Hampstead’s winning run shattered by a single point
Published: 30 September, 2010
by STEVE BARNETT
HAMPSTEAD suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday when they were agonisingly beaten 18-17 by London New Zealand in Division Two of the London North-West Rugby League.
In a closely fought first half Hampstead came from behind to take a narrow 7-6 lead with centre Pete Evans scoring a try and Damien Naughton converting the resulting kick.
Fullback Naughton did his best to drive Hampstead forward as he went on to score a penalty and a try, but London New Zealand refused to buckle under the pressure and managed to hold out for the win. Despite the disappointing result Hampstead coach Ali Halsall still managed to pull the positives.
“There were lots of highlights in the game, like great individual performances and strong tackling. But our overall performance suffered by spending a lot of time defending. We gave away too many penalties and missed several clear try-scoring opportunities.
“We have some of the most talented players in the league, but, as this game demonstrates, there are still a few tweaks needed to make the whole machine work at its best.”