Counts run up ample victory

The Counts dominated possession for most of the first half with the pack, anchored by a solid scrummaging front row in Jonny Evans, Anthony Abou-Zeid and Ben Anderson, dominating possession. No 8 Ollie Dodwell, on his long-awaited return from injury, was always dangerous when breaking with the ball and kept the visitors’ defence busy.

The Counts took the lead after 11 minutes when a cutting break by centre Harry Wrightson opened a huge gap in the Amplefordians’ defence and set up a ruck from which flanker Joe Henderson was put away on the blind side to touch down for a try.
Walcountians extended their lead to 12 points in the 28th minute when Ollie Dodwell broke from the base of a scrum and found scrum-half Tom McMullen and flanker Tom Housden in support to set up Joe Henderson for his second try of the day. Full-back Ed Armitage added the conversion.

This woke up Amplefordians and, as Walcountians rested on their laurels, they started to come back into the game and began exposing Walcountians’ defence. A converted try in the 38th minute reduced Walcountians’ lead and, 12 minutes into the second half, their No 8 barged his way over for a converted try which put them in front.

Walcountians sensed the danger and turned up the heat on their opponents after bringing on fresh legs in the shape of veteran hooker Matt Houghton, promising schoolboy George Charnock and energetic flanker Brendan Murphy. Three minutes later, fly-half Seb Chmielinski wrong-footed the Amplefordians’ defence with an outrageous dummy and created a gap for centre Clive Kennedy to run in and score.

Walcountians lost one of their major advantages after 20 minutes when Amplefordians lost their hooker with a neck injury and, in the absence of a front-row replacement, uncontested scrums were introduced. But it did not dim their thirst for more points and, in the 25th minute, they extended their lead when a threequarter move found full-back Ed Armitage in support to touch down for the Counts’ fourth try of the day.
Just two minutes later, Walcountians sealed victory and it was Armitage again who scored after Seb Chmielinski floated a diagonal kick over the heads of the Amplefordians’ defence.

Amplefordians scored one more try late in the game from a forward drive but it was too late to make a difference.
Walcountians now stand fifth in Surrey League 1, a massive improvement from before Christmas when they were bottom. Next Saturday, they take on second-placed Old Georgians at Clock House (kick-off 2:30pm).

Old Walcountians:- Armitage, Vadivelu, Wrightson, Kennedy, Bellringer, Chmielinski, McMullen, Evans, Abou-Zeid, Anderson, Thornton, Bell, Housden, Henderson, Dodwell.

Subs:- Charnock, Houghton, Murphy.