Our 1XV Match Reports kindly produced and written by Jon Hood
Saturday 25th October - Regional 2 - Anglia
Wymondham made the long trip to Chiswick to play in form HAC and had they mastered the blustery conditions and unfamiliar 4G surface sooner they may have returned to Norfolk with more than just 2 losing bonus points.
The game started, as it was destined to continue, at a frenetic pace with Charlie Delaney's early penalty being quickly cancelled out. HAC were a direct and aggressive opponent which brought them two early tries, however thereafter the momentum swung regularly as both sides demonstrated their attacking intent. Wymondham managed three first half tries from Henry Wootton, powering over from 5 meters, George Wadham making the extra man in a slick three-quarters move and an absolute peach from Elliott Foley after a break out from their own 22 from mobile second row Dom Broadhead and Joe Stace. HAC managed a third of their own so at 20 -18 at the break it was their one successful conversion that separated the teams.
Frustratingly HAC scored a well constructed try directly from the kick off, however Wymondham quickly replied when Delaney put an exquisite chip over the rush defence for Joe Graves to gather and weave his way over for the bonus points try. At this point the visitors effectively lost the fixture when HAC scored two quick tries, making the most of their well drilled line out drive to open a 37 - 23 lead half way through the second half. To their credit, and despite their mounting injury list, Wymondham rallied once more and a series of forward drives to the 22 gave Delaney the space to dummy his way over, unfortunately straining his hamstring in the process. As had become the pattern HAC scored directly from the restart, but Wymondham had the final say when a quickly tapped penalty from scrum half Auden Airdrie put Stace over, Graves converting. This proved to be the final score in an exciting, end to end encounter.
Although ultimately disappointed, Wymondham know this was a game they could have won with a bit more composure, defensive organisation and goal kicking ability. They now look forward to the visit of Woodford to Barnard Fields in two weeks time hoping to return to winning ways.
Final Score: HAC 42 Wymondham 35
Congratulations to Shaun Spriddell, our Ensors Man of the Match.
Coach Aaron Beaumont (sponsored by TS Financial Planning) said:
“Shaun has been back to his best over the last few weeks with brutal ball carries, often taking two or three players to stop him and consistently getting us over the gain line. He’s worked hard at the scrum and earned some crucial penalties.”
Shaun was wearing the number 1 jersey, which is proudly sponsored by Paul Devlin.
Well done, Shaun!
Shaun is available for Player Sponsorship – get in touch to show your support.
TEAMSHEET
1 Shaun Spriddell
2 Kit Brodie (K.Foley Ltd)
3 Jamie Boggan (The Farm Cafe)
4 Dom Broadhead
5 Blake Collings (Lake Accountancy)
6 Matt Bailey
7 Jake Girdler (Faces by Alice)
8 George Wadham (Waveney Campers)
9 Auden Airdrie (KBP Plant Hire)
10 Charlie Delaney (ROARR!!!)
11 Elliot Foley (Yellow Brick Mortgages)
12 Joe Graves (Developing Solutions Ltd)
13 Joe Stace (Charlie Wootton)
14 Shaun Blyth (Wright’s Tiling Solutions)
15 Angus Bradley (Out of Reach Scaffolding)
16 Dom Atkin
17 Henry Wootton (Norwich Family Golf Centre)
18 Jordan Mustard (Anonymous)
18th October - London Anglia 2
Wymondham 24 Harlow 19
Wymondham knew the magnitude of the task facing them against an opponent they had previously never beaten, including being pipped with the final kick of the game in last season's corresponding fixture .
Harlow made a lively start, showing they were adept at retaining possession but without being able to threaten the home line. By contrast Wymondham seemed comfortable containing the visitors' attack, putting in an organised and physical defensive effort then breaking with speed, precision and accuracy. This pattern saw them turn around at the break two tries to the good. The first of these came from snaffled midfield possession, with tighthead prop Sean Spriddell, every bit the modern rugby player, weaving and dummying then threading the perfect pass to winger Elliott Foley who scooted in on the left. The second came from a dominant Wymondham scrum on the visitors 10 meter line, with number 8 George Wadham breaking open but cleverly passing blind giving Charlie Delaney the space to jink his way over then adding the conversion.
12 - 0 at half time was a useful lead but far from a decisive one.
The second period started following a similar pattern to the first, with Harlow having the lion's share of possession and territory. Again Wymondham were able to absorb the pressure then break out with ruthless efficiency, a series of pick and drives taking Kit Brodie up to the line with the supporting Wadham getting the touchdown, Delaney converting. The visitors, however, are seasoned level six campaigners and just when the home supporters were daring to relax they found a way through the previously watertight home defence with a neat pick and drive try. From the kick off Wymondham forced a lineout on the visitors 22, claimed at the front by Dom Broadhead and following some quick hands, with fullback Angus Bradley making the extra man, winger Sean Blyth zipped over in the corner. With time running out Harlow's never say die attitude saw them post two late tries, the first from a quick tapped penalty and the second from a counter ruck in the home 22 to make it 24 - 19. With the anxious home supporters fearing a repeat of last year's last gasp defeat Wymondham at last managed to regain their earlier composure, halting their opponents revival and claiming a very useful try bonus point victory.
This enthralling fixture was a fantastic advert for junior rugby at this level, full of excitement, innovation and physicality. However the coaching team will be concerned that for the second week running performance levels and concentration dropped during the second half. No doubt this will be addressed at training. This Saturday the team will make the long trip to Chiswick to play impressive league newcomers The Honorable Artillery Company, aka HAC. .
THE Ensors Chartered Accountants Man of the Match was our captain, Josh Clark
Coach Aaron Beaumont (sponsored by TS Financial Planning) praised Josh’s all-round display, saying:
“Josh was excellent on Saturday, leading the side in attack and constantly making meters. He also made a number of crucial tackles in defence. As always, Josh led from the front as captain.”
Josh, who is kindly sponsored by Aspen Property Development, wore the number 13 shirt, which is sponsored by Kevin Scott.
A true captain’s performance — well done, Josh!
TEAM
1 Shaun Spriddell
2 Kit Brodie (K.Foley Ltd)
3 Jamie Boggan (The Farm Cafe)
4 Dom Broadhead
5 Blake Collings (Lake Accountancy)
6 Henry Wootton (Norwich Family Golf Centre)
7 Chris Rodger (Swish.Works)
8 George Wadham (Waveney Campers)
9 Auden Airdrie (KBP Plant Hire)
10 Charlie Delaney (ROARR!!!)
11 Elliott Foley (Yellow Brick Mortgages)
12 Joe Stace (Charlie Wootton)
13 Josh Clark (C) (Aspen Property Development)
14 Shaun Blyth (Wright’s Tiling Solutions)
15 Angus Bradley (Out of Reach Scaffolding)
16 Dom Atkins
17 Jake Girdler (Faces by Alice)
18 Jordan Mustard (Anonymous)
In other matches Wymondham 2nds narrowly lost 18 - 17 to Mistley, Wymondham thirds won 48 - 22 against Lowestoft and Yarmouth seconds and the Wasps claimed a superb 47 - 34 away victory at Hitchin Ladies.
Saturday 11th October - London Anglia 2
Holt 33 Wymondham 47
This was a typical local derby between these perennial adversaries, full of thud, blunder and the odd handbag, sympathetically controlled by referee Chris Reid.
Holt were first on the board after 5 minutes when young scrum half Theo Pinhey picked off a wayward pass and sprinted in from halfway. Wymondham’s reply was swift and brutal, with a pair of well constructed 5 meter lineout catch and drives, Chris Rodger and Kit Brodie the beneficiaries. Momentum continued to swing and Holt pulled level when centre Will Gowler found space on the blindside to scamper home. With half time looming Wymondham once again took the lead with a passage of play, started by wing Jordan Mustard cleverly jumping and tapping a Holt touchfinder back infield and, after a series of drives to the line, finished off by Charlie Delaney dummying his way over.
19 - 12 to the visitors at the break and all to play for.
Wymondham resumed in determined fashion and when their scrum dominance won them a penalty, evergreen scrum half Auden Airdrie took a quick tap and wriggled sperm like past the close attentions of the Holt back row to force his way over. Now in full control Wymondham's Blake Collings, relishing playing against his old team, made bullocking run through the middle allowing the supporting Brodie to claim his second. Joe Stace was next on the scoresheet, weaving his way through heavy traffic after a superb Henry Wootton jackal in midfield. To their credit Holt never gave up and Grant McConnell’s score under the sticks gave them the opportunity to push for a try bonus point. Shaun Spriddell’s try under the posts looked to have halted their late surge but they rallied again and with both sides tiring tries from McConnell and Jamie Buckingham gave the score a more respectable look for the home side. Delaney kicked six conversions for Wymondham with Holt's Jackson landing four.
Wymondham should be satisfied with this result against a team motivated to improve on their disappointing league start, but they also know they will need to maintain their performance for the whole 80 minutes if they want to continue their challenge at the top. This week Harlow, a tough opponent who did the double over them last season, are the visitors to Barnard's Field.
Our Ensors Chartered Accountants Man of the Match – Blake Collings!
Blake Collings had a strong game in attack, constantly getting over the gain line and taking it to the opposition. His physical presence and work rate were key to our success.
Blake is kindly sponsored by Lake Accountancy and proudly wore the No. 5 shirt, which is worn in memory of our dear friend John Mackay.
TEAM SHEET
1 Shaun Spriddell
2 Kit Brodie (K.Foley Ltd)
3 Jamie Boggan (The Farm Cafe)
4 Dom Broadhead
5 Blake Collings (Lake Accountancy)
6 Henry Wootton (Norwich Family Golf Centre)
7 Chris Rodger (Swish.Works)
8 George Wadham (Waveney Campers)
9 Auden Airdrie (KBP Plant Hire)
10 Charlie Delaney (ROARR!!)
11 Elliott Foley (Yellow Brick Mortgages)
12 Joe Stace (Charlie Wootton)
13 Josh Clark (C) (Aspen Property Developments)
14 Jordan Mustard (Anonymous)
15 Angus Bradley (Out of Reach Scaffolding)
16 Steve Brinkley
17 Jake Girdler (Faces by Alice)
18 Shaun Blyth (Wright’s Tiling Solutions)
Saturday 4th October - Wymondham 10 Brentwood 27
Wymondham lost their 100% winning record to a quality Brentwood outfit who played to the extremely testing conditions and posted a near perfect first half performance.
With a gale at their backs Wymondham appeared uncertain whether to kick for position or keep the ball in hand. By contrast Brentwood executed a very simple but effective game plan, using short passes and close support runners to monopolise possession and territory.This saw them chalk up four well constructed tries without reply and turn around 24 0 to the good.
After a calm and reasoned discussion with the coaching team at half time the home side came out energised and determined to get back into the game. Playing with ball in hand is better suited to their usual style and the majority of the half was spent in opposition territory, with the forwards starting to dominate the scrums and the backs finding their rhythm. However Wymondham were unable to match their opponents first half precision and all too often frustrating errors halted their progress. They did manage two unconverted tries, the first from rampaging fullback Angus Bradley supporting a Joe Stace half break and the second a jet heeled burst into the corner from winger Elliott Foley, blasting through the winger and fullback, following a scrum on the 22. Pushing hard to at least claim a bonus point Charlie Delaney had a try chalked off for crossing and Stace was pulled down within sniffing distance of the line following some neat strictlyesque footwork.
On balance Brentwood’s first half attacking flair and second half defensive display saw the best team on the day win. However lessons will be learnt, with their habitual slow start and erratic ball retention towards the top of the list and Wymondham can look to put things right starting with this week's much anticipated local derby at Holt.
Our Ensors Chartered Accountants Man of the Match was Kit Brodie. Head Coach Aaron Beaumont (kindly sponsored by TS Financial Planning) said:
"On his first start of the season, Kit brought a high level of work rate and aggression — making a large number of carries and tackles in a physical game, as well as helping the pack dominate the scrum."
Kit is kindly sponsored by K Foley Ltd trading as McDonald's and wore the Number 2 shirt, also sponsored by Ensors, who were our Match Day Sponsors. Thank you for your support!
TEAM (Sponsored by…)
1 Chris Miller
2 Kit Brodie (K.Foley Ltd)
3 Jamie Boggan (The Farm Cafe)
4 Dom Broadhead
5 Blake Collings (Lake Accountancy)
6 Henry Charlton
7 George Wadham (Waveney Campers)
8 Jake Girdler (Faces by Alice)
9 Auden Airdrie (KBP Plant Hire)
10 Charlie Delaney (ROARR!)
11 Elliott Foley (Yellow Brick Mortgages)
12 Joe Stace (Charlie Wootton)
13 Josh Clark (Aspen Property Developments)
14 Jordan Mustard (Anonymous)
15 Angus Bradley (Out of Reach Scaffolding)
16 Shaun Spriddell
17 Henry Wootton (Norwich Family Golf Centre)
18 Josh Cousens (Forcrete)
Wymondham 2nds lost narrowly 24 - 17 to an experienced Sudbury 2nds in Eastern Counties 2 while the thirds got their Greene King 2 North campaign off to a winning start with a 43-5 victory at home to Crusaders 2nds.
Sunday 20th September - Braintree 24 Wymondham 43
Wymondham secured a comfortable bonus-point win in their first away league fixture of the season, coming from behind to defeat newly-promoted Braintree 41-24. However, despite the dominant second-half performance, the visitors will be aware that a sluggish start almost cost them dearly.
The first 20 minutes saw Wymondham looking uncharacteristically lethargic and off the pace with Braintree aggressively dominating the collisions and breakdown. After 20 minutes the hosts had scored three fine tries, the visitors replying with two Charlie Delaney penalties and a Josh Cousens touchdown, following one of their few bits of cohesive play, to trail 17 - 11.
Urged on by their good looking band of loyal travelling supporters Wymondham eventually began to up their tempo and Delaney produced a moment of magic, slicing through the defence with a stunning solo run to score near the posts, adding the conversion to take a slim 18 - 17 lead. Before the break Wymondham added their third when replacement hooker Kit Brodie muscled his way over from close range following a 5 meter line out.
Half time Braintree 17 Wymondham 23
Wymondham came out with renewed focus after the break and as Braintree tired their pack took control, dominating possession and territory. A moment of class from Wymondham’s captain, Josh Clark, capped off a fine width of the pitch move started from a line out on halfway and finished by Clark bludgeoning his way over in the corner.
Although Braintree briefly threatened a comeback with a converted try to reduce the margin to just six points, two Delaney penalties into the wind took the lead back out to beyond two scores and finally broke the home resistance. The icing on the cake came from a dazzling effort by fullback Angus Bradley, receiving the ball inside his own 22 following a skillful offload out of the tackle by John Camara, then outpacing the Braintree defence with a brilliant diagonal run to score in the corner before adding a superb conversion from the touchline.
This victory takes Wymondham to the top of the table however with big games coming up, starting with Brentwood at home in two weeks, they know they must keep working hard if they want to continue to push for promotion..
TEAM
1 Chris Miller
2 George Wadham
3 Jamie Boggan
4 Dom Broadhead
5 John Camara
6 Sam Head
7 Harry Newson
8 Jake Girdler
9 Auden Airdrie
10 Charlie Delaney
11 Ryan Taaffe-Fowle
12 Josh Cousens
13 Josh Clark (capt)
14 Jordan Mustard
15 Angus Bradley
16 Blake Collings
17 Kit Brodie
18 Ed Collinson
Our Ensors Chartered Accountants Man of the Match award goes to Blake "who's a pretty boy" Collings!
Head Coach Aaron Beaumont (sponsored by TS Financial Planning) said:
"Blake made a real difference to the team on Saturday, getting us on the front foot by constantly putting his hand up to carry the ball. It often took two or more players to stop him."
Fantastic work, Blake! - Proudly sponsored by Lake Accountancy
Saturday 13th September - Wymondham 39 Rochford 19
Having secured a last gasp away victory over the same opponents in March, Wymondham knew they would be facing a well motivated side keen to exact their revenge.
The game started at a cracking pace, with the home forwards working through multiple phases and drawing the penalty for Delaney to kick an early 3. However Rochford came roaring back, scoring two quickfire tries through their lively backs. Having clearly done their homework the visitors were flying up in defence, but this blitz was outfoxed when winger Foley stepped his opposite number, raced up the touchline and fed the supporting Wootton for the try.
The visitors were using the wind to kick to the corners and from a 5 meter line-out their hooker forced his way over to open an 11 point lead. Wymondham knew they needed to stay in touch, anticipating having the elements in their favour during the second period, and with their scrum now beginning to dominate number 8 Girdler was able to peel off the back and pinball his way over from 10 meters, Delaney adding the extras.
Half time 15 - 19
The atmosphere around the ground at half time was literally electric, with overhead lightning delaying the restart by 15 minutes and adding to the matchday drama. In what had now become windless conditions Wymondham resumed in determined mood, forcing the mistake straight from the kick off and allowing Girdler to replicate his first half score from the resulting scrum, Delaney converting and adding a penalty shortly after..
Roared on by their vociferous home support they were now beginning to dominate and when skipper Clark bludgeoned his way through the midfield traffic Girdler was on hand to receive the pass and complete his hattrick, Delaney again slotting the conversion. Wymondham were putting in some big defensive tackles with Camara, Rodger and the “Ginger Ninja”
Head leading the charge, and when one such hit spilled the ball the ever alert Foley was able to scoop it up, pin back his ears and bolt in under the posts from inside his own half. Delaney's conversion completed the scoring, making it two out of two in the league but with the first away test of the season next week at newly promoted Braintree.
Our Ensors Chartered Accountants Man of the Match v Rochford is Sam Head
Head Coach Aaron Beaumont (kindly sponsored by TS Financial Planning) said:
"Sam brought energy and aggression to the game to counter the aggressive and physical Rochford forwards. His dominant work at the breakdown allowed us to attack with quick ball and release the back line."
Sam is proudly sponsored by @agaenvirofix and was presented the award by their Managing Director — and fellow back rower — Jake Girdler.
TEAM
1 Chris Miller,
2 George Wadham
3 Jamie Boggan
4 Dom Broadhead
5 Henry Wootton
6 John Camara
7 Chris Rodger
8 Jake Girdler
9 Auden Airdrie
10 Charlie Delaney
11 Elliott Foley
12 Joe Stace
13 Josh Clark (capt)
14 Jordan Mustard
15 Angus Bradley
16 Steve Brinkley
17 Sam Head,
18 Shaun Blyth
The seconds put last week's disappointment behind them with a fine 34 - 15 victory away at Thurston.
Our @crendontimber Man of the Match v Thurston is Dan Graves
Coach John Llewellyn (sponsored by @castlestreetoptometry) said: "Yet another player of the match for one of the club’s young guns — this time Dan Graves, who consistently knocked back bigger opposition and ran elusively against a tiring Thurston.
His clean delivery in the lineout meant that he stood out in an encouraging team performance. Up the 2s!"
Dan is proudly sponsored by Developing Solutions Limited.
The mighty Wymondham thirds lost an entertaining encounter 22 - 10 at home to Thetford firsts.
Saturday 6th September - Wymondham 51 Chelmsford 14
Wymondham have made a fine start to the season, unbeaten in two pre-season trial matches and hoped to continue this form into their league campaign against an experienced Chelmsford side. With twelve of the starting squad coming through their junior ranks it was one of these former youth players, hooker George Wadham aka “the flying mullet”, who lit up the first half with his work rate, tackling and three excellent tries.
Playing into a gusty wind Wymondham soon found themselves a try down as the sizeable visiting pack drove over from close range following a bungled home line out. Despite this early setback Wymondham hit back within five minutes, Wadham popping up in the centres and bisecting the defence to storm over from the 22. From the kick off Wadham got his second, again appearing in the back line following a rampaging run from his 22 by the all action openside Newson and carried on by his fellow back rowers Rodger and Girdler. Wymondham’s forwards were putting in a workmanlike shift, with the front five ensuring their opponents had little possession to use with the elements in their favour. The third try came following a series of midfield rucks with young centre Graves executing a neat show and go to wrong foot his opponent before shooting up the touchline and feeding the supporting Bradley to touch down under the sticks. The next was the result of pressure on the Chelmsford ball carrier, forcing a dropped pass pounced on by the master scavenger Mustard who motored home untouched from his own half. Wadhams third came after a typically rumbustious run by Bradley was continued by Foley and Airdrie deep into enemy territory. A series of quick rucks later and Delany’s hard flat pass picked out Newson who tipped on to The Mullet for his third.
Half time 29 - 7
Despite having the second half wind advantage the red and blacks stuck to the game plan that had served them well up to now and they soon added to their total. After a series of percussive drives from Camera, Boggan and Miller a penalty was awarded and the resulting line out was driven forward with Rodger getting the touch down. Chelmsford were far from finished and a try from their pacey winger showed what they could have done if given the opportunity. But Wymondham were in no mood to entertain a comeback and they were soon back on the scoresheet with Bradley taking the inside scoring pass from winger Foley following a slick three-quarters move from a scrum. The final try followed an arcing run from replacement Blyth with Stace’s intelligent pass putting Foley in at the corner. Delaney added four conversions and a penalty.
There is no time to rest on their laurels with league action now coming thick and fast. Rochford are the next visitors to Barnard Fields, a team Wymondham beat at their ground in the final play of the game last season and who will surely be well motivated to try and exact their revenge.
TEAM
1 Chris Miller
2 George Wadham
3 Jamie Boggan
4 Henry Charlton
5 John Camara
6 Chris Rodger
7 Harry Newson
8 Jake Girdler
9 Auden Airdrie
10 Charlie Delaney,
11 Elliott Foley
12 Joe Graves
13 Joe Stace
14 Jordan Mustard
15 Angus Bradley
Replacements
16 Steve Brinkley
17 Josh Fairman
18 Shaun Blyth
Our Ensors Chartered Accountants Man of the Match v Chelmsford is George Wadham,
Head Coach Aaron Beaumont (sponsored by TS Financial Planning) said:
"George was excellent on Saturday, showing great speed and power on the edge to score a first-half hat-trick. His work rate on kick chase and double efforts around the tackle area were brilliant."
George is proudly sponsored by @waveneycampers_eastanglia and wore the No.2 jersey, kindly sponsored by Ensors Chartered Accountants.
In their own league opener the 2XV bravely went down 42 - 24 to Cantabrigian 1XV while the thirds lost narrowly 31 - 33 to Swaffham 1XV.
Saturday 30th August - Wymondham 60 Peterborough 24 (Pre-season)
This performance was a marked improvement on Wymondham’s first pre-season fixture, played in front of a large, enthusiastic and well imbibed Beer Festival Weekend crowd. The smaller 21 man squad were able to work on building consistency, continuity and positional cohesion.
Peterborough ply their trade in the corresponding level six East Midland leagues and started the match in lively fashion,applying the early pressure following a home fluffed kick off reception. However, Wymondham were able to weather these early attacks and following a couple of clever relieving kicks from Delaney they hit their rhythm, monopolising territory and possession and running in six first half tries. Two of these came from well organised and executed close range line-out drives, with Wadham and Head the beneficiaries. Mobile hooker Wadham claimed his second, appearing outside winger Mustard before slaloming around two defenders and bursting through two more for a remarkable score.With half backs Delaney and Airdrie pulling the strings and the pack providing plenty of go forward possession three quarters Mustard, Graves and Foley completed the first half touchdowns.
Half time 36 - 0
Wymondham’s performance levels noticeably dropped during the third quarter and Peterborough grabbed two early well worked tries. With a possible comeback on the cards Wymondham were eventually able to reassert their first half dominance, and further tries followed from replacement second row Charlton, the rampant Wootton with wingers Mustard and Foley both claiming their second. Delaney's five conversions completed the scoring and saw them run out comfortable winners despite Peterborough's late brace.
There were a lot of positives to be taken from this performance however the coaches will be concerned at the teams inability to maintain performance levels for the whole 80 minutes, allowing the opposition to claim what would have been a try bonus point. No doubt this will be a main focus at training with another challenging league season against quality opposition beckoning.
Ensors Chartered Accountants Man of the Match
Our captain Josh Clark was named Ensors Man of the Match in the 1XV’s 60-24 win over Peterborough.
Head Coach Aaron Beaumont (Sponsored by TS Financial Planning) said:
"Josh had a fantastic all-round game in his first match back after a year out injured. He was a constant threat in attack, carrying hard and linking well with the wingers to create scoring opportunities. Defensively, he led from the front, making vital reads and tackles to shut down Peterborough’s attack."
Josh is proudly sponsored by Aspen Property Development
He wore the number 13 shirt, kindly sponsored by Kevin Scott.
TEAM
1 Chris Miller
2 George Wadham
3 Jamie Boggan
4 Dom Broadhead
5 Sandy Kiddle
6 Henry Wootton
7 Sam Head
8 John Camara
9 Auden Airdrie
10 Charlie Delaney
11 Elliott Foley
12 Joe Stace
13 Josh Clark (capt)
14 Jordan Mustard
15 Joe Graves
16 Shaun Spriddell
17 Steve Brinkley
18 Henry Charlton
19 Jake Girdler
20 George Bunn
21 Josh Cousens
Saturday 16th August - Wymondham 34 Stamford 31 (Pre-Season)
Stamford, like Wymondham, are an ambitious club playing in the equivalent level 6 Midland Leagues and an ideal opponent for the first pre-season trial match. Both sides fielded large squads with players rotated in during the four quarters which gave us an exciting encounter with see-sawing fortunes as new combinations were blooded. The red and blacks were a healthy mixture of regular established senior players plus a good number of emerging young home grown talent and a smattering of new recruits. As the game progressed it quickly became apparent that competition across all three teams in coming season would be fierce.
This was very much a full blooded encounter with some thunderous tackling and it took 15 minutes before Wymondham broke the deadlock when a Girdler break and pass from an attacking scrum was skilfully flicked on by fullback Bradley for winger Blyth to dot down. Stamford replied with three of their own before half time through their lively back division. In response powerful winger Foley bulldozed his way through two defenders to score on the right with Bradley, now at flyhalf, again the provider with a perfectly judged mazey run and pass.
Half Time - Wymondham 10 - 21 Stamford
The second half continued in similar fashion to the first and the introduction of recent colts including Bunn, Davey and Fairman added some youthful energy. Wymondham added four more tries including the winning score on the stroke of full time. The first of these came when a well timed hard flat pass from Rix put Foley in under the posts. The next was from a 5 meter scrum when young number 9 Bunn picked up from the base and dummied his way past two would-be tacklers to score under the posts. The third again showcased Foley's strength and vision as he bounced off three tacklers then picked out the supporting Connor Houghting who sped in untouched. The final and winning try came following a series of patient rucks on the opposition 22 before Taaffe-Fowle’s looping run engaged the defence and Houghting motored home for his second.
This was an entertaining match with the backs tries built on a hard working forward platform. It has undoubtedly given both sets of coaches plenty to ponder on and work with.
For many in the sizeable and enthusiastic crowd the highlight of the match was home prop Beales’ “bellying off” an attempted tackler, a technique reminiscent of Saturday afternoon wrestling in the seventies and proof that rugby is always open to new innovations!
Man of the Match Awards
Our Ensors Chartered Accountants Man of the Match goes to George Wadham (sponsored by @waveneycampers_eastanglia). Playing out of position at Hooker, George’s work rate and physicality were outstanding all game.
Our @crendontimber Man of the Match was awarded to Ryan Taaffe-Fowle, who shone at Wing & Fullback. Ryan put his body on the line with some crucial last-ditch tackles and capped off his performance with a superb run to set up the final try.
Next up: Pre-season home fixtures at the Beer Festival, Saturday 30th August:
1XV v Peterborough 1XV - 3pm
Wasps v Cambridge - 1pm
2XV v Peterborough 2XV - 1pm
3XV v Southwold 2XV - 12:30pm
Head Coach - Aaron Beaumont (sponsored by TS Financial Planning Ltd):
"It was great to see 37 players getting game time on Saturday. Lots of changes throughout the game made continuity difficult, but there were plenty of positives and also areas to sharpen up before the season starts."