South Woodham Ferrers 14 – 10 Southwold
Writing a match report in a fair and unbiased way is difficult enough but when you watch a game like this one it is almost impossible, and what excitement was created was swiftly taken away by a referee who awarded countless penalties for both teams with questionable and sometimes harsh decisions killing the game on its feet.
Even the final score was decided by a penalty try, which may or may not have been the correct decision, but this type of refereeing of a game is not what crowds want to watch.
Crowds come to see the rugby and the best referees are hardly noticed in a game, let the game flow wherever possible and do not crave to be the centre of attention.
This criticism be unfair but referees have a responsibility to allow the game to be decided by the opposing teams and not by themselves.
They should not be constantly the centre of attention.
The game was not ten minutes old when a high ball was challenged for in the air by both the defending Ferrers, and the attacking Wold full backs, the latter chasing his own kick, but Sammy Harmer for Wold was yellow carded and Wold were a man short.
The decision was to prove decisive as a few minute later Ferrers stretched the Wold backs with a long pass missing out the outside centre and the winger ran round the end of the Wold line to score under the posts without challenge, as Wold’s full back watched from the touchline.
Ferrers were seven points to the good and the game stopped and started repeatedly for the rest of the first half with little or no further excitement, as the hard ground took its toll with injuries to both sides.
In the last thirty seconds of the half Wold had a scrum five metres out and pushed Ferrers back before two drives from the back row saw Jonny Mayall force his way over for a try just to the right of the posts and Luke Wade levelled the score at 7 – 7 with the conversion and the whistle for the break followed immediately.
The second half continued in the same vein as the first, as the whistle continued to dominate both teams.
Luke Wade did give Wold a three point lead from one of the many penalties which sailed over from the halfway line.
Several times Wold were within five metres of the Ferrers line but each time they were stopped by the whistle and Ferrers cleared to touch.
It was hard to watch but Ferrers were rightly awarded a penalty themselves on the halfway line with ten minutes to go following a yellow card for Adam Smith the Wold prop for a high tackle and he was to play no further part in the game.
Ferrers kicked down to the corner, won the lineout ball and put pressure on the Wold defence wide on the right and were then awarded a penalty try for an offside offence and the automatic seven points followed to give the final score line of 14 – 10 to Ferrers.
Wold spent the last five or six minutes camped in the Ferrers twenty two but to no avail and when they did have a clear chance to score from their own lineout right before the final whistle, the throw was declared not straight and the game was over.
It typified the whole game.
There were no great celebations by the home side or their supporters who seemed along with the travelling Wold supporters to be just relieved this nonsense of a game had come to an end.
Hopefully for both sides their next weeks encounters will not follow in the same vein and normality will be resumed.
All pictures courtesy Linda Cayley
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