Sat 10 Oct 2026
After a couple of tough season openers, OCs headed over to Hinckley with some
optimism that they could finally open their league account against fellow early
strugglers Hinckley II’s.
Some early jostling for position by both sides saw a very open first 10 minutes of the
game. With Hinckley trying to establish some dominance, they conceded a couple of
penalties which allowed OCs to push the ball deep into the Hinckley 22. From the
ensuing lineout, Jack Fennell leapt high to secure a lovely clean take and the
subsequent drive from the pack saw team OAP, Paul Wilkes, drop over the line for
the first score – which was well converted by full back Jason Matthews. Seven nil up
and all looking quite promising. However, it was quickly OCs turn to get on the wrong
side of the referee, conceding numerous penalties that saw Hinckley push their
opponents back to a lineout 5m out from their line. In similar fashion to the OCs first
score, a well worked catch and drive gave Hinckley their first try of the match.
The first half continued to be dominated by the referee’s whistle and further penalties
continued to flow – largely against the visiting side. Another lineout 5 metres out from
the OCs line, saw a clean catch by the Hinckley No. 6 who dotted down unopposed
to take them into the lead for the first time in the match. With halftime approaching
and everything to play for for both teams, Hinckley had their prop yellow carded for
what seemed like an accumulation of penalties.
Half-time score: Hinckley II’s 10 v 7 Old Coventrians
At the start of the second half, OCs were unable to capitalise on their one man
advantage with a string of unforced errors hampering any progress that they tried to
make. The game lost any tempo that it had in the first half with numerous mistakes
and stoppages from both sides stunting the flow of the game. But with Hinckley back
to full strength, it didn’t take them long to extend their lead. A smart break through
the OCs midfield saw their inside centre pop the ball inside for the flanker to jog in for
the first score of the second half. Hinckley pressed home their advantage and quickly
went further ahead after another penalty conceded by the OCs defence saw the
Hinckley scrum half take a quick tap and go to score under the posts. What had
been a tightly contested match for 60 minutes, sadly petered out in to a fairly one-
sided affair. As OCs seemed to run out of ideas, Hinckley ran in two more tries in
quick succession to close the game out in fine style.
In an otherwise fairly one dimensional performance from the OCs, Ollie Hurst ran
hard and provided a rare threat to the home side’s defensive line. Jack Fennell was
the pick of the OCs players working his socks off throughout and was excellent in the
lineout, taking numerous opposition throw-ins. OCs will head in to training this week
needing to work on varying their game plan, as defences in this league are very
tough to breach. In a game that OCs had earmarked as a great opportunity for them
to move up the league, a poor finish saw them squander any chance they had to
notch up their first points of the campaign.
Full-time score: Hinckley IIs 38 v 7 Old Coventrians
