Sat 29 Jan 2022
Wallingford welcomed county rivals Gosford to the Hithercroft on a blustery day, as they looked to build on their win at Bicester the week before.
In selection, Wallingford were able to field a strong XV, with Chris Rowland coming in for his debut in the front row, whilst Andy Hoggins returned on the wing.
The hosts started strongly, with the forwards dominating the opening exchanges with some powerful carries, with Carl Tappin and Ian Jeffreys notably prominent.
With Charles Campbell’s boot earning good field position, Wallingford controlled play for the opening quarter, and were rewarded with the opening score. Sam Botting fed Campbell 45 yards out and then a couple of dummies saw the Red Sea part as he coasted in for a well-taken try that he converted himself.
Wallingford continued to create opportunities, and the next score soon followed. After a penalty was kicked to the corner, a catch and drive eventually saw Rowland dart down the blindside for a debut try, which Campbell converted brilliantly from the touchline.
Gosford were beginning to struggle, and even when they cleared their lines Wallingford ran it back with interest, as the one-way traffic continued.
A third score soon followed. From a line-out 40 yards out, a good backs move in midfield put the in-form Botting in space and he scorched in for a well-executed score that Campbell converted.
And it soon got worse for the visitors, as a loose pass in midfield allowed Botting to gather and run in from 25 yards.
That was pretty much as good as it got for the hosts though, with the referee seemingly enjoying a private game of rugby laws bingo for the remainder of match, as he proceeded to find a way to penalise the hosts at every opportunity.
Captain Ian Jeffreys was sent to the bin shortly before half time for one of Wallingford’s first offences, as Gosford began to get back into the game with Wallingford’s penalty count growing.
Half-Time: Wallingford 28 – 0 Gosford All Blacks
The second half was a turgid affair, dominated by whistle and the hosts being marched back 10 for perceived back chat (including one instance when it was the spectators voicing their frustration).
With Gosford given plenty of attacking positions, they eventually opened their account with a catch and drive try.
Wallingford’s frustration was getting the better of them, as they made poor decisions when they were occasionally allowed to have the ball, including throwing an intercept pass to the portly Gosford winger who just about ran the length to score under the posts.
Wallingford nearly added a fifth try before end, when Craig Irwin showed impressive power to get over the line, only for the referee to decide he been held up (see the match photos).
As play drew to a close, fittingly there was still time for a pointless yellow card for Nathan Chapman, before the final whistle went, with Wallingford winning 28-12.
This was a frustrating game of rugby to watch. Wallingford played some excellent rugby in the first half, with forwards and backs combining well, but less said about the second half the better.
There were plenty of benefits from the game still, including the long-awaited debut of Chris ‘Rowly’ Rowland, and a promising debut from 17 year old JJ Brown in the backs, whilst Man of the Match went to Ollie Corbett, for some excellent defence and immaculate distribution at nine.
