Royston cling on for Captain Kirk

Royston 12pts Saracens 5pts A BLUSTERY Heath welcomed Saracens for this end-of-season friendly as Royston attempted to put on a win for departing captain Kirk Woodford. The game was open from the kick-off, with both teams showing signs of making a breakthrough. This soon came in favour of Royston with a dash from the full back providing Dan Fox with the opportunity to off-load to hooker Jason Shackleton, who touched down with great ease. With the wind making kicking difficult, the two extra points went begging. The remainder of the first half was evenly contested with heated exchanges across the park and commendable tackling proving to be the order of the day. Despite no further scoring there was one significant moment when Saracens found themselves down to 14 players following one of their forwards wafting a kick at a Royston head. At half-time, the game was being edged by Royston with their narrow five-point lead. However, complacency was not an option in such an open contest. Now playing into the considerable wind, Royston knew ball in hand would be required which, after about five minutes, saw Saracens concede another try when Aaron on the outside of Royston's back line broke free to score under the posts. Dave Marvell showed great composure to ensure the additional two points. The hosts were not to have the scoring all their own way, however, as Saracens began to use the wind to gain some territorial advantage. This allowed a quickly-taken penalty to evolve into a 20-yard rolling maul which, in turn, provided the outlet to score a try in reply. Saracens' effort was to no avail as Royston continued to look the more likely team to add to their tally. They were unable to do so but came closest when Aaron once more broke through, only for the ball to slip from his grasp at the crucial moment.