12/06/08 - Kettering A (10) vs Warwick A (5) by Jonathan Fleet
Warwick traveled to Kettering to play the game marking the mid point of the 2008 season. The Kettering pool is always a difficult one to play in with poor lighting and one end being very shallow with an enormous Goal!
Kirk Holland won the swim at the start of the game but it was only on the third Warwick attack that Adam Streeter opened the scoring. Warwick were defending well, but struggling to find a way through the Kettering defence too. Eventually Kettering equalized when Gareth Dowd fouled preventing a likely goal. Warwick came back a minute later, Streeter getting his brace, before conceding 2 goals in the last minute of the quarter.
Warwick won the ball again at the start of the second quarter, and were hoping for more success attacking the deep end goal. First blood to Warwick with a goal from Matt Wardle. A minute later a fine swim from Scott Haystead and a pin point pass allowing him to score put Warwick in the lead. Unfortunately refereeing errors started to creep into the game at this point, and Warwick started to find themselves on the receiving end of some bizarre decisions, one of these allowing Kettering to equalize at the end of the quarter.
The game was poised at 4-4 going into the second half, and while Warwick did not play their best game ever, the refereeing seemed to get worse , and Warwick were being penalized all over the pool. Warwick battled on, but conceded 3 to Kettering before Streeter scored one for Warwick in the dying seconds of the quarter.
The standard of refereeing remained poor and Warwick conceded another 3 in the final quarter without replying , leaving the final score 10-5 to Kettering. The defeat is the first this season for Warwick and will hopefully not be decisive in the final leaguer positions. The referees part in the defeat left Warwick feeling a little hard done by.
