the first half. Pinned in their twenty-two for the first ten minutes, Dunstablians were forced to run the ball at every opportunity, the wind being so strong as to render any hopes of clearing their lines by kicking futile. Dunstablians pack were equal to the task, some tight play seeing them retain the ball with a series of strong runs, short passes and powerful drives from the base of the ruck. Matlock, however, kept the pressure on and before long the first scrum of the game packed down five yards out from the Dunstablians line. Based on their previous encounters, Dunstablians knew that the visitors scrum, along with their driving maul from the lineout, was their most potent weapon. As expected, Matlock scrummaged fiercely and, though Dunstablian's pack initially creaked, they did enough to prevent their heavier opponents driving them over their try line. This was the only time in the first half that the visitor's scrummage threatened, a determined Dunstablian's pack upping their tight game to gain parity in the scrums.

The danger still wasn't over, with Matlock still attacking vigorously and only some stout defending from both forwards and backs which at times verged on the heroic prevented the visitors from crossing the whitewash. Even Matlock's renowned driving maul was nullified, with Dunstablians forwards working hard to snuff each attempt out at source. After twenty minutes of impotent battering at the home defence, Matlock eventually elected to kick at goal from a penalty and left their opponents twenty-two with three points, instead of the seven they had been looking for.

Out of their twenty-two at last, Dunstablians smashed their way back up the pitch, again relying mainly on the pack to inch them forward through the energy-sapping wind. A yellow card saw Matlock reduced to fourteen men, and though Dunstablians could not use this advantage to register their first score they were more than content to go into the break 3 points down, knowing that they had weathered the worst of the conditions and would have the not inconsiderable advantage of the wind at their back in the second half.

Dunstablians rang the changes at half-time, veterans Simon George and James Noel being replaced by Tom Copcutt and Glenn Brinkley at prop and flanker.

Matlock came out of the blocks with all guns blazing, using the home side's tactics from the first half and relying on their forwards to make ground. For the first time Dunstablian's defence was breached and a succession of rucks eventually saw the visitors power over for their first try. Dunstablians came back, making their way down the pitch into their opponent's half and Matlock, under pressure, eventually conceded a penalty. Kieron Leech duly slotted the kick to put the score at 8 - 3 to the visitors.

Dunstablians, despite enjoying a fair share of possession and having the wind behind them, seemed unable to capitalise, through a combination of poor decision making and some basic errors. Turnovers and mistakes kept Matlock in the game, even when they were reduced again to fourteen men by an unfortunate red card. This seemed to galvanize the visitors and, with their scrum gaining power, they soon had Dunstablians on the back foot again. From a strong scrum on the Dunstablian's five-yard line, Matlock ground up through the gears to force their way over for their second try, this time converted.

Time was slipping away for the home side now and, although they remained in the visitor's half for most of the remainder of the game their over-eagerness meant that they couldn't quite string together enough decent phases to really threaten. With the clock virtually exhausted a final attack saw centre Jake Hobbs force a gap and outpace the defence to squeeze over in the corner. The conversion was missed and the final whistle went seconds later, leaving Dunstablian's to reflect ruefully on what they could have achieved had they backed up their passion and belief from the first half with a more clinical and intelligent display in the second.

Captain Stuart Hall said "We are all disappointed with the final result as we were unable to take advantage of the second half conditions which favoured us. We will be working hard in training this week on the specific areas to put right against Kettering on Saturday and hopefully get that all important win."

Next week Dunstablians travel to Kettering for a re-arranged fixture.

With Dunstablians buoyed by rising confidence following improving performances in the previous weeks,

expectations were high for this clash with old rivals Beds Ath.

Dunstablians started strongly, with the forwards dominating their larger counter parts in the scrum and competing fiercely at every breakdown. Jake Hobbs missed an early opportunity for three points brought about by the packs dominance but was soon on the score sheet with a superb individual break that shattered the home side defence and saw him touch down in the corner. Fullback Keiron Leech slotted the conversion to put Dunstablians ahead by 7 – 0.

Dunstablians continued to dominate up front but a touch of complacency after the early score allowed Ath to work their way back into the game. A yellow card saw Dunstablians reduced to fourteen men and though their seven man pack were still more than a match for the opposition, a purple patch of play saw Ath exploit the one man advantage and run in three tries to turn the half around 19-7 to the good.

The second half started in the same vein as the first with Dunstablians unable to capitalise on the secure platform layed down by their dominant forwards. With perhaps a little too much possession kicked away, Ath were provided with plenty of opportunities for their pacey young backline to counter attack. Dunstablians defence were equal to the task with some strong tackling denying Ath time and again, but eventually the home side prevailed to extend their lead by another seven points.

Dunstablians began to ring the changes with dynamic young prop Tom Copcutt replacing stalwart Simon George who had done more than enough to soften up the opposition forwards and young blade Danny Mills coming on for injured youngster Aaron White who had had an exceptional game in mid field up to that point.

The game continued in a seesaw fashion with ferocious forward’s play not quite enough to bring Dunstablians back into the game. After another Beds Ath try Dunstablians played their trump card with the introduction of 42 year old Simon Howard making his return to first team rugby after a twenty year lay off. Dunstablians grew in strength in the last twenty minutes despite a fortuitous breakaway try by the Ath to add to an earlier five pointer. Undaunted, Dunstablians threw everything at the home side’s buckling defence in the closing minutes. A sustained period of pressure saw the Dunstablians’ forwards batter the opposition line and eventually the ball was spun wide for doughty fullback Keiron Leech to force his way over for Dunstablians 2nd try, this time unconverted.

Dunstablians received the final whistle disappointed, at letting their early forward advantage slip, having not built sufficiently on the encouraging performances from the previous two weeks.

Coach Mark Jabri said “There is still a lot of potential in the squad but I feel we did not play to the best of our abilities today, despite dominating in several key areas.”

Next week Dunstablians host Matlock at Bidwell Park (2.15pm) in what promises to be an entertaining lower table encounter

Dee’s took to the field on Saturday against a strong Mansfield side who earlier in the season had put 50+ points on us. However after recent spells of encouraging play by Dunstablians in games against Ilkeston and Leighton Buzzard, there was real sense of belief and confidence.

There were a few changes to the Dee’s squad with injuries against Leighton Buzzard last weeks for Scott Warren and Sam Coogan, Glenn Brinkley stepped in at Flanker for Scott and Kelvin Frost moving out from Second Row to Flanker to replace Sam Coogan. James Noel took control in the engine room of the Dee’s pack with the reshuffle of Kelvin. In the backs another reshuffle saw Aaron White in at Centre with Campbell Haig moving to the Wing.

In the first 40 minutes Dee’s were unable to capitalise on the pressure they applied in the opposition half, Jake Hobbs was unfortunate to hit the post with one of the penalties Dunstablians were rewarded for their efforts.

It was Mansfield who were first on the scoreboard with a series of driving mauls and their forwards scored a try. With all credit to the boys they remained positive and a charge down by Dave Bateman at the conversion stopped the Mansfield kicker taking the extra two points. Mansfield scored another try just before half time with a missed tackle in mid-field and some well timed offloads allowed the Mansfield backs to cut through the much improved Dunstablians defence and score. The Mansfield kicker managed to avoid the second charge by Dave Bateman and added the conversion, making it 12 – 0 at half time.

Dee’s knew that the second half was theirs for the taking and stopped all areas of the Mansfield attack. With the confidence building Dee’s continued to drive forward with every attacking and defending scrum giving the backs good ball to attack from.

After focusing on ‘Red Zone’ attacking play, Dee’s remained calm in the opposition 22 with the forwards carry ball well, drawing in the opposition. Dee’s won a series of penalties deep in the corner of the opposition half and elected for the scrum. With a series of hit ups by the forwards, a wide pass from skipper Stuart Hall to Jake Hobbs drew two of the Mansfield defenders and a good offload to the pacey winger Bateman resulted in a deserved try for the home side. Hobbs add the conversion with a well taken kick.

With the vocal support from the Dunstablians faithful behind the boys, Dee’s continued with the momentum and kept possession of the ball for the majority of the second half. Dee’s firmed up their defence and stopped Mansfield’s backs from playing their normal quick game.

Tom Copcutt replaced Simon George and the pack continued to dominate in the scrums. Young Tom Long also came on and impressed with a number tackles stopping the Mansfield ball carriers. A couple of handling errors for Dunstablians meant we were unable to add any further points and the game end 12 – 7 to Mansfield.

Captain and Man of the Match, Stuart Hall commented saying “There are a lot of positives we will take from today’s game. With performances like today’s and with the confidence that is starting to show throughout whole the squad, I know we are getting closer and closer to that first win. We will be working hard in training to build on the specifics areas for improvement but I am already excited about next week’s away game against Bedford Ath.”

Despite going down 43 –7, Dunstablians played with a passion and intensity which belied their bottom-of-the-league status and, though Leighton were worthy winners, the scoreline does not perhaps reflect the true nature of what was a highly entertaining local derby.

With both sides looking to attack at every opportunity it promised to be a fast-paced and spirited encounter and the early exchanges did not disappoint. Up front, Dunstablians proved more than a match for their larger counterparts and, with the lineout and scrum both functioning well, the pack was able to supply enough quality ball to the backs to exert some real pressure on the hosts in the first quarter. Leighton conceded a string of free-kicks and penalties and Dunstablians advanced further up the pitch. With the posts in range, centre Jake Hobbs stepped up to kick the next penalty for the first points of the game but was cruelly denied when a strong gust of wind blew the ball over just as he connected.

Leighton, stung into action by this fortuitous escape, and then upped their game, counter-attacking from deep. As has happened so often this season, lack of communication saw Dunstablian’s defence stretched and Leighton went over in the corner for their first try. Minutes later Dunstablians were under their posts again, a simple switch in midfield allowing Leighton to exploit the gaps in defence and score their second try, this time converted.

It was now Dunstablian’s turn to grind up through the gears. They worked their way determinedly back up the field, rucking ferociously to provide quick, clean ball to keep up the pace and continuity of attack. More penalties from the hosts, coupled with good possession from line-out jumpers Sean Mangan and Kelvin Frost soon saw Dunstablians entrenched in the Leighton twenty-two. Some determined work from the pack saw the line threatened, but the visitors were guilty of being over eager. A forced pass saw the ball turned over and Leighton were able to break down the length of the pitch for their third try. A fourth soon followed and, with the half coming to a close, a minor skirmish saw strong-tackling Dunstablian’s full-back Kieron Leech sin-binned along with Leighton’s flanker. A fifth try before the whistle saw the visitors go into the break 31-0 down and staring down the barrel of another drubbing from their local rivals.

Dunstablians, however, came out fighting in the second half. They made their hits in midfield, forcing Leighton wide, but with their defence much better this half, Dunstablians held firm, although they couldn’t quite find the cutting edge in attack. As the game entered the final quarter there had still been no score in the second-half, despite some excellent attacking play by both teams. Leighton soon found themselves down to fourteen men again as, forced onto the back foot by some consistent attacks, their second-row was sin-binned for persistent infringements. Dunstablians elected for a scrum from the ensuing penalty and No.8 Scott Oliver picked and drove for the line. He was stopped short but recycled well and waves of Dunstablians forwards picked and charged at the Leighton defence, with veteran prop Simon George eventually breaking the line to touch down, well supported by hooker Reece Bowles. Jake Hobbs slotted the conversion.

Leighton came back strongly, scoring two more tries, but the last ten minutes were all Dunstablians. Time and again their forwards battered the opposition tacklers and some strong runs from the backs also made dents in the Leighton defence, though they did enough to keep the visitors to their solitary try. It was a relief for both sides when the final whistle went, the players having to peel themselves wearily out of the mud, completely spent, a testament to the physicality and commitment of both teams.

After the game, assistant coach Mick Coogan said “Our supporters have to be patient. There are still a few areas we still need to straighten out, but we have a team coming through, that Dunstablians can be proud of in the years to come.”

Next week the Dunstablians will be looking to build on the spirited team performance from this local derby when they host Mansfield at Bidwell Park KO 2.15pm

Dunstablians took to the pitch with the strongest pack this season and a back line looking confident and ready.

Club Captain Damian Daize said “Despite the score, this was a good and spirited performance but we were punished once again for silly mistakes. Training has been good and we are in the final stages of addressing areas of concern”

The game started well for Dees when Captain Stuart Hall took a quick tap from a penalty passing the ball out wide where a series of off loading lead to good gain in territory but unfortunately no points. The first points on the board went to Dees from a penalty kick by Keiron Leech. The game was even contest with both sides battling in the horrible conditions. A stray kick from Paviors landed near Dave Bateman who through luck or skill kicked the ball through to score for Dees, Keiron Leech converted the points.

Dees, now 10-0 up, started to let the pressure up. Paviors with a series of quick hands and luck scored their first points to bring the score to 10-7 at half time.

Second half Paviors came out of the starting blocks strong and prepared. Quick attacking ball for Paviors lead to constant pressure for Dees in their 22. Paviors had a scrum in Dees 22 and from there they drove Dees over the line for an easy 7 points. This left the score at 14-10. Dees were far from out of the game and again had some good attacking ball from lineout’s, with the forwards and backs all looking confident in the tackle situation. Kelvin Frost was fat-lipped after being kicked in the mouth and left the field, he was replaced by James Noel. Some silly mistakes from Dees left Stuart Hall and James Noel both sin-binned, this let Paviors work their way into Dees 22 and score their third converted try, leaving the score at 21-10.

With two men down Dees were not out of the game yet, from the kick off Dees retained the ball through a great catch from Declan Hall and then from a series of off loading and pick and go’s Dees managed to work their way into Paviors 22. A quick tap penalty from Declan, led to a try from Reece Bowles under the posts.

This left the score at 21-17 and with some strong tackling from Sam Coogan and Scott Trig kept Paviors behind the game line. More silly penalties from Dees and a few mistakes let Paviors back into the Dees 22. Paviors got a penalty from which they elected for a scrum, through a slippery surface the scrum kept collapsing and Paviors kept electing for another scrum. The constant pressure wore Dees down and with the time running out it left the supporters wondering could Dees still win. Some strong defending from Stuart Calder and Scott Jenkinson at the breakdown kept Dees from letting in another try but after what felt like the 10th scrum Paviors pushed Dees over their own line to score. The score now stood at 26-17.

With Paviors being more than a score away and with only 2 minutes left the game was out of reach but this didn’t stop Dees throwing everything at Paviors for the final 2 minutes, with more of Dees strong running and quick off loading Dees finished the game looking strong.

An unfortunate final score with Dees feeling like they should have won but the strong and better performance from Dees has given the players and the coaching team a boost in confidence.

Captain Stuart Hall said "A very disappointing result from a game we should have won. We maintained a good intensity throughout the first half but needed to continue applying the pressure for the full 80. It's vital that we have the right response in training this week and focus on the home game next weekend against Paviors."

This week the Dunstablians travelled to Leicestershire to take on league new boys Coalville, the team that currently sat third in the league. Dunstablians buoyed up by the improvement in their performance over the past two games, came out of the blocks strong and were without a doubt the better team for the first half.

The Dees dominated through their forwards pack winning scrums and rucks, driving the Coalville pack back at every opportunity. The visitors spent the majority of time in the Coalville half and the constant pressure on Coalville resulted in a number of penalties, however with the Dees missing kicker Kieron Leech in the side today there were few opportunities to kick for the points and so again it was down to the forwards to fight again to get the Dees into the best scoring position possible and after all the hard work and pressure the Dunstablians finished the first half with two tries by Scott Oliver and a conversion from Michael Leversidge.

The Dees didn’t have it all their way and Coalville managed a Try and conversion, against the run of play and two long penalties to finish the first half 13-12 in front.

At half time although being one point down it was clear that the Dees had dominated and been the better side and now with the wind with them and the sun in the eyes of their opponents it was time to up the pressure and finish the game off. Unfortunately Coalville had other ideas and with some silly penalties given away, the Dees were punished by the Coalville kicker. Then with the Dees down to fourteen men after Stuart Calder was carded for throwing a punch, the home side took the advantage and scored a number of trys with the game finishing 48-12 to Coalville.

The mood after the game was very sombre as all the Dunstablians players know that this was clearly a game that they should have won. It’s going to be another tough week's training for the Dunstable boys. The side clearly has talent and they just need to turn the talent into a win.

Centre Declan Hall said ‘This weekend the there was a strong sense of belief among the whole team, something I feel we may have been lacking in earlier fixtures, bringing us together as a tighter more organised squad.’

On Saturday the Dunstablians entertained Peterborough (National League 3 Midlands) in the Quarter Finals of the Bombardier East Midlands Cup. The home side took to the field with confidence, nothing to lose and everything to gain against a team from a higher division.

Dees started positively with a highly intense attacking game and after fifteen minutes of constant pressure they took the lead from a penalty, which Keiron Leech duly converted to put the Dees 3-0 up. The home side continued to keep up the pressure with Peterborough defending well but the Dunstablians were unable to penetrate through their strict defence and a quick ball played wide saw the visitors score the opening try of the afternoon, but were unable to convert despite near perfect kicking conditions.

Dees were playing a strong forwards game, with Scott Oliver making piercing bullet attack at the Peterborough defence. Dunstablians worked well together with a young reshuffled back line including three academy players (Aaron White, Matt Russell & Michael Leversidge) all making their 1st team debuts and showing a lot of promise for the club.

In scrums the Dunstablians held their own against a far bigger and more experienced pack with two more academy players (James Chilvers & Tom Long) stepping up to the mark.

A break from inside centre Aaron White passed the ball into the hands of Scott Oliver who drew the Peterborough defence in. A precise off-load to Michael Leversidge, saw the young centre through on a forty meter break towards the try line, but unfortunately Peterborough’s full back closed the run off and knocked the ball on as Michael tried to offload to captain Stuart Hall, 5 meters out. This led to a disorganised defensive line and Peterborough were able to capitalise with a quick counter attack to score, again unable to convert though.

Peterborough then continued to press the Dees defence eventually adding to their score with more tries, and conversions Dees finished strongly with sustained pressure but were only rewarded with 3 points from another converted penalty from accurate boot of Keiron Leech Man of the match.

Centre Declan Hall said ‘This weekend the there was a strong sense of belief among the whole team, something I feel we may have been lacking in earlier fixtures, bringing us together as a tighter more organised squad.’

Man of the March: Keiron Leech

The scene was set on a fine autumn afternoon for the Dunstablians to up their game and hopefully see their first win of a frustrating season. The Dunstablians 1st XV turned out to a huge reception including veteran players of Dunstable sides past including Dunstable Town Mayor Cllr Mike Mullany who had been a guest at the Vice Presidents Lunch. The large crowd supplied a great atmosphere at Bidwell Park, however, this only added to the pressure that was building in the dressing room.

Newark were certainly guilty of underestimating the home side, because as they kicked off the first half Dees imposed themselves upon the visitors and the pressure showed as Newark gave a way sloppy penalty outside the 22. Kieron Leech stepping up to convert the penalty, giving the home side a much needed confidence. With ten minutes gone Ashley Warren was substituted with a suspected broken ankle, after he did the best tackle of the match.

As the game went on, it quickly became apparent that the referee was very hot on offside decisions and with twenty minutes in Reece Bowels was sent to cool off on the sideline. Down to 14 men and losing every decision in and around the ruck the Dees defended for the next fifteen minutes as best we could.

The referee was not happy with repeated offsides, infringements and lack of discipline. Stuart Hall took the bullet in a very dubious offside decision. After losing the scrum half and with a reshuffle of the back line, it caused a momentary lapse of concentration and Newark stretched over the line for their first points of the game.

The second half began in the same confused state and Newark executed a backs move with the winger coming into the line and took full advantage of the obstructed outside Dunstable centre. Referee said play on so we had to suffer the decision and try and get back into this game.

Stuart Hall came back on and we tried to get the game going. Unfortunately the game started to resemble a bar brawl with Newark taking every opportunity to start a fight and distract us very successfully for the game at hand and of course the clock ran down. The referee eventually saw a pretty blatant head butt and sent the Newark 7 off for the remainder of the game.

Newark broke away again and ran in to score their third try but Stuart Hall turtled (tackled) the Newark man and prevented him grounding the ball. Newark scored a penalty and that’s where the scoring stopped.

After the game Campbell Haig said “We came together in this game and for the first time this season we really started playing as a team. It was far from perfect but we believe we have really turned a corner now and we have a team to build on and bring into training this week ready to take out next Saturday for our first win and set a standard form here on out.”

After a good week in training the Dunstablians travelled to Derbyshire in high spirits, hoping to end their run of defeats with a win at Matlock, but sadly the Dees once again were disappointed.

It was the home team which opened the scoring with a push over try from a five metre scrum which was converted. Matlock continued to put the Dees under pressure with sustained attacks, this finally resulting in the Matlock pack being responsible for their second try, after a rolling maul off the back of a line out.

Dees then sparked into action with some good play by both the forwards and the backs, and gained a penalty in front of the post that Kieron Leech dispatched for the Dees first score.

Matlock scored next, after a scrum that was turned, the ball came loose, and the home side’s scrum half pounced on, to score.

With the Dunstablians trailing 12-3 at half time, strong words were ringing in the ears of the visitors in an effort to galvanise the team to create opportunities that will win games. Despite the heated half time words, Matlock scored again, when their winger ran from halfway to score under the posts.

In the last 15 minutes of the game Dees pack sprang into action following a turnover scrum which the Dees’ forwards dominated with Scott Oliver going over for Dees first and only try, with Kieron Leech converting. The Dees’ seemed to dominate play for the rest of the game, going over for a second try but the referee thought differently and the try was disallowed.

Club Captain Damian Daize said after the game “There is a percentage in the side that should think about their personal effort, they need to up their game, especially if we are to succeed and remain in this league. We were deservedly beaten by a very average side”

The Dunstablians know that they are capable of a much better display and need to step up a gear for their next home game against Newark this Saturday at Bidwell Park, Kick-off 3.00pm.

Dees came into the game without a number of key players, who are suffering from injury. The game started well for Dees, who looked like they had ironed out the faults of previous weeks. However the Ath kept pressurising and after half an hour put the first points on the board with a well worked try. There was a brief halt in play when clumsy second row Ray Carry managed to collide with the referee and being knocked flat out. Dees then spent a good portion of the first half defending the opposition attacks. Dee’s Captain Stuart Hall was binned for playing the ball on the ground, which many thought was a terrible call and blamed it on the ref still being a little bit dazed. The Dees had a few good attacks in the opponents 22 but during one attack were stopped due the opponent’s foul play, and were awarded a penalty which Kieran Leech kicked with ease. Score at half time 5 - 3.

After a few changes to the back line, including Jon White coming on to play fly half, Dees started the second period with confidence, believing that this game could be theirs. Dee’s discipline let them down as they gave away too many stupid penalties, which Beds Ath used to their advantage and eventually started to build and score points. Dees were still fighting for the game with set pieces looking a lot better than previous weeks, however there is still work to be done with the young pack. Dees started to look exciting in attack with more experienced players Jon White and Dave Bradshaw exploiting gaps in the oppositions back line. Dees then used the rest of their bench by bringing on Tom Copcutt and James Noel on for Glen Brinkley and work horse Simon George. The Dee’s then conceded a few more tries out wide, bringing the final score to 30-3.

Man of the match was awarded to Scott Oliver.

The young Dees are working on their weaknesses in training and are slowly starting to believe that they have the skills to play winning rugby and hopefully can have faith and rid themselves of this lack of confidence that is preventing achieving that winning formula.

1st Team Coach Mark Jabri commented after the game “It was a far better first half performance this week but we need to maintain this through to the second half, as this seems to be where our game deteriorates. Our general fitness levels need to drastically improve”

A spirited performance from a youthful Dunstablians side was not enough to overcome a clinical Mansfield side. Already missing three first team players through injuries and suspension Dunstablians were hindered by the early loss of prop Stuart Calder through an ankle injury.He was eventually replaced by Shaun Mangan.

Dunstablians started slowly clearly showing signs of the long journey and were 22 points down within the first ten minutes. However the Bedfordshire side showed they would not simply lie down and they started to play the rugby they are capable of. After some good phases of play the backs shipped the ball wide to Dave Batman who chipped through and chased down to score underneath the posts. Kieran Leach converted the try and the momentum seemed to swing the visitor’s way.

Mansfield tried a short kick off but a good pick up and break from Scott Warren put the Dee’s on the front foot. After some more good work from the forwards notably Scott Oliver, the Dunstablians soon found themselves in opposition territory with quick clean ball. Dunstablians looked sure to score their second try but an infringement from Mansfield prevented this; however they were awarded a penalty for their efforts. Kieran Leach added the three points.

Mansfield managed to sneak a try against the run of play just before half time which left the score 27-10.

Half time did not aid the Dunstablians and three tries within the first ten minutes sealed their fate. However the Dee’s still produced some good passages of play and looked dominating in the pack.

1st team Captain Stuart Hall said "A disappointing result and too many missed tackles cost us greatly. We need to regroup this week at training and improve on our mistakes before the Beds Ath game at home next weekend."

Pack leader and vice Captain Scott Oliver said “The lads played with heart and passion. If we can just work on a few key areas we should start to win these games.”

Man of the match Scott Warren who made his first start at flanker said “We just need to win the first game to make this team believe in itself. We have some talented players but are a very young team and we don’t know how to kill a game off yet.”

Overall not the best day for Dunstablians but they showed good spirit and provide a platform for the coaching staff to build upon. Dee’s will look to build upon this performance as they face Bedford Athletic next weekend at Bidwell Park, which both teams will see as a must win game.

The Dunstablians failed to record their first win this season against local rivals Leighton Buzzard in this East Midland One clash. The Dunstablians were forced to make changes, some just before the kick off, due to injuries of key players, Reece Bowles, Sean Mangan, Declan Hall, Jake Hobbs, Duncan Holmes were all missing.

The visitors pressed the Dunstablians from the start and with some good defensive discipline they kept the visitors at bay for the first twenty five minutes. Then with three tries and a conversion in a ten minute spell, heads went down, not helped by Ashley Warren being red carded and captain Stuart Hall and Kelvin Frost being yellow carded in the first period. A further two tries and a conversion before half time left the Dunstablians trailing 29 – 0 at half time.

After the break the game seemed to be a reflection of much of what we had seen in the first half – Leighton Buzzard had the ball with the Dunstablians being forced to defend. Dunstablians tried desperately to force their way into the game but were constantly hampered by not being able to secure their own lineout ball and push forward. It seemed that the Dunstablians lacked belief in their ability and this allowed Leighton Buzzard to dictate the game. A further four tries and two conversions in the second half - the game ended 53 – 0 to the visitors.

The D’s man of the match was Scott Oliver

1st Team Captain Stuart Hall said “Unfortunately over-eagerness and poor discipline meant we played a lot of the game with less men on the pitch. We need to bounce back and pull together as a squad to record our first victory.

Next week the Dunstablians travel to Mansfield

Dunstablians continued their league campaign playing with heart and passion in a match against a tough Ilkeston side but still failed to secure their first win this season.

1st Team Captain Stuart Hall said “The pack played extremely well, against a bigger and more experienced side, turning over numerous scrums. There were a lot of positives to take but a good week in training is needed before the Leighton Buzzard match next weekend.”

Dunstablians were in great spirits and had high hopes of gaining their first win of the season against Ilkeston, but it was the home side that opened the scoreline with a try from the right side of the oppositions wing, with the Dee's defence totally outstretched and failing to stop the attack. With good spirit the Dunstablians were not disheartened by this, and came back with a try from Stuart Calder. It came from a pick and carry through the centre of the ruck to score, with the resulting conversion from Jake Hobbs.

It was then the turn of the Dees to show their skills, and with forward pressure on the scrum, they were turning over Ilkeston. But silly mistakes at the back let Ilkeston back into the game, with a try and a kick though the sticks.

As the game went on the Dunstablians continued the momentum working their way down to the try line and, with the ball going to Jake Hobbs, he scored an amazing drop goal. The Dees seemed fired up and determined to turn this game back in their favour and with a penalty from their star kicker and a try from Reece Bowles, heads were high. But Ilkeston had other ideas and another quick try and three penalties due to silly mistakes, ended the half 26 -18.

During the second period, this young home grown Dunstablians pack continued to show their skills and at times outplayed the home side but after great efforts by the Dees, Ilkeston scored a further three tries and one conversion to end with a final score of 43 – 18. The score line, however, didn’t reflect how well the team played.

The man of the match was Glenn Brinkley.

Next week the Dunstablians are hoping to achieve their first win, against an in-form Leighton Buzzard side, who recently beat league favourites Derby 33-12. The match at the Bidwell Park ground kicks off at 3.00pm, also competes for the Tony Condon Memorial Trophy, currently held by Leighton Buzzard.

Report by Glen Brinkley

It was the Dunstablians that started with style, showing the skills and power, that this season, they have failed to release for the full eighty minutes. The Dees were without the injured Kelvin Frost and with this, added to a first half injury of substituted Craig Scanlon, they failed to secure their first win.

Backs Coach Martin Morris said after the game “First phase possession was sadly lacking today. If we concentrate on the basics we should be able to beat most in this league” Dunstablians have had a very difficult start to the season, having lost to the league promotion favourites, Syston and Derby, in their two opening games.

Dees opened well, with a Jake Hobbs run down the wing, touching down in the corner within minutes of the start. The conversion missed.

Fired by this good start, it was the turn of Scott Oliver to outpace the opposition pack to give Duncan Holmes an easy, unconverted, try. It seemed that after four minutes play and 10pts on the board that the Dunstablians were on track for their first win.

With the confidence of this good start the Dunstablians took they foot off the gas and lowered themselves to opposition levels. It was a wake up call for the opposition and after Dees conceding a few penalties, the home side capitalised, scoring their first three points. A dubious decision allowed Wellingborough a try, to level the scores, this involved a forward pass that was missed by the referee. Dees conceded a penalty minutes before halftime and a well taken kick, went over, leaving the Dees trailing 10-13 at half time.

The second half saw some good play from both sides but also a few strange or missed decisions from the referee. Campbell Haig suffered a crunching late tackle, which the referee didn’t see together with a few dubious forward passes by the home team. A further penalty was conceded and the home side added a further three points.

The Dunstablians fought to the end, with the steal in sight and Dees playing good rugby, the flow of play was interrupted by a five minute stoppage due to a Wellingborough injury and the Dees lost the flow and went down 10-16.

The Dunstablians were the most talented side on the field but were sloppy in set plays. They improved their performance from previous games but were unable to keep their composure throughout, which cost them the game.

The Dunstablians have another away game next week to Ilkeston, a team that have also suffered this season to Syston and Derby but winning their opening game 24-23 at Spalding.

Report by Shaun Mangan

In their first home game at Bidwell Park, the Dunstablians hosted a Derby side looking to build on the victory over Wellingborough last week. The Dees gave an improved and at times an impressive performance but still went down 36-8 to promotion chasers Derby. Club Captain Damian Daize said “We are obviously disappointed in losing our opening game at home but a late change due to injury didn’t help and with Derby having a physical forward pack we realise that performances need to improve. The squad have shown great spirit and we look forward to being back to full strength for our visit to Wellingborough”.

Dee’s young side fronted up well and the early exchanges were fairly evenly balanced, with both sides competitive in both the loose and tight play. Dunstablians pressed the visitors hard in the opening ten minutes, but poor discipline, resulted in a string of penalties for the visitors and saw them squander any opportunities that their hard work could have created. Derby then upped the pressure, stringing some consistent phases together and stretched the D’s wide defence to run in two unconverted tries. The visitors went into the break 10-0 to the good and D’s were still very much in the game.

Disappointingly, D’s started the second half in a lacklustre fashion. It was a lack of communication in defence that saw Derby exploit the gaps and increase their lead by a further two tries in the space of five minutes. The Dunstablians refused to let their head drops and tightened up, working their way back down the pitch. Dees pressed hard and Derby eventually conceded a penalty just outside of their twenty-two and Dee’s fly-half Jake Hobbs duly slotted D’s first 3 points.

Derby came back hard and though D’s defence showed much better organisation, the visitors were still able to stretch their lead to 36 points as the game drew to a close. Both sides made changes and this seemed to benefit D’s more. It was Derby’s turn to show ill discipline as D’s worked their way back up the pitch, strong forward play from the home side forcing Derby to concede several penalties. With D’s camped on their line Derby defended frantically against a series of powerful surges by the D’s pack and eventually Scott Oliver powered over to score five points for D’s in the dying moments of the match. The conversion was missed and the final whistle went leaving the score at 36-8 to the visitors.

Next week the Dunstablians travel to Wellingborough, taking some positives from this week’s game but knowing there is still plenty of work to be done on and off the training pitch.

Report by Simon George

Dunstablians started their league campaign against league favourites Syston and as the result shows they know how to win games. Club Captain Damian Daize said “The score however doesn’t really reflect the effort and skills of this home grown side with eight new players coming up the ranks, all showing determination and spirit that must bode well for the future.”

The Dunstablians started well, putting pressure on the Syston defence and after fifteen minutes of sustained pressure the Dees went over the whitewash with a well worked driving maul, with Reece Bowles touching down.

Syston responded immediately with three tries in a five minute spell and went on to add a further fourteen points before half time. Jake Hobbs adding a drop-goal for the Dees.

Syston continued the second half with gusto with a further two tries in as many minutes. The game then settled down, with better handling and tackling from the Dees and it became a more evenly contested game. It was a late burst by the home side before the final whistle that took the score to 53-8 in Syston's favour.

1st Team Coach Mark Jabri said “Our game at Syston saw seven players making their first team debut with others playing out of position, due to injury or unavailability, therefore we were always going to be up against it. We were seriously exposed in a couple of key areas during the first half, when the majority of the score came. The score line doesn’t reflect how well the team performed in stages. If we are able to sort out a few defensive issues, we will be able to compete at a very competitive level in Midlands One”

This young Dees side have skills and spirit and will no doubt be looking forward to the first home league game at the Bidwell Park against Derby RUFC

It took a last minute decision from the referee and the two captains in order to agree that the partially frozen pitch was safe to play on ,and that the match could go ahead. All agreed that ‘rolling’ subs could be used and the visitors decided to take full advantage with a constant flow of players entering and leaving the game ,which at times resembled an NFL fixture.

D’s had the worst possible start when their kick off was fielded by the Ath pack and some swift handling allowed their left wing to out-strip the home defence and score in the corner.

From the restart D’s regained possession and a strong run from centre Duncan Holmes saw him score his first try of the afternoon. Martin Kennedy added the conversion.

Once more, Ath moved the ball wide and their fleet-footed backs scored another try out wide to regain the lead which was again wiped out as Holmes bagged his second. Kennedy added a penalty and the home side settled down to play some controlled rugby. The forwards keeping the ball alive and their short passing and off-loading gave the backs a stream of good possession from which they were able to carve out some good scoring chances. Only the referees whistle denied the home side another try as they were judged to have passed forward. Duncan Holmes soon made amends ,completing his hat-trick inside 25 minutes. During this spell Jack Newton suffered a shoulder injury which saw him taken to A&E where he was joined by Mark Hardwick who needed stitches in his ear having received a stray boot to the head.

As halftime approached ,the visitors scored another try through their backs to bring the score-line to 22-15 at the break.

The start of the second half was a hard fought contest ,with both sides determined to secure a victory, and once more it was the Ath who opened the scoring to bring them to within 2 points of the home side.

Youngsters Matt (Stig) Russell and David Brown brought some fresh legs to the D’s three quarters and after 15 minutes they combined well to put Stig over in the corner.

D’s were now dominating at the set piece where veterans Jim (who me ?) Stewart and Paul (where did that come from ?) Wells put together an impressive performance in the front row ,while Tim Bouts and Paul Underwood added power from the second row. Scrum half Liam Jenkinson enjoyed an impressive afternoon ,making some strong runs through the heart of the Ath pack.

Several try scoring opportunities went begging as James Algar ,Duncan Jones and Alex Ayres all spurned chances to extend the lead and it was left to Stig Russell to score his second try following a powerful run out wide. Duncan Jones added a further try to cap an outstanding performance in the back row, which allowed the home side some breathing space.

Chris Chandler added his bulk to second row and Harry Smith gave D’s a valuable option at the line out where they enjoyed a solid afternoon. As the match entered the last 5 minutes a succession of short range penalties were well defended by D’s and from a turnover they were awarded a scrum 5 metres from their own line .As the ball was passed back to Kennedy ,the Ath back row who looked to be a well offside pounced and scored a try which was converted. Not to be denied ,D’s regained possession from the re-start and Duncan Holmes scored his fourth try with Kennedy adding the conversion. Final score 44 – 27.

Holmes commented “I’m absolutely cock-a-hoop !”

Dunstablians were looking to add to last week’s impressive performance as they hosted local rivals Leighton Buzzard in what was always going to be a keenly contested local derby. Unfortunately due to a couple of last minute ‘no-shows’ D’s were able to field only 14 of their regular squad with Stuart Gusto from the 4th XV bringing the starting line up to a full fifteen. This contrasted steeply with the visitors who were able to bring a full side plus a host of replacements. The quagmire pitch plus a howling wind was always going to affect the quality of rugby played and D’s kicked off with the wind at their backs .

From the start it was obvious that the home side’s pack were in control at the scrum and once they had settled down at the line out ,their driving maul had the Buzzard’s defence at full stretch on several occasions. The game was ‘nip & tuck’ with Dunstablians using their pack to good effect and Buzzards bringing their pacey backs into play at every opportunity. Only a try saving one-on-one tackle from Liam Jenkinson denied the visitors an early try ,but Buzzards made up for the missed chance with a well worked move after twenty minutes which was converted by their fly-half who had a faultless afternoon with the boot. As half time approached and with D’s desperate to get on the score board before the break , the visitors again fashioned a try from their impressive back division.

D’s knew that they would have to knuckle down and dig deep if they were to hold back Buzzard who now had the wind advantage. Full credit to the home side as they began to put together some controlled close quarter moves, Duncan Jones and Chris Chandler leading from the front. Some tight driving play allowed Steve Carter to barrel his way towards the line but turn over ball allowed the visitors to clear 75 metres downfield. This was to be the pattern for the second half .Fly half Martin Kennedy used his inside runners to good effect with the impressive Tom Copcutt continually making inroads into the visitors defence and returning vet Tim Bouts earning his share of possession at the line out.

Following another long clearance from inside their 22, Buzzard scored another try which was again well converted. The home side fought back strongly and second row Paul Underwood who, with Simon Howard as his partner in crime put together a strong performance, was unlucky to be stopped short of the line following a 40 metre run through the heart of the visitor’s defence. D’s went into the final quarter still looking to put points on the board, some excellent off-loading kept them in possession for long periods and they battled fiercely to the end. Buzzards scored a try with 5 minutes remaining to seal off a deserved victory but one in which the home side contributed more than their fare share. Manager Andy Smith said “despite the result, we can take heart from a strong performance by all fifteen players ,and if we can continue in this vein, the results will come”.

Following a lengthy lay-off due to bad weather and the Christmas break, D’s were keen to start the new year on a high note and put a string of disappointing results behind them. Their re-shuffled side looked full of purpose and despite the poor state of the pitch ,they were hoping to play a more structured game with a strong pack and a set of pacey three quarters.

The game got off to a nervous start with both sides making their fare share of mistakes and the visitors took the lead with a straight forward penalty after 5 minutes. This seemed to sting the home side into action .D’s scrum and lineout ,where Tom Evans had a commanding afternoon, began to function well and following some good driving play from the pack ,it was Evans who dived over in the corner to give D’s the lead. After 15 minutes Boro’s fleet footed centre defied the conditions under foot to evade the home defence and score a fine solo try which was converted.

Again D’s rallied well and following a series of 5 metre scrums ,number 8 Chris Chandler picked up and drove for the line .Only an heroic tackle from Boro’s fly half stopped him scoring ,but a good off-load allowed Evans to score his second try. The conversion from the touch line by full back Danny Mills sailed over with half an inch to spare ,and D’s started to turn the screw with two further tries before half time ,one from fly half Martin Kennedy and the second a well taken opportunist effort from the impressive Jack Newton who had a fine debut for the 2’s. Newtons try was converted ,giving D’s a half time lead of 24 – 10.

It was vital that the home side continued in the second half in the same way that they had ended the first ,but from the restart a penalty for blocking was taken quickly by Boro ,who charged through the retreating defense to score under the posts. The try was converted bringing the visitors to within one score. The match entered a scrappy phase with a string of penalties and when D’s back row Tom King was invited to spend 10 minutes cooling off on the touch line ,the visitors scored again to level the score at 24 – 24. Only a try saving (high) tackle from skipper Alex Ayres stopped Boro from going ahead ,and then with 5 minutes remaining Danny Mills coolly slotted a penalty to give the hosts a hint of victory. A tense last few minutes saw D’s hold out despite some heavy pressure from the visitors who contributed to an exciting if error strewn game.

As the club song rang out over a cold ,muddy Bidwell Park ,D’s knew that their season starts here. Well done boys.

Following a series of injuries and unavailabilities the Dunstablians made the trip to rivals Beds Ath hoping that Donald Brown's Academy side would survive their 12.00 kick off match at Ampthill without any injuries. Thankfully five of the Academy made themselves available which left the visitors with 13 players. Full credit to the Ath boys who ‘donated’ their player-manager to hook and their replacement to fill in at centre. So the game kicked off with 15-a-side and from the start it was clear that it was to be a keenly contested fixture.

Both sides defended well, but it was the home team who scored first after 15 minutes. Unfortunately D’s hooker (Beds Ath’s ‘Snifffer’) suffered a calf injury and had to leave the field. This lead to the scrums being uncontested and a one man advantage to the Ath. Josh Wolfe finally arrived which brought the numbers level and Ds started to put together a spell of pressure which led to prop Steve Carter crashing over from half a metre. Mills added the conversion to bring the scores level, but this was to be his last contribution to the game, as a ‘clumsy’ challenge from an Ath forward, lead to Mills suffering a dislocated shoulder and heading off to A&E. A mystifying yellow card for D’s borrowed centre Adam, meant that D’s were now down to 13 men and the Ath took advantage scoring a converted try in injury time.

Firm words from skipper Simon Howard galvanized his side and made them determined not to buckle. Although Ath scored 3 second half tries, D’s kept their composure and kept dominating at the front of the lineout and Chopper Chandler getting through a mountain of work at number 8, they finished strongly and it was Chandler who added the final score with a trade mark burst from the back of a ruck.

Charlie Alden, who was playing his final game for the club before starting a new career as a hand model in the Bollywood music industry was quoted as saying “This was my finest hour. I’d just like to thank everyone who believed in me.” Great stuff Charlie.

Andy Smith paid tribute to the Academy players, and to Beds Ath for their sporting contribution. Those who missed this game should be disappointed, because they would have been proud of a battling D’s performance.

Following a disappointing start to the season the boys were looking forward to a positive performance against strong opposition from Tring. Conditions were perfect and the Dunstablians squad, strengthened by the addition of two Academy players and a couple of 'vets', were looking to use their strong pack and quick backline to good effect.

A mezmerizing performance from all 15 players saw the home side attacking with Gusto and defending like Trojans. The vociferous crowd egged the boys on and disappointingly the score finished 0 - 83, to the visitors.

Manager Andy Smith said "**********!!!!!*********".

Report by Andy Smith

Ds travelled to local rivals Leighton Buzzard still looking for their first league win of the season, knowing that they would be facing tough opposition but hopeful that their forwards could provide a platform for the backs to work from.

The visitors started strongly, using the slope to their advantage and forcing the home defence to kick most of their possession away. Full back Neil Davies was unlucky to have a try disallowed after 10 minutes and Ds were also helped when a Buzzards player was sin binned. The sides were equalled out shortly afterwards when D’s Chris Chandler joined his opponent for a spell in the bin. The game was nip and tuck with both defences holding on and after 30 minutes D’s grabbed the lead with a well struck penalty from fly half Martin Kennedy.

An odd decision from the referee saw D’s prop Paul Trew sin binned and the home side took full advantage scoring 2 long range tries and a penalty to bring the half time score to 13 – 3.

With the home side having the advantage of the slope in the second half it was crucial for Ds to score first and force their way back into the game. It was Buzzard who scored after 15 minutes following some slick handling and from then on, Ds were struggling to stay in the game. Leighton used their bench replacements and Ds looked to have nothing left in the tank as heads dropped and Buzzards ran in a further 4 unanswered tries.

With 10 minutes remaining the home side were again reduced to 14 men and with Neil Davies switching to scrum half Ds finished strongly but failed to cross the Buzzard’s try line.

The final score was 44 – 3.

Manager Andy Smith quoted Bath’s David Flatman (The Independent on Sunday) :- “Next week will be tough but ironically it will be the same sport that left us shattered and bruised, which offers us a way back to the light. Whenever things go badly sport is there to offer us redemption. So it remains futile to complain about something so honest and generous; once the result is decided one must learn the skill of acceptance and commit to working for improvement.”

Next week D’s entertain Tring in a friendly fixture at Bidwell Park.

Report by Andy Smith

Due to a number of players being called up for first team duty and various other players being unavailable, Dunstablians were forced to pull together a youthful side including 4 youngsters from the Academy XV. With only one recognised front row available scrums were uncontested from the start. The opposition was a well drilled ON’s side featuring a blend of experience and youth and this was never going to be an easy game for the home side.

Ds received the kick off and played some committed rugby for the first 20 minutes with the line out functioning well and the breakdowns being fiercely contested. Unfortunately, ONs were able to capitalise on the home side’s stretched defence on a number of occasions and at half time the score was 0 – 34.

The second half started much the same way as the first with the D’s XV having to tackle their hearts out and the visitors looking particularly strong with their skilful offloading game, creating havoc and allowing them to add a further 8 unanswered tries.

Manager, Andy Smith paid full credit to his youthful side for never giving up and would like to particularly thank the Academy players for their contribution.

Final result: Dunstablians 0 - ONs 82. Match Report by Andy Smith

The mighty 3rd team took on Peterborough's 3rd team who looked much the same but younger than ourselves, the average age of our team being 40, only bought down by Jack, Tom and Alex, for the record Alex did last the whole match!

Led by stand-in captain 'H' (who was praised by the referee in the bar after the game for the way he managed his team), we were looking for a win - very rare for any Dunstablians Team!

We started brightly with our forwards dominating every scrum, line out, ruck and maul. With one or two of them popping up in the centre just to help the old backs out. Good scrums and quick passes led to a try right in the corner, which our kicker, mention no names, got! (ok then - Gary Tats) Then after another good scrum and some good passing with Jack running at pace breaking through to score, not sure if we kicked it or not.

Peterborough rallied and got a try. Dunstablians then woke up and got a quick reply.

Shortly after, Danny kicked the ball into space some 40yrds, then chased up to make the tackle with both Jon Gilbert and DC (yes running a whole 40yrds) on hand to help him, quick pass out and another try!

Peterborough then went to uncontested scrums and we had a replacement made by a very youthful Spencer who made his come back after injury. Dunstablians continued to work hard right up to the final whistle.

The captain said afterwards that this was the best team performance this season so far! Roll on next week!

If ever there was a day for bad omens, this was surely it. Dunstable were originally fixtured to play Towcester at home, but midweek this was changed to a friendly at Stockwood Park. Then, late on Friday night, vice captain PC recieved a call which interrupted his drinking, to hear that Captain Mark Hardwicke was required to fill a gap in the 2XV. On a freezing Saturday afternoon, Dees made the short journey from Dunstable to Luton. However, even this wasn't without incident, with now acting captain PC receiving another call just 45 minutes from kick off, to be told that front row legend Wellsie was needed to fill another gap in the 2XV!

However, as always the boys of the 4ths came good, with openside flanker Les making it to the game despite work commitments, makeshift prop Crispy giving up sleep between night shifts, and fullback Shanks driving down every back road in the three counties area to get to the match on time despite road closures!

Finally, the team assembled to hear that the ref wasn't happy with the frozen pitch, but an alternative pitch the size of Belgium was located which was playable and the game went ahead. It's fair to say that Dunatable enjoyed the majority of the territory in the first half, but also true that they never really managed to do much with it. Each time the ball was turned over, the well organised opposition managed to run through the often over-stretched defence, and so the try floodgates opened.

Despite several positional changes at half time, much of the same ensued, until an accident in open play saw one of the Stockwood players suffer an horrific ankle injury. The player couldn't be moved, and it was too cold to stand around waiting for the amubulance to arrive before play could resume, so the captains agreed to shake hands on the score as it was. A dismal end to a dismal afternoon. All in Dunstable 4XV wish the injured Stockwood player a speedy recovery.

Match Report by Paul Connolly

After playing just one game in two months, there was always a risk that Dunstable xv would look rusty. However, despite this and the long drive into Peterborough's surrounding countryside, Dees played well during several spells of the game. Despite only managing to arrive with a squad of 13, both teams kicked off with 14 men, Thorney graciously lent Dees a player. Dunstable scrum half Nikk arrived 10 minutes into the game, and after a quick pitchside change, came on, so Dunstable's 14 men now played Thorney's 15.

At times Throney's extra man really showed, and it was the boys from up north who scored first. However, Dees answered back with a try from prop Eddie Edwards. The game continued with tit for tat scoring for a while, but Thorney were able to pull away by scoring twice or more in quick succession before conceeding. Unfortunately there was just too much tit, and not enough tat. Further Dees tries came from scrum half Nikk, and a well-deserved Monty, who really shone in the centre of the park. With the move of the game, the pack rumbled possession up the field, and when the ball was fired out to the backs, they performed their task beautifully, getting the ball out wide quickly. Crispy joined the line from the back row to create the overlap, and passed the ball behind his back to Monty, who ran through strongly to score in the corner.

Dees were also unlucky not to have more to show for their efforts, with disallowed tries from openside Les Webb, who was wrongly adjudged to have been held up, and from blindside PC, who was almost certainly correctly adjudged likewise. Further heartache came when The Kracken dropped the ball on a charge which otherwise could only have resorted in him crossing the line. On hearing the final score at the end of the game, philosophical vice captain PC said "the game felt better than the score sounds". Captain Mark Hardwicke declared that this was Dee's best performance so far this season, despite a few mad 5 minute spells when Dunstable simply gifted the opposition tries.

In a game where every man performed well for most of the game, stand-out performances came from H, who tackled like a demon, Monty, who cleared out like a forward and ran like a back, an credit to the 12 shirt, and to Eddie, who propped for 80 minutes despite being injured. Next game at home to Daventry 3s. A repeat performance could and should see a win if Dees can gather a full team this week.

Despite the obvious disappointment at the scoreline, this truely was a game where Dees can be proud of the performance they put in. It was quite clear that they were second best right from the off, but Bedfordshire's finest fourth team never gave up, and every single man gave it their all.

Match Report by Paul Connolly

Despite initial mid-week worries that they would struggle to put a full team out on Saturday, Dees eventually turned up at Peterborough in the rare position of having a full bench at its disposal. However, Dunstable looked groggy from the hour an a half drive through the fog in the opening phases of play, and sure enough conceeded the first try after just a few short minutes. As is becoming a familiar tale, the speed and power of the opposition backs was simply too much for the boys in red and black to handle. This situation was made worse by the fact that Dees were often unable to handle the Lion's scrum, despite making several changes in the engine room of their usually formidable pack, and this seemed to provide the perfect platform for the Lions to attack, scoring several tries before half time.

Fifteen minutes before the mid-way whistle, Dees finally found the chink in Peterborough's armour, mauling the ball again and again towards the Lions' try line. However, despite wave after wave of Dunstable forward play, the Lions' defence stood its ground when it really counted, in the final five metres.

Almost 50 points down at half time, one couldn't have blamed Dees for accepting the ref's offer of shorter halves. However, determined to salvage some pride, Dunstable unanimously agreed to play the full 80 minutes. With more changes at half time, including the loss of Captain Mark Hardwicke to a shoulder injury, Dunstable kept their heads down and their work rate high as they again made efforts to use their rucking and mauling skills to score. However, all of this forward play in the loose often left the backs exposed, who were forced to kick away posession several times, allowing the Lions free reign to run back at them.

In a game were Dunstable always looked like scoring, their effort and tenacity was finally rewarded just three minutes from time. Despite Dees being desperate to avoid nil points, fly half Simon Howard turned down the easy option of three points from a penalty in front of the posts, and instead kicked to corner for a do or die lineout. Some superb lifting from Woody the Destroyer and relative newcomer Jonny meant that Vice Captain PC was able to get enough of a hand on the ball to flick it back to his own side. Eddie Edwards cleaned up and secured possession, setting up a short maul to the try line. The Destroyer then managed to grab the ball off the back of the maul and crash through the Lions defence to dot the ball down. Howard falled to add the extras, which was a shame as his tireless performance left him deserving those points almost as much as his infamous nickname.

Despite the obvious disappointment at the scoreline, this truely was a game where Dees can be proud of the performance they put in. It was quite clear that they were second best right from the off, but Bedfordshire's finest fourth team never gave up, and every single man gave it their all.

Match Report by Paul Connolly

After their first win of the season last week, the boys of the 4XV were looking forward to going into a match with some self belief and confidence. As is life in the 4s, Friday night saw each player receive a text from Skipper Mark to say that our fixture had changed from our original friendly game away to Towcester. So instead, a depleted squad travelled to Bedford Swifts for a league game. Further spanners were found to be in our works upon arrival at Bedford, but these were eventually ironed out by some heroics from Crispy, and by Boogie coming out for the warm-up in his underpants!

For the second week in a row, the Dunstable pack were disappointed to hear that their opposite numbers had asked the ref for uncontested scrums, so once again we knew that another week would slip by without utilising our most potent weapon. So, with the forwards' powerful scrum neutralised, the backs found themselves lining up opposite a bunch of Bedford backs which can only have been produced in a secret lab somewhere. With the only exception of Dunstable powerhouse Pete, each man in the backs gave away at least four inches in height and three stone in weight to his opposite number. In fact, it was fair to say that the Swifts backs outweighed their own forwards. Ultimately, it was this size deficit, combined with the alarming speed of these rugby leviathans, which prevented Dees from ever really gaining any purchase on the game. The boys in red and black managed to avoid the humiliation of nil points only through a brilliant individual effort from Shanks Armitage, who ran the length of the pitch to score and convert Dees' only try of the day.

Bedford ran in a steady stream of tries, while Dunstablians continually struggled to make their tackles stick. More than any other game this season, this game showed the weak areas in Dees' defense, with every man leaving the pitch remembering their own missed tackles.

These weaknesses will be worked out in training, but let's not forget that some positives can be taken from this game, too. Dunstablians still have a relatively inexperienced set of backs, who performed well in attack and never stopped trying in defense. Despite last week's injury, Jeff Bowes returned as scrum half, and marshalled his forwards well at the breakdown, so while the pack may need to question their ability to get across and support the backs in defence, they can be happy that they won their fair share of the dirty work in the loose.

Time for the 4XV to build upon what they do well, and to work on the weaknesses exposed by a faster, stronger team. Next week sees them playing Kettering at home, where Dees hope to gain the club's first senior home win of the season.

Match Report by Paul Connolly

Since Dunstablians 4th Team was resurrected over the summer, a string of heavy losses and cancelled fixtures may have left a lesser bunch of men wondering whether or not they would have been better off hanging up their boots. However, through commitment and training there has been an increasing feeling within the squad that a much coveted win couldn’t be too far away.

Saturday saw the boys travel to Cranfield University, where they were met by a youthful looking student side. Despite having struggled to find a full front row over the week, Dees ran onto the pitch with Pete “crashball” Norris ready to stand in as hooker, and a fresh off the physio’s table Wellsie hoping that his recently recovered knee would hold out. The frustration was obvious when the ref informed Dunstablians of Cranfield’s request for uncontested scrums, due to their own inability to field a front row.

With their most potent weapon neutralised, Dees steeled themselves for a hard fought 80 minutes, and this looked likely to be on the cards when Dees gave away possession all too easily after receiving the first kick off in their own 22. Cranfield broke with alarming speed and quickly found a route through the Dees defence to take the lead with a well worked try.

Realising that the pace and agility of the opposition’s backs would cause them problems all game, Dunstablians made a renewed effort to use its superior size and strength in the forwards, with scrum half Jeff Bowes repeatedly demanding his forwards to gain the hard yards inch by inch. Unable to cope, the inexperienced Cranfield forwards conceded penalties aplenty, but Dees seemed unable to take full advantage. Another breakaway try from Cranfield put the score at 12-0, and some were started to wonder if the decision to ignore Matt “Shanks” Armitage’s kicking ability each time a penalty had come Dees’ way had been the right one.

However, the tactical critics were silenced late into the second half. A maul saw the ball carried over the home team’s try line, and the ball was finally grounded due to the brute strength of Dunstablians’ debutant Ali.

With Shanks adding the two points, the teams went into half time with just five points separating them. Dunstablians had paid a heavy price, with the loss of their scrum half, who sustained a black eye from a stray boot in a ruck. However, this was a team which was within touching distance of its first victory in a very long time, and with a reshuffle which saw AJ take on number 9 responsibilites, some instructions from captain Mark Hardwick, and some words of encouragement from spectator Big Keith, the boys took their positions for the second half.

This proved to be a heart-stopping 40 minutes of rugby, with each team trying to utilise opposite tactics. Cranfield came close to extending their lead through silky backs manoeuvres, only to fail at the final 10 metres with a fumbled ball, while Dunstablians continued to dominate at the breakdown with their seemingly inexhaustible pack of forwards. Another scrum half was lost after AJ suffered a back injury, so another reshuffle saw Crashball Norris become the surely the biggest half-back in the league. However, it was his size, combined with excellent handling skills which then saw Norris cross the line. With Shanks Armitage adding the extras, Dees were now 14-12 in front.

Determined to cling on to their fragile lead, Dees threw themselves at the Cranfield attack, with Steve O’Sullivan leading the way with some fine tackles. Armitage almost bagged a try for himself after chasing his own massive kick, but was outdone by the bounce of the ball.

Cranfield never gave up, but with a try disallowed after one of their own players admitted to seeing a foot in touch, another for a forward pass, and a missed penalty attempt, it wasn’t to be their day. Pete Norris confirmed as much when he crossed the line for the second time, giving a final score of 21-12.

Special mention must go to AJ and Bowes, who both put their bodies on the line when it counted, and to prop Paul Wells, who was tireless in attack and defence, despite returning from injury. Lastly, the sportsmanship of the Cranfield players must not be overlooked, not least as they dropped a player themselves when Dunstablians were forced to play with 14 men due to injuries.

Next week sees Dunstablians take on Towcester 3s. Let’s hope that they can take some confidence and determination into this game now that they have this win under their belts.

Match Report by Paul Connolly

Another wind affected day on the road, this time for a friendly at Daventry. Welcomed back by his team mates was Aaron (Crash Ball) White, fresh from his sojourn in the first XV. The wind blew diagonally across the pitch, making for the proverbial game of two halves. Paul ( I haven't played on a winning team for 2 years) Sheehan tweaked his troublesome groin pre-match, so Dees started with only a fit 15. As has been the pattern recently, there were more forwards than backs, so John Kennedy reprised his alternative role as a winger. I believe this comes from his days as a lock, as I'm sure I heard the opposition say that he was a right winger, at least it sounded like that.

Dees faced the wind first half and were soon asserting themselves, with good work from the forwards and half-backs in carrying the ball up the field. Particularly notable in this area was Will (Tap-penalty) Malewicz, who made good ground on a number of occasions ably supported by the back row of Tom ( That's the last time I follow Donald) Long, Richard ( I was in the air when he kicked it, aka Fishy) Fish and Ant ( Corsa wins race to Daventry) Hyam. Midway through the half, a sweeping move freed David (The Boot) Brown playing on the left wing and he finished neatly in the corner. A tough kick across the wind was missed.

Daventry were pinned back into their half with relief being achieved by long kicks with the wind, which were generally well fielded by Ben Dales and David Brown. Dees dominated the line-out with Harry (Rocket launcher) Smith secure on Dees throws and gobbling a lot of the opposition's balls. As many educational psychologists are aware, strong wind tends to lead to more bad behaviour amongst children and today was no exception. As the half progressed, the mood became increasingly fractious. Daventry were warned for offside and killing the ball at the ruck and Dees were pinged similarly on a few occasions.

10 minutes before half-time Fishy got on the end of a backs move and attempted to emulate David Brown's try scoring exploit in the corner. The ref gave the try, but the Daventry team persuaded a conference with the touch judge and the verdict was a 5 metre line out. Dave ( refer it to the TMO) Freeman was incensed, but maybe not as incensed as Fishy who was yellow-carded for an alleged late tackle. Shortly afterwards, the ref lost patience with Daventry's continued infringements and gave one of their forwards a 10 minute rest. Matters were put right when Will Malewicz forced his way over on the stroke of half-time. David Brown then used up all of this season's luck when he saw his conversion hit both posts and limp over the bar. Dees 12 - 0 up at half-time and the promise of the wind on their backs.

The first incident of the second half, which Dees dominated, was Fishy, still smarting on the sideline, noting that his fellow offender was on the pitch, despite being carded somewhat after Fishy. The numbers were soon adjusted and a series of tries at regular intervals followed, with the touch downs getting more central as Daventry morale ebbed away. Firstly Sam ( Exocet from 3 metres) Heley bundled over in the corner. David Brown was unlucky with the conversion, narrowly missing from out wide. Then Aaron White showed his first team class and dotted down after swatting a few of the opposition. Again the conversion was missed from near the touchline. Then Matt (I want to be top try-scorer aka Stig) Russell crossed the line and the easier conversion was put away by David. With both Aaron and Stig having scored, the backs started to spread the ball wide and run some of their training ground moves, leading to a period of attractive attacking rugby. Will powered over for his second try near the posts and this was successfully converted. With 5 minutes left and with the scrums now unopposed, as Daventry had lost front row player, Ant Hyam came off to let Paul (Hopalong) Sheehan on to partake in a victory. A rare Daventry attack saw Fishy gain possession midway in the Dees half and tear his way to the opposition line, with only one man left to beat he unselfishly passed to Stuart (I'm knackered, take me off) Caines, who rounded off under the posts and the extras were kicked. The whistle was blown and Dees celebrated their 43 - 0 victory in, what some allege was, song Match Report John Sheehan

Match Report by John Sheehan

A fierce wind blew from end to end of the pitch, as Dees played their first away game of the new year at Peterborough. The pitch was flat and surprisingly firm. Dees lost the toss and were asked to play with the wind in the first half.

The Dees team had an unusual look, with a dearth of backs meaning that John Kennedy, usually a lock, started on the wing. Both of Dees subs were locks as well.

Dees were soon on the offensive and pinned the home team into their 22. It quickly became apparent that it was going to be a tough day for the lineout throwers and Dees soon had the advantage of a scrum following a misdirected throw. What also quickly became apparent was that it would be tough day in the scrum for Dees, as Peterborough's big pack and aggressive scrummaging style began to dominate. Much resetting of scrums took place as the timing of engagement became an issue.

Dees were having the better of territorial domination and had their first opportunity to score when David Brown's penalty fell short, hitting the base of the post.

Whilst Peterborough were able to run the ball forward or rumble forward through their pack, Dees were able to kick for position once the ball was back in their possession. But Dees were having trouble making the pressure count. Eventually Matt Anderson, the team's most devastating finisher, was released near the half way line on the right. He skipped through a couple of tackles and was away. He ran the ball into goal under the posts and as he was about to touch down he was caught with a desperate high tackle that caused him to drop the ball. The referee had a good view of the incident and awarded a penalty try, yellow carding the miscreant to add to the card given to another Peterborough player for foul play. David Brown slotted the extras.

Dees continued to press against the 13 man opposition and on the stroke of half time were awarded another penalty. This time David got the range but not the direction and Dees turned round 7 - 0 up.

Half time hope was that a single score would be sufficient. The hope lasted for, perhaps, two minutes. A move that Peterborough had rehearsed a couple of times in the first half was again run through inside Dees 22. This time Dees had insufficient space to bring down the runners and Peterborough levelled the scores. Michael Smith was injured and had to retire from the fray. This brought on Paul Sheehan and a pack reshuffle led to Dave Freeman moving from hooker to full back.

Shortly after Dees won slow ball at a ruck and instead of keeping the ball in the forwards, a hurried pass to Conor Fleet-Chapman left him under pressure and his sliced clearance blew back in the wind towards the Dees line. Peterborough capitalised with their second score, which was converted. Dees then pulled themselves together and gave as good as they got for the rest of the quarter. John Kennedy then aggravated a knee injury and was replaced by James Randall, necessitating another reshuffle in the pack. Further Peterborough pressure told and they scored out wide, but missed the conversion.

Dees responded well to this latest set back and put together their best spell of the second half. Following a head injury to the ever busy Will Malewicz, Dees spun the ball along the line with Matt Anderson being pulled up 5 meters short. Further Dees pressure brought a half chance for Sam Heley, but the ball was spilled and the Peterborough line survived. Peterborough finally relieved the pressure and from the hack forward, a kick and chase led to the home side scoring their fourth try, which was converted to give Peterborough a win with the somewhat flattering score line of 26 - 7.

Another well-fought battle from Dees and another disappointing score, in a game that was marred by a strong wind and a few unfortunate errors.

Match Report by John Sheehan

The first game of the new year and hopes were high. Or at least they had been until player availabilty was gauged. A combination of the virulent H1N1 and the equally contagious pre-examitis caused a flood of drop outs. Paul Sheehan was persuaded at the last minute to test his damaged groin, which was made all the more risky by having to share a changing room with the 2nd XV. So a full complement kicked off in bright sunshine.

The usual outcome of the local derby against Leighton Buzzard is a win for the Buzzards, but Dees were keen to reverse the trend. Unfortunately, no one told Leighton and they started strongly, getting the first points on the board after 2 minutes with a converted try. A pattern then emerged with Leighton running strongly and Dees defending valiantly. After 12 minutes Leighton engineered an overlap and increased their advantage to 14 points. The situation was repeated 10 minutes later and Leighton were 21 points to the good.

Dees fought back and a couple of sorties into the Leighton 22 were led by Matt Anderson and Ryan (Florence) Field. However loose passes led to Leighton regaining possession and scoring their fourth try of the half, although this time the kick was missed.

The Kiwi ref was frustrating both coaches and confusing both teams, closing the half shortly after pronouncing that there were ' fev menets' left. So Dees turned round 26 - nil down, but stirred by the half-time exhortations of Don & Doug - not, as you may think, children's entertainers, but two of Dees' inspirational coaches. ( That'll be a fiver, chaps)

Dees started with real intent and soon had Leighton on the back foot. 5 minutes into the half the team captain, Stig, powered over in the corner, latching onto a neat kick through by playmaker Conor Fleet-Chapman and giving cause for hope. David Brown narrowly missed the conversion from the touchline. Dees continued to have the better of the exchanges and soon after Stig bullied his way through to further reduce the deficit. David Brown added the extras to bring Dees within a couple of scores of Leighton.

Dees continued to press and good work in the loose by the forwards resulted in Stuart Cains going over from short distance. Again David Brown bisected the posts & the come back was on.

Leighton hadn't achieved a big lead at half time by letting Dees dominate and a couple of personnel changes brought them back into the game. Effective covering by Dees backs and some massive tackles from Stig and Florence kept Leighton at bay. Canny kicking from Conor and Stig pushed Dees up the field and Harry Smith and Tom Long were getting the better of the exchanges in the lineout. However, fresh legs told and Leighton were able to breakthrough for a couple of tries in the final quarter.

Yet valiant Dees weren't finished and with 10 minutes remaining Conor broke through the line to dot down under pressure in the corner. David Brown was unlucky with the kick.

A spirited second-half performance by Dees showed the resilience of the team, but also demonstrated the need to get going from the off and not be overawed by the opposition. After a quick warm down, pressure was then on to get to the showers before the Seconds.

Match Report by John Sheehan

Spirits were high amongst the team as they travelled North for the cup game at Coalville, buoyed by the availability of Aaron White & Sij. The melting snow had left the pitch soft and liable to cut up, with one touch line swamp-like. A stiff breeze blew down the pitch towards the club house. Stig lost the spin of the coin, which was unusual as he's generally a better tosser than the opposing captain. Consequently Dees played into the wind first half.

The first 15 minutes consisted of Coalville pressure, confined largely to Dee's 22, with Dees unable to clear their lines. Coalville's big forwards gave them advantage in the tight, but Dees battled manfully to hold their own. Eventually an overlap was manoeuvred and Coalville scored in the corner, but were unable to convert.

Dees came back strongly and their first sortie into the opposing 22 saw a penalty awarded and David Brown slotted over confidently to narrow the margin. Following a Coalville attack, which ended with a missed penalty, Dees attacked from the 22. Firstly Aaron White carried the ball and a few Coalville players to near half way. Good work by the forwards secured the ball and off the back of a ruck the ball was fed to Sij, into the line from full back, who attacked the blindside, drew a defender and slipped a pass to Matt Anderson on half way. Working in the 5 metre channel, Matt, as David Coleman would have it, opened his legs and showed his class, leaving a trail of disconsolate Coalville defenders in his wake, as he touched down under the posts. David Brown added the extras with aplomb.

Coalville returned to the attack and before long both teams were down to 14 men. Clearly David Sterling had never seen a spear tackle before and, having seen one executed by a Coalville player, was keen to work out the mechanics for himself. Unfortunately the ref did not enter into the spirit of scientific research and invited David to take a rest for 10 minutes. Worse was to come for Dees, as Conor Fleet-Chapman allegedly helped a Coalville player to get clear of a ruck by judicious use of the sole of his boot and then debated the ref's interpretation of events, leading to an enforced spell on the touchline. Coalville made use of their one-man advantage and scored a try after a curious piece of refereeing that saw Coalville being given an advantage, knocking on, Dees being given an advantage and when play broke down, the ball was brought back for a Coalville penalty. From this position Coalville's forwards battered their way over the line. The extras were added, leaving Dees to go into the half-time break 12 - 10 down.

Second-half optimism was soon dispelled as Dee's play became somewhat ragged and the normally reliable line-out became erratic. Coalville pressed and despite a fair number of penalties being awarded to Dees to relieve the pressure, Dees were unable to retain possession at the line-out. A similar story was emerging in the scrum where Dees won their own ball but were usually travelling backwards, putting pressure on the half-backs. It is testament to Dee's defensive efforts that Coalville didn't score until the fourth quarter of the game. However the kick was missed and Dees were still in with a sniff, with only one converted score needed to tie things up. With a few minutes remaining, Dees managed to get the ball into danger man Matt Anderson's hands near the 22 in some space. He burned away from a couple of defenders to get himself out of the thicker traffic, but just when it seemed that he would get clear into the Coalville half a magnificent tackle at full stretch pulled him down. That was Dees' last chance and the match petered out into a 17 -10 defeat.

The Dees team of U17s and U18s acquitted themselves well in this U19 cup game, with perhaps the lack of games and training in the recent bad weather leading to some of the technical aspects being executed more poorly than earlier in the season.

Next week Dees host neighbours Leighton Buzzard in the East Midlans league.

Once again Dees travelled to BBOB with an under strength side, with key players missing due to other commitments, which left many of the squad playing out of position. David Stirling (flanker) moved to outside centre, Dave Freeman (hooker) went as full back until a back injury to Harry Croft saw Dave return to the front row in the 2nd half.

Dees started strongly and were rewarded 4 minutes in with a penalty taken by David Brown. BBOB replied quickly with a try out wide which was unconverted, this was followed 10 minutes later with a converted try.

BBOB's indiscipline continued & Dees were able to add anther 3 points with the boot of David Brown 22 minutes into the game leaving Dees only 6 points behind but another BBOB converted try widened the gap.

Again BBOB's indiscipline reared it's head with two players sent to the sin bin shortly before half time but Dees could not turn this advantage into points.

Following the break BBOB upped the ante & with a full set of replacements a fresh set of legs taking to the pitch in quick succession proved too much for the weary Dunstablians XV, 5 unconverted & 1 converted try saw BBOB run out 51-6 winners.

Match Report by Keith Wilkins ( Academy Team Manager)

Dunstablians U18 Academy maintained their 100% unbeaten home record at the weekend with a 28-12 victory over Olney in the East Midlands  league. With call ups to the 1st XV Dees saw four U16s (Jack Flanigan, Oscar Taherbeigi, Brandon Smith & Aaron Morris) making their debut for the Academy.

Dees were first to score 5 minutes into the game when Aaron Morris crossed the line on his debut with David Brown adding the extra points. Olney managed to narrow the gap within 7 minutes with an unconverted try.

Good attacking play saw Matt Anderson cross the line on 25 minutes with Scrum Half Sam Heley twisting and turning from a scrum 5 metres from Olney's line to add his name to the score sheet just before half time, both converted by David Brown.

After the break Dees continued to dominate with Brandon Smith's chase from a subtle kick through being deemed as a knock on by the referee. Against the run of play Olney scored 6 minutes in but another try from Matt Anderson 5 minutes later, converted again by David Brown sealed the result for Dunstablians. 

Match Report by Keith Wilkins ( Academy Team Manager)

In only their first home game of the season Dunstablians U18 Academy triumphed over East Midlands West Conference League leaders Buckingham in a thrilling game that went to the wire.

Dees were first to score on 19 minutes when Tom Long went over the line following continued pressure which saw Buckingham pinned in their own half, David Brown adding the additional points.

Dees continued pressure saw them close to scoring several more times but silly handling errors were to deny the home side any more points before the break.

After the break Buckingham were forced to defend once again as a number of Dees attacks came close but again were unable to increase their lead until 10 minutes from time when Matt Anderson scored his second try in two games.

Buckingham gained a consolation converted try 5 miniutes from time to leave the final score 12-7.

Magners Man of the Match: Will Malewicz.

Match Report by Keith Wilkins ( Academy Team Manager)

Dunstablians U18 Academy made the short trip to near neighbours Ampthill in their second league game of the season, still looking for their first win.

Unfortunately this was not to be it as Dees spent the majority of the first half having to defend against a strong Ampthill side. Dees were reduced to 14 men when a late tackle saw David Stirling removed from the pitch, but still Ampthill could not break through. The stalemate was eventually broken when Ampthill
went over for an unconverted try, leaving Dees trailing 5-0 at the break.

Although having the slope in their favour in the second half, Dees struggled to contain Ampthill who added another 27 points to their tally, Dees only consolation was a superb wingers try from Matt Anderson from deep inside his own half which was duly converted by David Brown.

Match Report by Keith Wilkins ( Academy Team Manager)

Dunstablians U18 Academy were un-ceremoniously dumped out of the National Colts Cup at the weekend by last seasons cup finalists (Beds Blues 10-8 ONs).

Dees started strongly as usual, against a team that boasted a number of players from the final in their squad. Dees' persistence paid off 5minutes in with a penalty duly kicked by David “Smiler” Brown but 5 mins later ONs broke through for an unconverted try. Twenty minutes later ONs were reduced to 14 men after they had a player sinned but Dees could not capitalise. Another penalty kick awarded to Dees hit the far post & caught Dees napping allowing ONs to score a converted try. Another unconverted try was added by ONs 26 minutes in. Persistent infringements again saw ONs reduced to 14 men just before the break & David Brown added another 3 points, leaving Dees trailing 17-6.

After the break ONs decided to play rugby rather than the penalty induced first half game they had begun with adding another 56 unanswered points to leave the final score 73-6.

Dees now have to wait until the end of November to find out who they face in the plate competion.

Dees are back in East Midlands U18 league action next week when they travel to near neighbours Ampthill.

Match Report by Keith Wilkins

Dunstablians Academy started their U18 East Midlands League season with a narrow defeat to Cambridge on Saturday losing 19-7. With debutantes Conor Fleet-Chapman & James "OJ" Randall making up Dees 14 man squad, Dees started strongly but had to defend from the outset & eventually Cambridge scored their first converted try 8 mins into the game.

Under the new captaincy of Matt "Stig" Russell this then galvanised the team & 2 minutes later Michael "Sidge" Leverside crossed the white wash with a 25 meter slide to beat Cambridge's full back to the ball. The try duly converted by David "Smiler" Brown.

Dees continued playing excellent attacking & defensive rugby until 5 minutes before the break Cambridge again managed to score on the overlap with another converted try, 2 minutes later adding an unconverted try to leave Dees trailing 19-7.

After the break Dees continued in the same vein as the first half with everyone doing their bit, Paul Sheehan was all over the pitch with water bottles & first aid kit as a training injury ruled him out of the side. Dees persistance & never say die attitude saw them spend the last 10 minutes of the game camped in Cambridge's 22 but even when Cambidge were reduced to 14 men for the last 5 minutes, when their scrum half was sin binned, Dees could not get the final score they deserved.

Match Report by Keith Wilkins