Thrings' Eye View - Bath V Worchester Warriors
On rather a cold, grey February day, Thrings? hosts and guests gathered in the box and looked out on the Rec as the players warmed up.
There was much discussion about what was sure to be an exciting weekend of rugby. We all enjoyed the corporate hospitality and warmth of the box – what could be better than a stocked fridge and a delicious lunch?
Our guests were all Bath supporters (at least for this game), from an avid supporter who had been a season ticket holder since the early 1980's to an American visitor who had not experienced a live rugby match before.
Pre-match chatter deduced that this game would get off to a slow start, but that Bath should be the winning team. After all, we were on a winning streak, weren’t we?
Bath scored early doors with a well-deserved try by Peter Stringer (his third in only two games for Bath). Unfortunately, Stephen Donald failed to convert but we at least had points on the board. Following an unawarded Worcester try, Danny Gray kicked a penalty for the visitors setting the score at 5-3. Bath continued the pressure and were quickly down the Worcester end again, taking advantage of the opposition being a man down, after Worcester’s Dean Schofield was sin-binned. Thrings’ sponsored player, Rob Webber, scored his first try for Bath! Great to see him back on form after a long break through injury. Animated conversation ensued within the box, prompted mainly by our American guest, wondering firstly why Thrings would choose to sponsor a "hooker" and, secondly, what on earth was a "hooker" doing on the pitch?! A full explanation promptly cleared this up.
Back on the pitch after half-time, with Bath 13-9 up, surely meant that the box would have a great view of all the action. This didn't quite go to plan though, as Worcester applied renewed pressure on Bath, forcing their way into the Bath half. One too many infringements saw David Attwood yellow carded. Worcester got close to scoring but Bath’s defence was strong and Worcester’s try was held up.
The home side took advantage and Kyle Eastmond collected a long ball from Stephen Donald, passed out to Tom Biggs on the wing, who rapidly covered 20 metres to score a try in the corner. This was swiftly followed by a try by Horacio Agulla, resulting in a bonus point for Bath. The final play saw another try for Agulla, set up by a great kick by Tom Heathcote, who, incidentally, converted both tries effortlessly.
All in all, a great rugby weekend, seeing both Bath and England winning their matches.
Post-match news: It only seems right that, following the breaking news on Monday of Lee Mears’ immediate retirement, we raise a glass to the Bath legend and send him our best wishes for the future.
Bath v Worcester Warrior, 9th February 2013. This Thrings' Eye View was brought to you by Sarah Ellis, Solicitor in the Commercial team.
