BERRY HILL coach Phil Jones plugs defence as the key to victory. And he proved the point admirably last week as his 'tackle, tackle, tackle' philosophy paid off handsomely.
Last season Berry Hill had to go 13 matches before recording a win. So success in the second match of the season was a boost and hugely encouraging for the enthusiastic Jones.
"We stuck to our guns and worked tremendously hard. I was really pleased with the way all our players took on their responsibilities," he said.
Berry Hill certainly had their work cut out. After just six minutes they lost hooker Mark Gunter who was sent off for stamping.
"He walked over someone's legs. The player had come over the top and was interfering with play. I'm not defending what Mark did but I don't think it was a red card offence. A severe lecture and a yellow card would have been more appropriate," he said.
Peter Baldwin took over as hooker and Jones reorganised his team, dropping a winner and playing only seven forwards in the set scrums.
"We enjoyed a good first half when we scored all our points. Captain Mark Graham got the try converted by Nathan Morris who also kicked five penalty goals. Then we had to defend," said Jones.
While praising the unstinting efforts of his forwards, Jones was keen to praise the backs who, he said, tackled themselves into the ground.
"Danny Morris and Paul Hunt could not have done any more in midfield, while Nigel and Nick Tippins were outstanding. Young scrum-half Dave Arnott also played well, he was a breath of fresh air," he said.
Jones' team will take a break next week as they have a bye in the first round of the NPI Cup.
"We will concentrate our minds on playing Launceston in Cornwall the following week. That will be a tough one and again the key will be our defence. Beating Dorchester has given us a bit of encouragement and we will be looking for another stout performance against a team tipped by many as one of the favourites to go up," he said.