Brentwood Eels 34 St Albans Centurions 24 A blistering start from Brentwood on another red-hot match day, left Centurions trailing 18-4 at half-time and all but out of it. A great second-half fightback followed but not enough to achieve the victory needed for a place in the play-offs. On a lightning quick pitch baked as hard as concrete in the 30 degree heat, the Centurions fell behind in the first minute and even further behind 8 minutes later. The Eels were flying. A short-range dive over the line from the ever-impressive Alex Powdrell reduced the arrears but the respite was only temporary. By half-time Brentwood had a commanding lead. But the Centurions still had hope on their side and the marked slope was now in their favour – and how they responded. A marauding Josh Lawrence – how he’s been missed this season – smashed through the home defence and young Powdrell added the conversion. Then the teenager dived over again for his second of the match. The next try was critical but despite the Cents being camped on the Brentwood line for what seemed an age, the home side grabbed it after a length of the field breakaway. Both sides exchanged two more tries before the final whistle, including a richly deserved hat-trick for man-of-the-match Powdrell. Despite edging the second-half, the first 40 minutes had cost St Albans dear: 34-24 was a frustrating result but a fair one. Captain Joe Baker was as positive as ever. “Once again, some great performances, particularly from Alex and also new-boy Kristin Naylor who ran his heart out. We let ourselves down at key times today especially close to their line and with kicks to touch – but the second-half fightback emphasises just how much spirit this team has. Whilst we’ve missed out on the play-offs, we’ll still be giving everything we’ve got until the end of the season.” Match day photos now on our photo web site. Comments are closed.
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