Sat 14 Oct 2023
Saturday’s long awaited local derby promised to be a tight affair, with the sides positioned 4th and 5th in the league respectively.
Wallingford fielded a strong side - despite some unavailability in the pack, with first team regulars Nathan Chapman & Jack Thurston enjoying poorly timed holidays. Wallingford were able to field an exciting back line with Murray Bellis starting at 13 and Thomas Cerullo making his long awaited (and heavily social-media documented) return to 1st XV action.
Conditions were near perfect, with the sun shining and the pitch looking immaculate. There were many strong performances on & off the pitch, as the game got underway in front of a well-lubricated crowd of VPs - a special mention for Henry Zs enthusiastic performance around the bar and cheese table.
The presence of the referee was felt strongly throughout the game, with a total of 5 yellows and 1 red being shown.
Wallingford put Grove under pressure in the early exchanges, worsened by a series of high-tackle penalties, with Grove playing a substantial chunk of this period with just 13 men. Murray Bellis struck first, with Charles Campbell adding the conversion.
Wallingford enjoyed the majority of the possession and territory in the first half but were unable to establish a significant lead. Grove hit back through their number 8 as the teams remained close on the scoreboard. Wallingford also received the first of their cards late in the first half, with Captain James Norris departing for 10 minutes.
The second half continued to be punctuated by stoppages and penalties, as both sides struggled to build any continuity or phase play.
Jacob Knight scored Wallingford’s second try after a period of sustained Wallingford pressure - with Grove staying in touch on the scoreboard through penalty kicks.
With around 20 minutes to go Wallingford’s (and formerly Grove’s) Jay Wiltshere, saw red - after a passionate scuffle on the floor with a former teammate.
The remainder of the game was spent largely in Wallingford’s half and 22. Further pressure was added late on with Carl Tappin being sent to the now well-worn sin bin. Wallingford’s 13 men defended valiantly but ultimately came undone in the final moments, with a cross field kick gathered and scored in the corner. Grove then had an opportunity to win the game with the final kick, the conversion was missed and the game finished in a draw.
This was a physical, but frustrating match for both sides - who will have both felt they deserved more from the game.
However, there were undoubtedly positives for Wallingford - Charles Campbell kicked impeccably from the tee and Wallingford’s defence was strong throughout, with improvements also clear in Wallingford’s line-out and attacking structure. A further positive was also added from the catering, with the post match curry being the culinary highlight of the season thus far.
Wallingford now look ahead to next weeks fixture away at Milton Keynes, looking to break their recent habit of drawing winnable games.
