National League Two

Camberley 16

A DRAMATIC 10 minute period when Lydney were reduced to 13 players and had to defend as though their very lives depended upon it, earned them two invaluable points at the expense of Camberley.

This season's National League matches are closer than ever before.

Indeed, success and failure this autumn has frequently depended upon the wicked bounce of a ball and, as yet, no team has appeared capable of showing the others a clean pair of heels.

Thus Camberley, down in the basement with Lydney, arrived at Regentholme having seen off top team Harrogate and determined to capture Lydney's scalp in a game described by one of their officials as "our most important game to date."

But Lydney were just as keen to win and began at a cracking pace.

A try by Dean Jenkins and two Stephen Ward penalties gave them a 13 points advantage but by half-time Camberley had clawed back eight points with a try and a penalty.

The second-half was just as tight and even more dramatic as prop Nigel Horrell capitalised on Lydney pressure to snap up a try. Camberley were back in the game with a penalty goal and at 18-11 the result was in the balance.

The crunch for Lydney came as forwards Horrell and Bashford were sin-binned and for a drama-packed five minutes the Severnsiders had to weather a wave of Camberley attacks with only 13 players.

Lydney's defence was magnificent but coaches Rhodri Lewis and Peter Kingston will be laying down the law urging far greater discipline and self control as the team prepares for Saturday's visit to Fylde who also have three wins from eight games.