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.”