by CVKickers | Jan 31, 2011 | Game Reports
Under the direction of recently appointed head coach Aaron L’Arrive, and paced by hat-trick of tries from wing Ross McLean, the Comox Valley Kickers began the Spring season with an impressive, six-try, 30-12 win over the Saanich Aggies in Victoria last Sunday. The Kickers dominated nearly all phases of play and played seventy percent of the match in the Saanich half. In the first-half alone the visitors registered five tries with out-side centre McLean finding his way over the line three times and with #8 Nathan Holley and wing James McKeachie adding singles. Saanich, a new team in the league this season whom the Kickers defeated 68-17 in the Fall, managed to perform better in the second-half, tightening up their defence to hold the Kickers to just one try from fly-half Doug Wynd. Toward the end of the contest the home team scored two tries and a conversion to make the score more respectable. “This was a good away-win for us,” said new coach L’Arrive after the game. “The Kickers stuck to the task and though they did perrhaps take their foot off the gas in the second-half, it was a good start to the new season.” L’Arrive singled out his three-try scorer Ross McLean for special mention. “Ross is new to the team this season and in this game he took his chances well and was rewarded. Lock Shayne Stuchbery put in his usual dynamic performance taking the ball and making the “hard yards.” It was also good to see Eli Cummins back playing inside-centre. He was very creative and set up a good many of the tries....
by CVKickers | Nov 30, 2010 | Game Reports
Report by Ian Kennedy. The recent spate of bad weather created turmoil for this past weekend’s Comox Valley Kickers play-off games. The Kicker Women had their Saturday game cancelled against the Velox-Valhallians in Victoria, but the Men’s team did manage to play its game on Sunday, however the result wasn’t what the locals hoped for. With its other games cancelled, the Velox club had an overabundance of players clamouring for a game, and this led to the visiting Kickers being outnumbered and outgunned. “They had a ton of guys,” said Kickers captain Greg Merchant. “Some of whom were from higher divisions than ours. Their backs were particularly good, so that when they got the ball and spread it wide, we were in a lot of trouble.” In the end the Kickers lost 45-10 with the home team amassing five tries and four conversions for a 33-0 half-time lead. “The score doesn’t indicate how well we played,” continued Merchant. “I think that as a team we played one of our best game of the season. We rucked really well, we took very few penalties and the handling was so good we had very few knock-ons. We came close to scoring on a number of occasions in the first half, but just couldn’t get over the line.” In the second-half the match was much more of an even contest with both sides scoring two tries, but with the Comox team showing great grit and determination in a much improved second-half performance. Flanker John Waters took the home side by surprise when he stole a ball right out of the hands of a Velox player and set off up-field. Stopped just short of the line, he linked with...
by CVKickers | Nov 22, 2010 | Game Reports
By Ian Kennedy. The Comox Valley Kickers traveled to Victoria on Saturday and though the team encountered snow on the way down Island to play the Castaway-Wanderers in the final game of the fall season, once they arrived they found temperatures hovering just above the freezing mark but Windsor Park was free of snow and ready for action. After a testing out period the Kickers began dominating play and early in the first half centre Steve Hextall continued his three-game, try-scoring streak when his hard running carried him through a number of tackles and saw him go over for his team-leading ninth of the season to give the visitors a 5-0 lead going into the half. In the second-half the Kickers continued to force their will on the game with the forwards rucking and mauling to effect. This allowed rookie lock Jake Nessman to score his first in a Kickers jersey when he took a ball from the side of a maul and bulldozed his way over the line: 10-0. Dynamic prop Leigh Burley, capping yet another sterling performance for the club, found himself on left wing at the end of a breathtaking rush by the forwards. He took the final pass to go over unscathed following a ten metre run: 15-0. With the game well in hand and with the visitors relishing warm showers, the home team managed a later try on the last play of the game. Final: 15-5. The win sees the Kickers finish the Fall League schedule in second-place with a 5-3 record pitting them against Velox-Valhallians — weather permitting — next weekend in Victoria in the first round of the play-offs. ...
by CVKickers | Nov 16, 2010 | Game Reports
By Ian Kennedy. Spectators watching Sunday’s Kickers match at Village Park Cumberland against the visiting Port Alberni Black Sheep, chewed their fingernails nearly to the bone as they watched in suspense as the Kickers held onto a slim one-point lead hoping to stop a three-game losing streak. The Kickers did hold on, and the 25-24 win sees the local club sit in second-place with one game to play before Fall play-offs begin. A brilliant run by prop Leigh Burley, right from the second-half kick-off, set up a peach of a try by #8 Andy Hextall to give the Kickers a comfortable 22-10 lead with a half to play. But following that try the Kickers managed only a penalty as the Black Sheep managed to climb back into contention with two converted tries, giving them hope of an all-important away win. Luckily for the Kickers, however, mid-way through the half, wing Steve “House” Jones kicked a splendid penalty goal from in front of the post that ultimately secured the victory for the locals. The Kickers played some fine rugby on the way to this win. They rucked and mauled with authority; they retained ball in contact very well, and always seemed to be on the front foot most of the game securing seventy percent of the available possession. Their captain Greg Merchant enjoyed one of his best games in a Kicker uniform this season and with flanker Ben Travena laying on the “big hits”; with #8 Andy Hextall roaming with intent and Leigh Burley taking the ball forward every time he seemed to touch the ball, one wonders why the Kickers didn’t win this game by a much wider margin. But the Black Sheep had...
by CVKickers | Nov 9, 2010 | Game Reports
Back from a trip home to England, C.V. Kicker fullback Steve Hextall nailed down two tries against the Nanaimo Hornets on Sunday adding to the four he has already scored this season, to make him the club’s top try scorer so far this season. Unfortunately, Hextall’s heroics in the Hub City couldn’t prevent the Kickers record the third loss in a row, 31-17. New winger Ross McLean scored the Kickers' other marker which Adam Erickson converted. Hextall has been a stalwart for the Kickers for the past number of years and his aggressive, knees-up, striding running style makes him a handful for opposing teams to contain. Last season he recorded a team leading eleven tries, and this year he has netted six already with more than a half season to play. In the second-half of the contest against Nanaimo, led by prop Ian Harris and #8 Andy Hextall, the Kickers spent most of their time in the Hornet end making concerted attacks on the home team’s line but just couldn’t find a way to score against a stalwart defence. In the end the Hornets scored two tries against the run of play to seal the win. Despite the loss the Kickers hang onto fourth place in the nine team Vancouver Island Third Division table. The team takes on Port Alberni Black Sheep at Village Park next Sunday. SUBSTITUTIONS COST KICKER WOMEN The Comox Valley Kicker Women’s team took on the powerful University of Victoria Vikettes at Village Park Cumberland last Saturday and though competitive in the first-half, sheer strength in numbers wore the home team down in the second stanza. The Vikettes, sitting second in the Vancouver Island Women’s League table, arrived with over twenty-five players...
by CVKickers | Nov 4, 2010 | Game Reports
The Comox Valley Kickers Women’s rugby team travelled “over the Hump” to Port Alberni last Saturday hoping to record a second win overthe Black Sheep, a team they beat 26-10, at home, in their first game of the season. Port Alberni began the game with intent which led to the Kickers taking a number of early penalties as the Kickers tried to contain the early onslaught. First the Black Sheep kicked an easy penalty and then scored a try to take an 8-0 lead at the twenty-minute mark. The Kickers finally came to life with the Kickers forwards driving downfield through a series of close-quarter off-loads that eventually saw lock Alyson Wood score her first try in a Kickers jersey as she went over in a pile of bodies. 8-5 at half-time. In the second-half, scrum half Amber Van Der Mark kicked a loose ball several times down field and managed to pounce on it as it went over the line giving the Kickers a 10-8 lead. Now the game swung back and forth until another penalty saw the Black Sheep kicker find her mark and slot an easy penalty to give the home side the lead 11-10. Realizing there were only minutes left in the game the Kickers used their ‘pick and drive’ to effect and won a scrum just short of the Black Sheep line. Given that the Kicker forward pack had been a powerhouse in the set-scrums all game long, hope ran high amongst the visitors that a try might result. But the referee, the sole arbiter of time in a rugby match, consulted...
