The Counts had the advantage of the Croham Road slope in the first half and dominated both possession and territory. However, a stubborn Whitgiftians defence kept them at bay for most of the half. They made the initial breakthrough in the 10th minute when centre George Charnock made an angled run which split the home side’s defence and saw him go over for a try converted by fly-half Ben French. The second Counts try came five minutes into stoppage time when a ruck formed close to the Whitgiftians line and rangy lock Pete Thomas took an offload to crash over the line. Ben French added two more points with a towering conversion from the touchline.

Fears that Whitgiftians were going to mount a comeback were raised in the fifth minute of the second half when winger Clem Li-Raphael went over for a try to finish a threequarter move. But Walcountians, despite missing seven first team regulars, proved they were made of sterner stuff and took the game to Whitgiftians despite having to play against the slope. The Counts pack, with hooker Jamie Blackmore, prop James Ford and flanker Sam Charnock in the thick of the action, repeatedly drove Whitgiftians off the ball and provided an ocean of possession for the backs. Behind the scrum, scrum-half James Bacon was a menace around the base of the scrum and the backline, with centres George Charnock and Andy Togbolah outstanding, stretched Whitgiftians to breaking point. Giant winger Olly Sanders also gave Whitgiftians an uncomfortable afternoon with several bone-shattering breaks down the wing.

The final quarter of the match saw Walcountians rewarded for the intense pressure they applied as they ran in four tries to seal victory. The first came in the 20th minute when Andy Togbolah drifted clear of his markers and took a long overhead pass from fellow centre George Charnock to run in unopposed for his first try of the day.

Whitgiftians were reduced to fourteen players following a sending off for a second yellow card offence and the Counts took full advantage to seal victory with three more tries in the closing minutes. The first came in the 36th minute when the ever-busy James Bacon scored from close range after picking up the ball from a ruck near the Whitgiftians line. Three minutes later, Andy Togbolah scored his second try of the day after a Whitgiftians move broke down on the 10-metre line and gave him the opportunity to pick up and race in to score. The final score came three minutes into stoppage time when the Counts pack set up a ruck following a thunderous Olly Sanders break and put replacement centre Michael Beaubrun in for a try.

Although Walcountians remain in ninth place in Counties League 2 Surrey, this win has increased the gap between them and the bottom three clubs and eased concerns about being caught in a relegation dogfight. The Counts have no match next week but return on 22 November when they take on Old Blues. Kick-off at Clock House, Carshalton Road, Woodmansterne is at 2pm.

Old Walcountians:- Mogridge, Moorhead, Togbolah, Charnock (G), Sanders, French (B), Bacon, Marsh, Blackmore, Ford, Orji, Thomas, Harding, Charnock (S), Lawrence.

Subs:- Beaubrun, Camakamma, French (A).