Counts up to fourth after triumph in the mud

Since the return of their talismanic skipper Will Thornton in December after a shoulder operation, Walcountians have barely put a foot wrong and have won five League matches and one Cup tie. In an ‘away’ match bizarrely played at Clock House because opponents Old Georgians had switched the previous fixture to their ground, Walcountians made the early running in atrocious conditions, despite Georgians taking the lead with a penalty in the seventh minute. Walcountians’ persistence led to them taking a deserved lead in the 20th minute when hooker Rob Fleming crashed over for a try from a rolling maul.

The visitors however proved stubborn opponents and were easily the best side Walcountians have faced this season. The Georgians pack became the first to hold the powerful Walcountians eight in the set scrums and their aggression in attacking rucks led to several turnovers. The Georgians’ backs had pace and inventiveness and frequently gave Walcountians defensive nightmares.

Walcountians managed to extend their lead early I the second half through a penalty from full-back Ed Armitage but alarm bells rang in the 18th minute when Georgians’ outside-centre ran in a try and drew his side level after his fellow midfield backs had opened up Walcountians’ defence.

Walcountians however have become a resilient team and their response was to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and take control. In conditions more suited to mud-wrestling than rugby, the Walcountians pack carried the ball aggressively and supported in numbers, setting up repeated phases of possession which the visitors were unable to counter. Particularly outstanding in this respect were Jonny Evans, Rob Fleming, Dom Bell and Tom Housden. Although the Counts were unable to penetrate the Georgians’ defensive line again, the pressure paid off as Georgians conceded penalties and Ed Armitage was on hand to bang over three in the 31st, 40th and 46th minutes to seal victory.

Walcountians now stand fourth in Surrey League 1 and are only six points behind second-placed Georgians. From being in the relegation zone in December, Walcountians now have a realistic prospect of securing promotion to the London leagues where they last played 20 years ago.

Next Saturday, Walcountians take on Surrey League 2 opponents Kingston in the Surrey Shield. Kick-off at Clock House is at 2pm.

Old Walcountians:- Armitage, Fletcher-Rogers, Wrightson (H), Kennedy, Vadivelu, Chmielinski, McMullen, Evans, Fleming, Abou-Zeid, Thornton, Bell, Housden, Wrightson (J), Henderson.

Subs:- Anderson, Charnock, George.