Last Gasp Penalty Snatches Victory For Norwich As Both Teams Struggle Against The Wind And The Cold
SOUTHWOLD 6 – 8 NORWICH
The weather on Southwold Common, as it so often does, had a massive affect on this game as both sets of players battled against the cold conditions and the high winds as well as each other. It may not have affected the result but it certainly changed the game as a spectacle for the brave supporters who simply began to freeze by the end of this hard fought but somewhat mistake strewn game. They were however mistakes caused by cold hands and a ball that acted at times more like a balloon out of control in the 30mph winds which howled straight across the pitch.
Twelve minutes in to the game Norwich were awarded a penalty 25metres out in front of the posts but elected to scrum. They won good ball and fed the ball out to the right where Wold missed a couple of tackles and David Micklethwaite gleefully crossed wide on the right for Norwich and what was to prove to be the only try of the game. The conversion attempt directly in to the face of the wind was impossible but the visitors were five points to the good.
Wold’s drop kick from the restart fooled all the Norwich catchers and the ball rolled in to touch ten metres from the Norwich line. Their short throw in did not go five metres and Wold were awarded a scrum. They drove the Norwich scrum back who collapsed and Wold were awarded a penalty. They elected to scrum again and drove and drove at the Norwich line but finally a knock on ensued and the attack and points opportunity was over as Norwich held their defensive line together well.
For Wold it was a vital opportunity missed and proved to be crucial later.
On the half hour mark Wold scrumaged hard again and Norwich were penalised for not binding 40 metres out in front of the posts and Josh Wallis slotted the ball cleanly over. Ten minutes later there was a yellow card for a Norwich player kicking out at a Wold player and Josh Wallis cleared fully 45 metres from inside his 22.
That clearance put Wold right back in Norwich territory again and another scrum penalty for collapsing saw Wallis give Wold the lead at 6 – 5 as the half time whistle blew.
The second half saw more and more weather induced handling errors by both teams spoil what were potentially scoring opportunities by both sides but a great break down the left wing by Wold’s Josh Crick saw him desperately tackled only 3 meters from the line as again Norwich’s defence just held together with a try saving tackle.
That was probably the nearest either side came to scoring again until the last minute of the game. Norwich had a period in the last five minutes when they were camped in the Wold 22 but Wold were keeping them out with some strong tackling of their own until there was an offside offence and from the resulting penalty in front of the posts the kick by Mike Lawton was good and the Lions snatched the win with less than a minute on the clock.
It was harsh for Wold on the day but really it was honours even as Wold had done the same thing to Norwich in the reverse fixture in September in the Norwich sunshine, scoring in the last minute to win, and really on both occasions there was nothing between the two sides and the results could have gone either way.
MOM Josh Crick, who made good yards each time he received the ball.
All pictures courtesy Linda Cayley
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