RFU National League Two

Sedgley Park...17pts

Bracknell...16pts

THIS was a shapeless, untidy game, tense rather than genuinely exciting, and the final whistle came as a relief as Sedgley hung on for two precious league points.

Bracknell were the quicker to settle, their big pack giving Sedgley some early problems.

It was pressure that led to a hasty clearance kick, with no chase in evidence, and visitors full-back Aaron Spencer set up a scoring chance with a fine run in broken play.

Centre Toby Parkinson supported, wing Nick Drake scored and scrum-half Philip Friel converted.

Sedgley now began to settle, using slope advantage to good effect. Chris Glynn's penalty kick grazed the wrong side of a post and then, from a scrum against the head, number 8 Tim Fourie made good yardage.

Had he been able to find the supporting Jon Scales, Sedgley would surely have scored, but two successful Glynn penalty kicks, for offside and handling in a ruck, made it 6-7 after 22 minutes.

This was much better from the home side, better still when big Paul Arnold suddenly showed startling pace to score from 25 metres, a bolt from the blue.

Bracknell looked rattled and, eight minutes before half-time, they were deprived of the services of their prop forward and captain Jim Kelly, who received a red card following a bang to the head for Sedgley scrum-half Dave McCormack. The referee's signal suggested an illegal stamp.

Another fine kick by Glynn gave Sedgley a 14-7 lead at the interval and, with a one-man advantage, a comfortable win seemed likely.

It did not turn out that way. The first half had been fairly open and interesting; the second was to be a trial by boredom as the game lost all semblance of pattern.

The laws relating to the tackle and subsequent ruck have caused difficulties in the early weeks of the season and, for all the efforts of the referee, this was the problem here too.

It was from a ruck offence that Bracknells Friel kicked an early penalty.

The game was into its final quarter before Glynn restored Sedgley's seven point advantage with his fourth successful penalty kick. Almost at once Friel kicked another as Sedgley were penalised for not releasing to make the scoreline 17-13.

Each side now produced its best rugby of the half. Sedgley's was provided by a clever pass from wing Jim Naylor which released full-back Chris Glynn on the left. He made good ground before floating a pass inside which flanker Kern Yates could not gather in.

Bracknell's pack produced an immense driving maul which was held up over Sedgley's line. The subsequent five-metre scrum was defended well, too, as Bracknell went for the kill.

Friel's penalty reduced the gap to a single point as the game went into injury time, but Sedgley managed to confine play to the visitors' half until the final seconds.

This Saturday sees the team explore new territory with a trip to Penzance.

SEDGLEY PARK: Glynn; Wilcock, Hassan, Scales, Naylor; Moon, McCormack; Rudolph (Alcock), Treco (Keyes), Thomas; Arnold, Rees; Grainey (Spence), Yates, Fourie.