It turns out Sparks were right...

There are many famous grudge matches in sport. Rangers v Celtic, England v Wales, North v South Korea, but on February 3rd The Dragon's Teeth looked for redemption against Reading IIs in the A4 derby.

It was in 1974 that the somewhat quirky pop group sang “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us”.

So in torrential rain and on the middle pitch where wellington boots or water skis were the appropriate footwear, The Teeth took to the field to prove that Sparks were correct.

However, The Teeth got off to the worst possible start, giving away a penalty within 5 seconds of the kick off. Reading kicked to touch and from the line scored a try in the corner in less than a minute.

A few calming words from skipper Matt Flannigan was all that was needed and thus followed twenty minutes of intense pressure from The Teeth.

We hammered at the door but couldn’t quite break it down, until a piece of exquisite magic from fly-half, Tom Ansell.

No one is quite sure who placed the sixpence on the ground before kick-off but Tom's kick over the top of the defence landed right on the sixpence for Matt Edwards to gather and dive over for an unconverted try. 5-5.

With renewed vigour, The Teeth pressured Reading's line. Shortly before halftime, Chris Kessell crashed over from 5 metres out. Half time 10-5 to The Teeth.

Following a positive halftime, talk the boys came out and continued to press. Probing kicks from Matt Flannigan and Tom Ansell meant that most of the play inside Reading's 22. The forwards worked tirelessly with carry after carry and when the backs got loose, Matt Edwards, Jack Scott and Roy Wilkinson made valuable yards.

With ten minutes to go, The Teeth finally got their reward. A burst from Ben Burrows, an offload to Sam Longley, a powerful carry of 20 metres, a short pop to Chris Kessell led to another try for The Teeth. Converted by Roddy Clark. 17-5.

The final ten minutes was all Reading, but The Teeth defence is made of granite and even a yellow card for number 8 (Harry Chapman) wasn’t enough and Reading failed to cross The Teeth line.

So, Sparks' were right all alone and this town ain’t big enough for the both of us. Reading were sent packing across the A4.

Final score 17-5 to The Teeth.

Tries: M. Edwards, C. Kessell (2)
Cons: R. Clark

Match report by Matt Flannigan

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