OWs grind out much-needed win

The Counts went into the match without the services of three of their most effective forwards in regular skipper Joe Henderson, hooker Callum Tilleray and back rower Tom Brown. In their absence, the "People's Champion" Dom Bell stepped up to captain the side.

The first 30 minutes was scoreless as two sides who have been struggling in the League this season were unable to put together a cohesive move that would have broken the deadlock. Walcountians however put in several solid defensive tackles which stopped the home side in their tracks but, without regular lineout jumpers Pete Thomas and Joe Henderson, struggled to win any ball from this phase of play, and they failed to make sufficient use of their two most penetrative backs in Omarie Brown and Dom Barnaby.

The Counts finally broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute when the pack first won a set scrum and, secondly, a ruck and launched the threequarters who brought full-back Hal Mogridge into the line to go over for a try. At the break, the Counts were five points up.
Cranleighans cut the Counts’ lead in the first minute of the second half with a penalty but Walcountians’ response was almost immediate. The pack won second-phase ball from a ruck in the Cranleighans’ 22 and skipper Dom Bell released a perfectly-timed offload to centre Dom Barnaby, who cut through the Cranleighans’ defence to touch down for a try.

Walcountians spent most of the first 20 minutes of the second half defending their line as Cranleighans sought in vain a first win of the season, and a second penalty in the 13th minute kept them in touch. However, the final 20 minutes belonged to Walcountians as their pack, solidly anchored by props Paul Harris and Michael Acquah, gained supremacy in the set pieces. Walcountians’ thirds and concluding try came in the 34th minute when the pack shunted their Cranleighans’ counterparts back over their line and No 8 Olly Sanders got the touch down.

Cranleighans scored one more penalty before the end but it was too late to have any impact on the final result.

Walcountians are still in ninth place in Counties League 1 Surrey/Sussex and are 19 points clear of the relegation zone. Next Saturday, they take on mid-table Eastbourne at their Park Avenue ground, kicking off at 2:30pm.

Old Walcountians:- Mogridge, Brown, Barnaby, Bateman, Kavanagh, French, Downes, Harris, Skinner, Acquah, Bell, Smart, Stevens, Housden, Sanders.

Subs:- Beeson, Blackmore, Stoner.