So near but so far for gritty OWs

There were early alarm bells for the Counts as they found that their opponents had explosive counter-attacking pace and skills with half-backs Harry Weatherall and Sam Hall orchestrating these most effectively. It was a Vandals counter-attack from their own 22 which led to their first try after just 10 minutes.

Walcountians were however made of stern stuff and responded with a vengeance. Aggressive rucking by the forwards, in which hooker Callum Tilleray and flanker Rob Fleming were prominent, secured several turnovers. Walcountians’ full-back Ross Norton reduced Vandals’ lead with a penalty in the 19th minute and, in the 24th minute, the Counts were ahead when prop Jonny Evans punched a massive hole in the Vandals’ defence and, from 2nd phase possession following a successful recycle of the ball, scrum-half Seb Chmielinski put winger Nino Stylianou in for a try in the left hand corner.

Vandals responded in the 28the minute when inside-centre Greg Lynch ran in for a try after being set up by Harry Weatherall, but two more penalties from Ross Norton were enough to give the Counts a two-point lead at half-time.

Walcountians continued to compete vigorously and a fourth penalty from the boot of Ross Norton extended their lead to five points by the 12th minute. But Walcountians were to suffer a major setback when dynamic prop Remy Claustres had to leave the field with a shoulder injury. Vandals senses an opportunity and surged back into the lead with two tries in the 22nd and 27th minute. The first came from a short-range drive from a ruck on the Walcountians line, the second came from a threequarter move spectacularly finished by right-winger Luke Phair who outpaced Walcountians’ defenders to touch down.

With just one score between the two teams, Walcountians rallied strongly in the closing minutes in a bid to salvage the match. They were kept at bay until the seventh minute of stoppage time when Ross Norton broke clear down the right wing and took a return pass from winger Dharshan Vadivelu to outpace Vandals defenders and touch down. Unfortunately, his conversion attempt rebounded off the post and the opportunity to level the score went begging.

Walcountians felt they were hard done by when the referee failed to penalise a Vandals defender in the final minute when he knocked on as he attempted to intercept a pass in a sweeping Walcountians threequarter move. Many Walcountians players and spectators felt that a penalty should have been awarded on the grounds that the knock on appeared to be deliberate rather than accidental.

Next Saturday, Walcountians face another tough encounter when they take on third-placed Warlingham. Kick-off at Limpsfield Road, Hamsey Green is at 2:30pm.

Old Walcountians:- Norton, Vadivelu, Wrightson, Abou-Zeid, Stylianou, Cleary, Chmielinski, Evans, Tilleray, Claustres, Thornton, Thomas, Bellringer, Fleming, Brown.

Subs:- Ford, Housden, Togbolah.