Captain Strander Returns to lead a Tring Win

Returning from injury, Captain Mike Strander got Tring off to a fine start with an excellent try. Mike was ecstatic as this avoided the end of season tradition – The Naked Mile! The try was converted by Nick Game who had already slotted a penalty to put Tring into an early 8-0 lead.
Tring were controlling the early exchanges with the forwards dominant. Driving runs from Mike Strander were supported by Ed Charlwood and Dean Wixon forcing Ruislip into mistakes at the breakdown which were punished by the referee. Nick Game nonchalantly put further breathing space between the teams with two penalties.
18 year old, Louis Michalski, was superb in the back row. He has a knack of being at the right place at the right time and turned over ball in quick succession. With ball in hand he made inroads into the Ruislip defence. This resulted in the ball passing through hands in the backs producing a little bit of space for debutant winger Tim Cornell. This boy has wheels and is a very good prospect. He out sprinted the defence form 25 yards out in an excellent piece of finishing. Training on Tuesdays and availability on Saturdays will see this boy go through into the 2nd team without too long.
The colts have made a difference to the 3s in recent weeks and I am sure, in time, they will all make the transition to the 2nd team. Michalski, Cornell, Doodson and Dines all have the talent to go further than the 3s and is a glowing tribute to the excellent work of the academy.
Just before the break prop, Dean Wixon came into the ruck from the side and was yellow carded. He had played well up until them but Ruislip managed to score when he was off the field.
Tring fell asleep at half time and let Ruislip back into the game with two soft tries. Whilst they never looked like losing the game they did make life hard for themselves with some silly mistakes.
Nerves were calmed by the power of centre George Dimitriadis. His strength and speed took him through the Ruislip defence who had trouble putting a hand on him on two occasions. His try count is growing and has been Tring’s best back in recent weeks. In combination with Nick Game and Tim Cornell, George can be devastating in attack.
Nick Game ended up with 18 points on a good kicking day with one penalty from the half way line.
Next week sees the 3s away to Stevenage.