Sat 26 Nov 2022
Wallingford welcomed old adversaries High Wycombe to the Hithercroft on a mild and dry day, as they looked to bounce back from their disappointing defeat at Thatcham two weeks prior. In selection, they were able to welcome some weight back to the pack in the shape of messrs Thurston and Searle, whilst in the backs, Dan Sadler stepped in at scrum half whilst the prodigal son Murray Bellis finally made his much-anticipated debut in the centres.
From the outset it was clear that Wallingford had the ascendancy in the scrum, as they regularly marched their counterparts backwards, resulting in some early scrum penalties. Despite dominating the opening ten minutes, Wallingford struggled to cross the whitewash due to good Wycombe defence and poor decision making in attack.
But Wallingford did not let the frustration get the better of them, as they eventually scored from short range, Lawson Dallimore emerging with the ball for only his second ever 1st XV try and his first in 2,457 days. Charles Campbell converted brilliantly from the touchline.
Wallingford’s dominance continued as they soon scored a second, this time a brilliantly taken opportunistic try by Tom Diment – on for the injured Thurston. From an overthrown Wycombe line-out just outside their twenty-two, Diment gathered the ball, stepped past two tacklers before somehow staying on his feet under immense pressure to finish on the left for an excellent individual score. Campbell converting.
Next up was a rare interception score for the hosts. As Wycombe looked to attack left just inside the Wallingford half, winger Andy Hoggins intercepted brilliantly before wisely finding younger legs in Murray Bellis who sprinted in from 50 meters for a debut score.
Half-time: Wallingford 21 – 0 High Wycombe
The opening ten minutes of the second half saw Wycombe enjoy a period of pressure as Wallingford gave away needless penalties, including another yellow for Joe Mason, somehow committing a high tackle on a Wycombe player.
Despite the set-back, Wallingford soon scored probably the try of the game. Moving the ball left well inside their own half, Murray Bellis made good ground before feeding JJ Brown, who in turn linked brilliantly with Campbell who showed good strength to go over from 25 meters.
With Wycombe starting to flag, and the Wallingford set-piece still firing on all cylinders, Wallingford played some exhilarating rugby at times, but their final three scores came from short range finishes.
First up, Dan Sadler picked and went from a ruck close to the Wycombe line to score, before Max Suttner benefited from a dominant scrum to touch down. And with the last play of the game, Ed Searle barged over from short range to complete the scoring.
This was a dominant performance from Wallingford, against a Wycombe side that are clearly struggling with injury and unavailability this season. Even with the loss of Jack Thurston early on, the pack were dominant throughout, with the likes of Carl Tappin, Ed Searle and Tom Diment excellent in the loose, whilst in the backs, Jacob Knight orchestrated the backline perfectly, releasing the likes of Hoggins, Bellis and Brown to great effect. But Man of the match went to Lawson Dallimore, who was immense in the set-piece, carried powerfully throughout and looks great with a tache.
