By David Hibell
April 14 2004

A below average gate for the season with 3477 people turning up to see Bristol get revenge on the away defeat at Henley in January with a team showing six changes from that day, including two positional changes. Bristol kicked off to Henley who cleared their lines giving the first test to the settled Hodge/ Kohn Nelson line out combination. They passed it and the ball was kicked into the Henley half. Bristol challenged at the Henley throw but Henley kept possession and were awarded a penalty that was kicked to touch.

From the subsequent ruck Bristol won the ball and Marco Stanojevic made an arcing run from the centre of the field down the left hand side and into the 22. His attempted pass to the Owen Evans up in support was just intercepted by Ali James who was able to get his fingertips to the ball to knock it away from Owen. James recovered the ball and made a break of his own breaking several tackles before being pulled down just inside his own half.

A flowing move from the Bristol backs ended with Sean Marsden, making his 100th appearance, crossing the try line in the left corner, Brett Davey, a last minute replacement for Danny Gray, able to convert to give Bristol the first points of the day.

Shortly after the restart Bristol were on the attack again coming very close to scoring on the left of the posts again, after Paul Hodgson had hacked on and the covering Henley player was only able to knock the ball into touch. From the subsequent line out play was stopped just short and Joe El-Abd was unlucky not to score on the pick up and drive from 1 yard out as the ref blew for a double movement against Joe El Abd and Henley were able to clear their lines.

As the game of an hour mark came up Brett Davey added a penalty from some forty yards out extending the lead to 10 points and this forced Henley to up their game a little.

On 21 minutes Bristol were forced to make their first substitution with Ollie Hodge being replaced by Richard Hunt after injury. But the pack continued to exert pressure and from turn over ball on halfway Paul Hodgson scored (in the corner again). The build up showed some wonderful support play and running from the backs with Jon Hawker feeding Owen Evans who drew the cover tackler beautifully before releasing the scrum half inside the twenty two with plenty of work still to do.

Brett Davey missed this conversion, but made no mistake with a penalty two minutes later extending the lead to 18-0 after half an hour.

Henley attacked straight from the restart and were awarded a kickable penalty. Electing to take the quick tap the play was moved left into the Bristol 22, with Barry Reeves making a break and setting up James Winterbottom who took 2 or 3 Bristol attackers to stop him, but play was halted again for another Henley penalty. This time Reeves elected to kick and closed the gap to 18-3.

Sean Marsden made a telling break down the right wing beating two Henley defenders before getting the ball away inside to Marco who was able to set the ruck up. The ball was spread left at pace and spying the overlap Brett Davey chipped through to the left wing where Dave Hilton was lurking, managing to keep the bal in play Hilts threw a pass inside to Richard Martin-Redman but the ball was knocked on by the covering Henley defender. Playing the advantage presumably the referee allowed play to go on but then penalised Bristol for crossing.

Henley again opted for a quick tap but turned the ball over after a crunching tackle, Paul Hodgson did his impression of a Japanese land crab trying to crawl over a ruck, and after a few phases Owen Evans found himself with the ball where he showed good strength to power over by the posts, Brett Davey adding the extras to leave it 25-3.

Barry Reeves had the chance to close the gap again but pulled his kick well left, but showed that he can run as well as kick fielding the Bristol clearance and ghosting through a gap but the Bristol defence were up to the challenge and the score remained at 25-3 at half time.

Ollie Kohn was taken off at half time after taking a knock and was replaced by Craig Hill with Matt Styles showing his versatility moving up into the second row, but the disruption to the pack with both second rows being changed was immediately evident with Henley winning a penalty and James Winterbottom able to cross the line after the resultant line out. Barry Reeves adding the conversion to make it 25-10.

Bristol penned Henley back after this and Henley had two clearances from their 22 charged down in quick succession by Matt Styles. The West Enclosure crowd obviously spied something the referee didn’t as they bayed for a Henley player to be removed from the field of play, but referee Goodliffe awarded the penalty to the visitors.

Bristol were able to clear the ball to half way though and Dave Hilton showed great speed of foot and mind to pounce on a lose ball on the floor, the referee awarding Bristol a penalty soon after. The penalty was kicked to touch on the 22 and a rolling maul set up, Henley were again penalised and Bristol went for a further line out.

Henley were able to steal this one and clear to the relative safety of the half way line where Marco Stanojevic received bal and man at the same time, Bristol being awarded the scrum.

Though it appeared as though Joe El-Abd had broken from the scrum with the ball Mr Goodliffe blew for wheeling and Henley had the put in. Unable to retain possession they turned the ball over again and were penalised for going in at the side giving Bristol another penalty. Taking a quick tap Paul Hodgson was tackled by a Henley player who hadn’t retreated the 10 yards, playing the advantage the ball was moved up field and Henley again infringed. Brett Davey stepped up to make it 28-10.

Bristol attacked fielding the restart in their own 22 and Sean Marsden straightened up the line of attack before releasing Sam Cox who passed inside to Marco but he was deemed to have been tackled into touch in goal, touching the corner flag before touching the ball down.

Seeing that Sean Marsden had taken a knock in the attack Henley took a quick 22 drop out deep into the Bristol half, but Brett Davey was alert to the danger and had tracked back to cover.

Richard Hill made wholesale changes on 66 minutes with Duncan Hayward, Wayne Thompson, Craig McGrath and James Bailey coming on for Sam Cox, Dave Hilton, Saul Nelson and Owen Evans.

Henley had not given up and continued to press, a chip ahead bouncing too far for their attackers. Brett Davey revived a Derek Eves style 22 restart with a tap to himself and took play to the 10 yard line setting up a ruck from where the ball was chipped on. The ball seemed to have a life of its own, the bounce avoiding Ali James, covering back on the wing for Henley, several times. When he was able to field it he was collared instantly and the ball turned over. Marco took the ball on and won a penalty that Bristol ran.

Henley were again encroaching within 10 yards and the referee again played advantage as Marco made a break down the right wing, the ball was then spread to the left, Matt Styles finding Richard Hunt just outside the 22 who gave James Bailey the simplest of run ins to bring up the bonus point. Davey again converted from wide out to make the final score 38-10.