Match report: Ampthill & District 35 Fylde 12

Ampthill & District 35
Fyldes Tom Grimes saw a try ruled out in the second halfFyldes Tom Grimes saw a try ruled out in the second half
Fyldes Tom Grimes saw a try ruled out in the second half

Fylde were slow out of the blocks and struggled to get parity after conceding two tries in the opening 20 minutes at Dillingham Park before a much better second-half performance gave them a foothold.

Ampthill’s Josh Sharp and Chris West scored tries in the eighth and 20th minutes respectively, one coming from an interception; a familiar Fylde gift to their opponents.

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The visitors battled hard against a strong wind but were under the cosh against a very strong pack.

In the 31st minute Ampthill’s familiar tactic following a penalty in their favour was a kick to the corner, a driving lineout and, eventually, a try by Alex Woodford.

Sharp converted all three as his side led 21-0 at the break.

With the benefits of the wind in the second half and a step up in intensity, Fylde got back into the match.

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In the 47th minute, Olli Parkinson drove over for his side’s first points before a foot in touch ruled out a try for Tom Grimes.

The last 10 minutes were all action as Sam Hanks scored Ampthill’s fourth try, converted by Lawrence Raynor.

Fylde scored again as a scything run by Tom Carleton set up a try for Greg Smith with the extras making it 28-12.

Ampthill had the last laugh when, in the 78th minute, James Pritchard scored under the posts, Raynor with the conversion.

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Fylde have yet to win at Dillingham Park in three attempts but there were positive aspects on which they can build with league leaders Coventry visiting the Woodlands next Saturday.

Head coach Warren Spragg said: “This was probably our best away performance so far. However, we’ll never win a game when we give our opposition a 21-point lead. We can’t expect to beat a team like Ampthill with the number of errors we made and the lads will really need to challenge their skill levels in training this week.”

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