Firsts vs Hartlepool BBOB

WASHINGTON RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Statler & Waldorf Game report

Competition:

PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY

Teams:

WASHINGTON 1STS

HARTLEPOOL BBOB

Date:

AUGUST 02 2025 3PM KICK OFF

Venue:

WASHINGTON HUB NE37 3HR 

Match Official:

TYLER HOLMS

Result:

WASHINGTON 26

40 HARTLEPOOL BBOB

No.

NAME & SURNAME

SCORERS

JUDICIARY

Tries

Conv.

Penalty

Drops

Yellow

Red

Alix Hume

Andy Young

Ollie O’Connor

1

Josh Davison

Steven Talbot

James England

Dom Ryan

Olly Lines, Pack Leader

1

George Alley

Matthew Clark, Captain

3

Max Brown

John Pope

Jay Cunningham

Andre Marrah

1

James Ross

Luis French

Matthew Palmer

Owain Futers

Michael Reilly

Kevin Lamb

Archie McDonald

David Lowrie

1

Jack Asbery

John Cocker

Joshua Carter

David Galloway

Dean Ryan

Scott Oliver

Peter hardy

Liam

Nathan Pope

1

Apologies if your name is missing off the list.

Scoring Sequence

Minute

Player [team number or opposition]: Brief description:

[T, C, P, DG, PT.]

Score

6

Andre Marrah, 

T

5-0

20

Hartlepool and Conversion good

T & C

5-7

24

Hartlepool and Conversion good

T & C

5-14

29

Hartlepool and Conversion good

T & C

5-21

45

Hartlepool and Conversion missed

T & C

5-26

54

Ollie Lines

T

10-26

54

Matt Clarke

C

12-26

67

Nathan Pope

T

17-26

67

Matt Clarke

C

19-26

70

Hartlepool and Conversion good

T & C

19-33

78

Hartlepool penalty try

PT

19-40

80

Ollie O’Connor

T

24-40

80

Matt Clarke

C

26-40

Weather Conditions:

Sunny with no breeze.

Noteworthy Information:

Tyler Holmes refereeing the match, match played over 4 Quarters, with a half time break after 40 minutes.

Game Summary:

With this being the first game of the season and a friendly practice match. Players will be substituted throughout the game. Giving everyone a chance to have game time minutes, and the chance for the coaching team to evaluate players in a match situation.

First Half;

1st Quarter;

Game started with BBOB being off-side at the kick off, resulting in a penalty for Washington. A try on 6 minutes by Andre gave Washington an early lead. BBOB had most of the possession in this quarter, making good ground. BBOB missed an opportunity to score when one of their players knocked on over the try line on 19 minutes. However, BBOB scored a try [and conversion] soon after on 20 minutes. Poor discipline saw a number of penalties going BBOB way. Looked a little ragged at times.

Score Washington 5 – 7 BBOB. 

2nd Quarter;

Uncontested scrums were a frequent event throughout the rest of the game. Another 2 tries [and conversions] by BBOB showed the nature of their play. Keeping possession and making ground well. The quarter was again marked by some indiscipline by Washington resulting in the referee speaking to both team captains. Washington had little chance to run with the ball. The backs were catching well and making ground with ball in hand. The line out was not working well, with BBOB stealing the ball on our throw-in.

Half Time Score:

Washington 12 – 26 BBOB

Second Half;

3rd Quarter;

Washington picked up their game this quarter, quicker to the breakdowns and better discipline in defence. Some good tackling kept BBOB to reduced yardage this quarter. Washington had a break out try on 54 minutes, scored by Ollie Lines. Good backup, possession retention and support were available from the team. A lot of hard work put in to improve possession and go beyond gain line.

4th Quarter;

Try by Nathan Pope on 67 minutes gave the team a well needed boost. A much-improved performance by the team saw ground gained, and fewer penalties conceded. The team played more like a unit, with closer support and quicker to the breakdown. The quarter was split with 2 tries for BBOB and two tries for Washington.

Final Score;

Washington 26 – 40 BBOB

Summary;

Playing against a well drilled set of backs and a powerful (large) set of forwards, was always going to be a good test. Some stand out performances bode well for future games. Considering that this is the first game that this team has played together (and all praise to the debutants playing their first game), there are many positives to take away. There were periods of really good play, keeping possession and good ground made beyond the gain line. However as with all starts to the season, there will be things that the coaching team [Andy and Dave] will be looking at during the next few training sessions.

All in all, we saw a good team performance, with players playing for each other and providing good support when required. 

I hope that you all enjoyed playing the game as much as we enjoyed watching.

Yours Statler and Waldorf:

THE TWO OLD FOGIES