Epic Comeback From Wold Seals Dramatic Win When All Had Seemed Lost At Half Time
SOUTHWOLD 31 – 29 SOUTH WOODHAM FERRERS
Miraculous, ridiculous but most of all actually well and truly deserved.
This Wold comeback, that will live long in the memory, is worthy of all those bold descriptions but more important of all were the five points Wold collected for their valiant efforts, as in this league every single point is priceless.
In truth the two teams were level on league points before the game and only two points separated them on the pitch, in Wold’s favour, but it could so easily have been in South Woodham Ferrers favour especially given their near faultless first half performance which saw them with a seemingly unassailable 12 – 29 lead at the break.
Wold were caught napping at the start and were seven points down within thirty seconds as the referee awarded a penalty try for a high tackle right on the Wold line and Ferrers were in for a second try on twelve minutes after a sweeping move from left to right across the pitch ended in a fine score near the corner flag to increase their lead to twelve points.
Six minutes later another break right down the middle gave Ferrers their third try and a further seven points pretty much silencing the Wold crowd who began to fear for the worse with the Wold defence in tatters.
Things did not improve for Wold as Ferrers got their bonus point for their fourth try on twenty five minutes from a simple lineout and drive down the narrow side and a depressing scoreline for Wold now reached 0 – 24 fifteen minutes before the break. It seemed whatever Ferrers touched turned to points.
Wold did begin to respond and began to keep the ball and gain territory and five minutes before the break the pack showed their strength and Duncan Hume at No 8 dropped down on the ball as Wold’s pack pushed Ferrers over the line at a five metre scrum. It was the last of several attempts at the same move as Ferrers repeatedly gave away scrum penalties and were lucky not to be penalised with a yellow card, but more importantly Wold had five points on the board and there was a little feeling around the pitch that a comeback may be on.
That feeling did not last long however as try scorer Hume was yellow carded two minutes later for picking the ball up in a ruck and a minute later Ferrers made the extra man count with another try from a lineout drive wide on the left to make the score 5 – 29 in Ferrers favour and it felt like game over for the Wold supporters. On the stroke of half time Wold hopes flickered again a little when Milo Cawkwell caught well in the lineout and suddenly James Hall broke down the blind side and fed Darius Mullen who charged over and got as near to the posts as he dared before grounding the ball and with Josh Wallis adding the extra two points a comeback victory seemed unlikely but was a little more possible at 12 – 29 as Wold had narrowed the gap to seventeen points.
After the break came the miracle. Wold were a different side and the pack dominated the set piece particularly in the scrum as the opposition forwards tired from the constant pressure put on them.
It only took Wold six second half minutes to score when Jacob English finished well wide on the right following great Wold ball at a scrum.
It was the scrums that were turning the match as Wold drove Ferrers back constantly, winning both their own ball and the oppositions and it allowed Wold to pile on the pressure to which Ferrers had no response. The forwards dominance rubbed off on the backs who began to attack with ball in hand more freely and at the end of the third quarter Jacob English went over again following three or four phases of great ball control from the whole Wold team. Josh Wallis added the two extra points and it was game on at 24 – 29 with twenty minutes of the game left to play.
Twelve minutes from time Wold had another scrum five metres out and the home crowd sensed what might happen and willed the Wold forwards to drive the Ferrers pack over their own line again, and as the crowd roared that is exactly what happened. It was a second pushover try for Wold and a second for Duncan Hume at No 8 back on the pitch after serving his earlier sin bin penalty.
Josh Wallis was calm with his conversion and Wold took the lead by those two precious points. No one watching could really believe Wold had done it but the 31 – 29 scoreline did not lie.
The end of the game was a nervous affair and Ferrers refused a kick at goal when awarded a kickable penalty out to the left preferring to keep the ball in hand and run at Wold from a tap penalty but without success.
That decision may have handed Wold the win.
Wold fended Ferrers off well and came close to scoring again themselves but at the final whistle Wold had managed to keep that two point advantage for one of the most exhilarating wins in their history.
It was a great game and credit must go to both teams for their sportsmanship both on the pitch and after the game but it must have been a tough coach trip home for Ferrers who had come so close to the win themselves.
Arn The Wold !!!!
MOM Matt Warren on his 1stXV debut, a dynamo who gave a match winning first performance in attack and defence.
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