Sat 26 Mar 2022
Wallingford travelled to Thatcham on a warm Saturday afternoon, as they looked to avoid an upset against a side that had picked up several big scalps in recent games.
In selection, Wallingford were without missing Sam Botting, Will Fox, Tom Diment and Dan Sadler, but were able to welcome back James Norris, Ollie Corbett and Nathan Chapman, whilst Nick Wiltshire made his first start of the season at full back.
Wallingford kicked off into a slight head wind, and were soon on the front foot, as their big ball carriers dominated the contact zone in the opening exchanges. With Wallingford consistently punching holes in the Thatcham defence, the hosts started to infringe at the breakdown, gifting the visitors several good attacking platforms.
And it didn’t take long before the early pressure was converted into points, as Jack Thurston, assisted by his bosom buddy Lawson Dallimore, drove over from short range. Charles Campbell converted.
Wallingford continued to dominate, with Carl Tappin and Ian Jeffreys unstoppable at times as the Thatcham defence were guilty of tackling too high in the midfield. And a second try soon followed, as James Norris was the benefactor of a well-executed catch and drive.
In no time at all, Wallingford secured a four try bonus point, with Nathan Chapman, playing in the centres but still in the thick of the action, showing impressive strength to muscle his way over the line twice from short range.
Despite their poor start, Thatcham did then enjoy a brief spell of pressure, which resulted in a somewhat fortuitous try. From a Thatcham scrum in the Wallingford twenty-two, the ball popped out on the blindside, and the ball was then spilled in the tackle straight into the hands of the Thatcham winger who ran in for a converted try.
That proved to only be a temporary respite for the hosts, as Wallingford added two more tries before half time.
First up, Ian Jeffreys deservedly got on the scoresheet with a strong finish for the 73rd try of his 1st XV career, before Chapman completed a first half hat-trick with another powerful finish.
Half time: Wallingford 36 Thatcham 7
The second half saw Wallingford’s pack continue to dictate play and Thatcham continue to fall foul of the referee.
With Campbell’s boot finding good field position, Norris soon doubled up from another catch and drive, before Jeffreys put in Carl Tappin for a deserved score.
Entering the last quarter, the Wallingford backs then got into the action again, with Chapman choosing to butcher a three man overlap to instead carry four Thatcham tacklers over the line for his fourth try.
Chapman then turned provider, as he timed his pass to Alex Brown to perfection to put the winger in from half-way.
There was still time for one more try, as Josh Morris benefited from a well-worked catch and drive for his maiden 1st XV try.
The game ended 69-7 to Wallingford.
This was as clinical display as we’ve seen from Wallingford in many a year (its been 18 years since we last scored 69 or more points on the road).
Thatcham did have an off day, but take nothing away from Wallingford and in particular the pack, who dominated in every facet for the whole game.
Although Chapman, Jeffreys and Tappin took the glory, man of the match went to Ed Searle, for a tirelessly selfless display in attack and defence.
Special mention must also go to the referee, who was consistent and accurate for the full 80 minutes.
