Ian Kennedy
Contributor
Teams often have trouble finding their “rhythm,” and such proved the case for the AFC Comox Valley Kickers as they took on one of only two teams to have beaten them this season.
During the first half of Sunday’s BCRU Province Wide Third Division tilt at Cumberland’s Village Park against the visiting Velox-Valhallians, the Kickers struggled to find any kind of constructive form. They went through the motions of running the ball, kicking the ball, mauling the ball, and rucking the ball but just could not make anything click.
No matter how hard they tried, nothing seemed to work. Scoring passes dropped despondently to the ground; kicks squirted aimlessly in the wrong direction, and things that had worked effortlessly in past games just didn’t seem to happen. To their credit, the Kickers stuck to the task and eventually the late individual brilliance of some of its younger players helped them record a well-deserved 26-7 victory.
The Kickers knew from the outset that they could not take the league-leading Velox-Valhallians lightly having lost the Fall League final 24-15 to them in December. They also knew that they were coming off a 28-17 loss to Cowichan last weekend, and with these things in mind set about the task of playing Velox with some conviction.
However, even with all the will in the world, things don’t always go as planned and at half time the visitors led 7-0 after a mistake by the home team allowed Velox #8 Al Hall to score and scrum-half Kevin Sommerfeldt convert.
The Kickers laboured in the early going of the second half until, finally, fullback Curtis Parker, a former Isfeld high school player with a great set of wheels, made a fine break that saw him pretty well run the length of the field to score and cut the lead to 7-5.
With the game now on the cusp and Velox exerting constant pressure, wing Tim Begg and the centre pairing of Mike Magee and Steve Hextall set up lock Vince Bennett, who is still a student at Isfeld, for a blustering run that saw him touch down under the posts. Konrad Nikkle conveted and it was 12-7. Having finally found their pulse, the Kickers now looked like a different team and were unfortunate not to score again when Steve Hextall went over the line only to have the referee adjudicate that he had been “held up” in a try-saving tackle.
With the bit between their teeth, captain Tony Forth made a fine run to score after Nikkle, Brandon Huddleston and Andy Hextall opened the door for him. Nikkle’s convert made it 19-7.
With the game in the dying minutes, Parker made another of his scything breaks and this time set Damian Kuoba on a clear run to the in-goal to run in the fourth Kicker try. Nikkle nailed the convert to make it a 26-7 final.
“Obviously we saved the best for the end,” laughed Kicker coach Aaron L’Arrive. “It is interesting that it took two substitutes, Bennett and Kodaba, to seal the deal in the end. It was a bit of a struggle for most of the game but then things suddenly opened up in the last 15 minutes. It was an exciting game that could well have gone either way except for some fine runs by our youngsters.”
No trouble picking a Man of the Match: Once again flanker Andy Hextall lit up the field with his brilliant defensive and offensive play. He scored a try only to have his run called back for an infringement committed by a teammate. Nevertheless, his contribution to the overall Kicker performance kept his team in the hunt and ensured the final victory.
The win vaulted the Kickers (4-1-0) back into top spot in the Island Division over Velox (3-1-0). Both teams have earned three bonus points. This weekend the Kickers take on Saanich Aggies down Island.
