2011 Reports FRIENDLY - SAT 3RD SEPT vs KINGSTON The
final scoreboard of the “training game” of 4 quarters shows that the 29
players of Surrey 1 Kingston RFC beat the 22 players of the WOBS by two
tries to one (12-7)….. but this was our game to win in, with superior
fitness, speed and fire….but unfortunately not in weight.
Reporter - Des Calnan
WORTH OLD BOYS' SOCIETY RFC - THE 2011/2012 SEASON COMING SOON
The Old Reports
WORTH OLD BOYS' SOCIETY RFC - THE 2008/2009 SEASON
WOBS
vs Merton RFC - W 14-3 (21 March 2009) WOBS vs Merton - W 34-13 (15 Nov 2008) Gentlemen of WOBS - I salute you on the magnificent win against Merton on Saturday. Turning up at Whitely Village the mighty WOBS were the epitome of focused, a finely tuned group of elite players with one common goal......the destruction of Merton. A less determined bunch would have been flustered by the early kick off, insecure about only having 15 men and worried that the opposition had beaten both Haslemere and Streatham Croydon whom had caused difficulties in the past. But not the WOBS - nay, this was a team fired up, quivering with adrenaline and an impatience to fly into their opposite numbers. As a 19 strong oppo arrogantly smirked at the 15 WOBS warming up they only served to fuel our resolve. The whistle was blown and with the WOBS having won the toss we kicked deep and high into the Merton half. A crunching 5 minutes ensued with a wall of Blue and Gold stopping each attempt to gain ground. A crunching double hit from Alex Podbury going low and Chris Madsen going high to floor a charging number 8 set the tone. The message was clear, Merton were at our home ground and it was the WOBS who were to dictate the play.....and that's exactly what we did. The first half proved a great display of grit as the boys continued to make crunching hits all over the park. The scrum sat solid as a rock, decimating Merton's forwards on every one of their put ins. A flag was hammered in at every breakdown as the WOBS claimed ownership in the back row and the backs made light work of constantly testing their opposite numbers as the team ran, rucked, mauled and drove its way up the pitch. When the half time whistle was finally blown a beat up Merton looked as if they'd played all they could play, while 30 yards away a different picture was painted as we grabbed shirts and huddled in, focused and knowing exactly what was needed in the second half. After a short water guzzle a disbanded opposition trudged back on to the pitch to the sound of 15 closely grouped boys triumphantly bellowing out "WOBS" before turning to receive the kick. The second half was to test us more than the first, and as a natural tiredness crept across the team the time for digging in was clearly noted. A few early mistakes gave Merton a lucky try to add to their two penalty kicks in the first 40 minutes and served as a quick reminder of the job that was required of each of us. At this point a unanimous decision was made by all that no breakdown was to be lost, no tackle missed and no charging run to be taken at less that 100%. With two well worked tries in each of the Merton corners the WOBS were starting dominate, playing some of the best supporting rugby we've seen. The game finished a brilliant win at 34-13 and it proved just how well we can play when the chips are down. As a side note boys, Saturday's game was the first time in a while we've played with a set structure in what we want to achieve, deciding before the KO what we wanted to do with the ball when in our 22, what we wanted to do with the ball when in their half. All of this allowed us to create a game plan to stick to giving us a real advantage. It was recognising that Merton were knackered in the second half that led to the decision to pick and go off the back of the ruck 3 or 4 times before spinning a backs phase, and then doing the same thing again on the other side of the paddock. This structure meant we all knew exactly what we needed to do, where we needed to be and what was happening next which was not only upped our intensity but was absolutely invaluable in focusing the team. Saturday was a really great effort from everybody.........WELL DONE LADS!!! This weekend we play London Exiles at HOME. Lets hit Saturday with exactly the same attitude, focused from arrival and disciplined throughout the warm-up ready to start a game that we should be easily winning. Ding ding............Round 4. WOBS vs Old Reigatians RFC (League) - W 48-17 Following
on from the previous week's win against Old Paulines in a last minute
friendly, the boys in blue and gold were in high spirits arriving for
our third league game of the season and a must win following two defeats. Great effort all round boys.
WOBS vs Old Paulines RFC (Friendly) - W 34-23 What started out to be a Cup game was quickly changed on Friday following the NOMADS RFC pulling out with their tails between their legs. So, forfeiting the game the NOMADS bowed down to let the WOBS progress to the third round. Despite the possibility of a free Saturday up in the air, the boys showed their eagerness for rumble round the park and joined eachother at the Old Paulines RFC ground to teach them the bosh. Well done boys as this provided valuable and much needed game time for us before our third league game next week. Following your Captain picking a fight with a car during last week – I didn't like the colour – Ed GS led the team out proving once again that not everybody on SAGA holidays is physically challenged - good work Grandad. The day was another scorcher with the sun beating down on the boys from the get go. From the whistle the OP's brought the game to us with a pinch of cockiness, testing the WOBS' defense around the fringes, doing their best to disrupt the breakdown and proving to have a few competent running backs. Despite having a mobile pack we were caught by surprise by the sprightly OP's in the first 20 minutes as they pushed us around the park and back, constantly putting the pressure on and winning some early penalties, awarded by a Referee most definitely born in the middle ages. 13-0 down, a few more very dubious decisions and an opposition that tried every dodgy trick in the book at the breakdown, the WOBS dug deep, gritted their teeth and started to play the sort the rugby we've seen in the last few seasons' big wins. The backs quashed an arrogance from the opposition that should never have been allowed to show its face, shifting the ball well and showing to have the confidence to take the game to them on every running move. While Ed GS kept the pressure up in the number 10 jersey, Cottrell provided some solid play in the centres, pulling out some magical lines for the OP's to stand and marvel at. Tommy "The Rock" Fagg put the side at ease on the wing, constantly covering the angles in defense by showing that no attacker was too big for him, while running the ball into the opposition as if he were an 18 stone second row. Unfortunately for him and for us, Tommy ended the game with a dislocated his shoulder, however he did so in a try saving tackle and definitely won the respect of the men. The next 20 minutes saw the WOBS put the points on the board, taking the game to 17-13 through a combination of some big impact play from the pack and some fast running by the backs. Special mention to Joe Green and Dom Mabbs who both turned up to play despite having shoulder injuries. Dom put this behind him to remain solid in the centre outside Rob, as did Joe in the second row and the line outs, bringing the bulk that we definitely required. Nice one lads. The second half was a true testament to the superior fitness levels of WOBS as through an awesome display of support play the team shifted the ball up the park proving themselves way too much for the OP's to handle. Jamie Bruce exhausted his opposite number as the Duracell Bunny never once stopped running from start to finish as the game was taken into high scores. The increasing heat and intensity of the game was matched with the rapidly dropping levels of fitness, banter and attacking presence from the OP's. By the 50th minute the WOBS had overwhelmed them and as their spirits slipped we took full advantage. James Burt made boshing an art form, with his trade mark 10 meter run after 10 meter run off the back of rucks and scrums, taking three guys on each run to take him down. Tom Lewis and Phil Myles were in support on every press, both making a number of storming breaks. Myles popped up everywhere in support and had one of his best games in both attack and defense, being awarded the man of the match prize. This was highly deserved by Phil and he proved so again after the game when he beat the OP's man of the match in a downing contest, eating his pint to retain WOBS' reputation in front of all teams playing on the day – good lad Phil - bit of pint-pie visualization was there fatty?? - we love you for it! The match finished 34-23 to the WOBS and was a great display of grit in intense heat against an opposition that put the pressure on thick and fast in the opening quarter. Further
mention to our try scorers: Ed GS, Rob Cottrell, Dan Pring and Danny O'Connell.
Saturday
6 September 2008 - WOBS vs Midhurst - W 26-3 The back line showed an impressive flare for the opening game of the season, with Ed Bishop and Paddy Forbes controlling the pack at 9. Tom Calnan provided the play at 10, with Rob Cottrell and Andrew Slater teaming up in the centres to see Slats start his season try fest with a hat-trick! Lee Howard brought his dancing shoes with him at 15, making his counter attacks look effortless has he brought the game back up the field against all their kicks. Mark Wilson, Giordi Cupuano and Ben Holloway provided great support in the backs, each proving to be formidable runners on the ball. For a first run out the result was bang on lads so great effort. Sunday
7 September - WOBS vs Young Old Boys (YB) Dan Mourad took command of the pack at 9, controlling the 'inch' game and steering the pack as we rolled and knocked our way up the park. Tom Calnan took the number 10 shoes, heroically shrugging off an injured shoulder from the day before with Mark Wilson and Ben Calnan stepping into the centres. Ed Gordon-Stewart gave the team its safety net at 15 as he marked each of the kicks over the top, showing that despite being older the Jesus he can still counter with the rest of them. Chris Jackson supported the back row as well as the centres in the second half remaining his usual solid as a rock self in attack and defence. Rob Rooney, Mark Proctor and even the Silver Fox Des Calnan also showed their worth in the backs, joining the team to dig deep in the second half! The YB gave a great performance and provided us with a game that took things right to the wire. At 19-17 in favour of the WOBS, the last 5 minutes saw the YB take a try, worked across the pitch and touched down in the corner, pushing the score to 19-22 with just a few minutes to go. With 30 seconds left on the clock we found ourselves camped under their posts with a penalty kick. Being told by the ref that we would only have one last play the WOBS took the decision to kick for the corner and once more take it to them, showing that despite the previous days game and night on the tiles we had no intention of packing up and giving in!! A final push saw a great effort for the YB to defend their line and the ball being buried in the confusion. The final whistle was blown and a weekend of rugby was concluded. Thank you very much to the YB team for a great day yesterday and we look forward playing with those of you who join the coveted WOBS ranks in the future.
WORTH OLD BOYS' SOCIETY RFC - THE 2006/2007 SEASON The
Chairman, Des Calnan has reviewed the 2004-2005 season and reflected on
the club's progress over the past twelve months. For the musical review of the 2004-2005 season results, please click here. Music supplied by D. Brent
Saturday
4th November: WOBS 12 Raynes Park 22. A third defeat in a row out of 5 league games looks like a bad result for the WOBS, and indeed when we fell behind 17-0 within the first quarter of the match the prospects of a good performance did not look great at all…but this game turned out to be a great effort from the WOBS - but for only 3 quarters of the game, unfortunately. Despite the exhortations from new skipper Tom Calnan not to concede an early score - amplified but some inspiring invective from Richard Hammond leading the pack with real passion - the WOBS did exactly what their leaders feared, leaking a soft try within minutes of the start. We quickly fell further behind to find ourselves uncomfortably 17-0 in arrears, but the second and third tries had come from unforced errors on our own attacks, so the optimist could just see some positive signals and the prospect of something better to come. By this point the backs had settled and were operating well in defence as well as in attack, with Jamie combining well with "the new number 10" for the week, the ever-versatile Lee Howard, who distributed well and made some crucial defensive clearances. Although under pressure in the scrums, the forwards were having a good day and the WOBS suddenly noticed that they were winning at least 90% of all line-out ball, with Tom Lewis dominating as usual at the front - while Salmon Hammon' was leaping quite brilliantly at number 4. Hammond was winning the ball almost at will, most notably when hooker Holloway (clearly making an early and highly innovative bid for the pink fluffy cushion) inexplicably insisted on announcing to our opponents his intention to throw the ball to number 4. After a period of intense pressure from the WOBS, the breakthrough came just before half-time when Phil Symonds made another powerful charge to break through the Park defences to make the score a morale-boosting 7-17 at the changeover. The second half was all about attack from the WOBS, with only the scrums not going our way. Some fine tackling from the midfield trio of Lee, Mark and Ben swung the game the WOBS way, with Ben relishing his 80 minutes in the coveted number 13 shirt with some fearless tackling, eventually wearing out the very dangerous outside centre opposite him. A wave of attacks by the WOBS led to a maul on the right, and the loose ball was snapped up by Ben to score easily in the corner. It was now 12-17 and the WOBS' tails were up. The pressure continued, but repeated breakdowns led to a sequence of scrums which allowed the Park to recover. In a frenzied last ten minutes both teams made a series of errors, but unluckily it was the WOBS who were punished, conceding a late try during the only visit made by Raynes Park to our 22 in the second half. It was good to see Richard Saunders back in the team, after his autumn wedding duties, and two Baybutts were spotted on the wings (presumably by Bill Oddie?). Ben's tireless tackling earned him the Man of the Match award, closely contended by Hammond for his text-book line-out display. So sadly, on this occasion the WOBS got null points, despite performing well for a good three-quarters of the game. Let's try to remember this painful lesson and make a concerted effort to start our next League game the way finished this one - and get our season back on track next Saturday, away at Wandsworthians. [Reporter
DC]
Saturday
16th September: WOBS 10 Streatham & Croydon 33. This was the WOBS first competitive game of the season - and the patchiness showed - but there were good signs for the future from this encouraging performance. Plunged back unceremoniously into the Captain's role, Chris Jackson did a fine job of gathering in late arrivals, counting his props and electing a scrum half (or two?) - but we simply weren't ready for the 3 o'clock whistle. Notwithstanding this stuttering start, the WOBS immediately turned on some fine rugby and held Streatham well for the opening 20 minutes. In fact when our opponents kicked deep we looked the more dangerous team with a pacy back four of Adrian Pring Ben Calnan, Bertie and Kevin Danagher leading the counter-attacks. Against the balance of play we let in a couple of soft tries, but these setbacks brought out the best in the WOBS. For ten minutes either side of half-time, our forwards put their hearts into the game - securing a vital try just before the break, and repeating the act just after half-time to bring the WOBS strongly back into contention at 10-12 with 30 minutes to play. The forwards had found their groove with Burt, Lewis and Jacko in control, aided by Hammond and Green holding things steady in the powerhouse. The front row of Taylor, Podbury and Colin were fine in the loose, but came under increasing pressure in the set pieces, and ominously Streatham were beginning to get all the possession and were running wide and skillfully. The fitness of the WOBS had now ebbed, so reinforcements were called in the form of Tom Calnan, making a welcome return after a long break from injury, and Pete and Chris but they could not help the flagging WOBS to hold back the Magenta wave that was Streatham. Even though Danagher was managing to step his way through the Streatham defence on several occasions, now the mistakes were coming from the WOBS and three tries were leaked to finish at 10-33, a score which did not fully reflect the struggle that had taken place. A big thank you to our half-backs Tom Middleton and Nick Hopkins who kept the team together for the whole game. Nick made several powerful bursts from fly-half into some heavy opposition cover to secure good second phase for the WOBS, and kicked us out of trouble on numerous occasions. But the Man of the Match performance came from James Burt for an inspirational display of defensive and attacking Number 8 play. Next week is our first League game, so let's all get to the game in good time to get our League campaign off to a flying start. [Reporter
DC] WORTH OLD BOYS SOCIETY RFC - THE 2005/2006 SEASON Saturday 11th February: WOBS 88 Lightwater 7. [Tries: C Baybutt 4, J Baybutt, Pollen, Holt, Edwards 2, Sanders 2, Hurley, Taylor, Mourad; Gordon-Steward 9C]
This was an easy game for the WOBS and provided us with a platform to restore confidence and consistency for the team, after the minor battering from Bec a fortnight before. Thirty-eight points playing down the home hill, followed by 50 playing uphill, with 14 tries in all was a much needed tonic for the team, and gave the team some statistics to savour.
The game started well for us with the first 20 minutes being a showcase of centre play – with Number 10 Ed G-S getting fast clean ball from Tom Holt deputizing at scrum half to allow the two centres to pick some fine running lines, Mark Wilson setting up ruck after ruck in text book fashion. The back row were in control from early on with Hugo back again close to his best form and Dan & Tom rampant in the loose. The front 5 were rock solid – with David Lewis combining well to provide the shove in an unaccustomed lock position with Hammond. Dean was back from an extended Christmas break to win the mauls and Will popped up in open play in the right place at the right time as usual. However it was skipper Carson who was the dominant force, securing all the high balls and making the hard yards for the team – as well as selflessly arranging for tries to be scored by his two worthy props. It was great also to see Rob, and others, regularly calling for and taking the inside pop ball from fly-half EG-S to give the WOBS other attacking options.
After establishing a comfortable lead in the first half, the backs had a field day with Charlie reminding all 30 players and spectators of his phenomenal pace, running in 4 tries, all from long range. “He’s as quick as Vasquez” someone said “but without the honking afterwards”, which just about summed it up. Brother James, moving to centre to replace the injured “Wheelchair” set up Pollen to run in an exciting mazy try, and then emulated Charlie with a long run in to score himself. It was good to see Ben Calnan back on the park again, opening the second half as sub with a good drive through the Lightwater forwards and finishing with a try-saving tackle while the rest of the backs were considering donating a consolation second try to their Lightwater chums.
The Man of the Match award was shared by Charlie and Rob for their impressive and contrasting performances – but the true Pink Fluffy Cushion moment was surely provided by Holty. Tom made a clean break from a scrum on the half-way line, only to decide that 50 metres was well beyond his sprinting powers – so he ran 45, then went to ground ‘like a hare to his holt’, losing two opposing tacklers in the process, and crawled the remaining 5 metres home to score, to a chorus of hopeful cries of “double movement, sir” from our forlorn Lightwater foes. Pure champagne, Tom! [Reporter DC] Saturday
22nd October: Worth Old Boys 18 Bec Old Boys 16
Captain Carson had exhorted his troops all week to be “up for it” for this enormous game against arch-rivals Bec OBs, and the WOBS did him proud on the day. Forget Chelsea v Man U or Brazil v Argentina; this was a clash of the Titans on a completely different scale, with bodies, careers and reputations on the line. As one supporter was heard to breathlessly whisper pre kick-off: “Yeah, it should be a pretty good game today…who are we playing again?” We started the game playing downhill and for the next 40 minutes we faced an all-out assault from the Bec boys. Possession was almost non-existent and the WOBs spent the half camped in their own 22, relying on the defensive boot of Tyler as wave after wave of Bec attacks were repulsed . An early break on the Bec left flank gave our backs their first test, but Tom (returning at fullback after a 6 week lay-off) was wrong-footed. Fortunately a remarkable chase back and cover from Andy Pollen – reminiscent of his match-winning effort at the Caterham Sevens – saved the WOBS from conceding an early score. Minutes later a fast recycle by the Bec boys created a five versus 2 man overlap but, amazingly, the WOBS cavalry cover arrived just in time with Jacko charging the Bec winger into touch like a frenzied sumo wrestler – and Pardo flying in to climb over Jacko to double up on the tackle.
Despite the relentless assault, with the tempo of the game controlled by Bec, there were glimmers of hope with the WOBS looking sharp and dangerous on the few occasions when they were allowed to string together a few passes. Typical was a penalty on our 22, taken smartly by Jamie. A couple of jinks later, and the ball was neatly offloaded to Pardo, who made a clean break with only the fullback to beat. The swerve option selected by Matt was not quite the best choice, and he was brought to ground. The writing was now on the wall for a WOBS revival, but would our boys manage to read the half time script? (always a big ask for some of our boys). At a mere 3-6 points down, despite a major battering and the slope against us to follow, there was a spirit of resolve in the team. The first minutes of the second half would be vital.
A bright start with a clever kick, chase and weighty tackle from Tom C lifted the spirits of the team, but within minutes our spirits were down as a ghastly injury (a suspected broken leg) to an unfortunate Bec back caused a 20-minute delay while the Ambulance was called. We adjourned to the adjacent pitch, but the WOBS were clearly out of sorts due to the break and from the scrum restart we immediately conceded a soft try. A penalty followed and suddenly we were 16-3 down with, ominously, the front five of Will, Pearse and Rob and the two Richards, having a torrid time as Bec drove home the slope advantage in the set pieces. The breaks round the fringes were exhausting the pack, with the back row trio of Chris, Ben and Hugo taking the brunt of the big hits. The fresh legs of Dan Mourad were brought to take on the heavy tackling duties, a job he took to with relish.
Desperate measures were required and Number 8 Hugo responded by picking up all bad ball (and there was plenty of it!) and driving the few vital metres to re-set the position for cleaner ball. From these few scraps the WOBS were able to give themselves a platform for counterattack. The chance came midway through the half when quick ball to the left found Tom Holt at outside centre facing the blanket cover of Bec backs. Tom cannily chipped over the top and the ball bounced our way. With both Toms and Ben crowded out by the defence, Matt appeared from nowhere (or was it from another bone-shaking tackle 50 metres away?) to touch down the loose ball. The Bec gates were now open (at 11-16) and now things were starting to happen. Gallic Ben hurled in a quick line-out (ouch!) and soon after was involved in a break wide on the left. With the ball lying loose, Tom C scooped a pass along the ground to keep the ball alive and, while the Bec centres were berating our trusty touch-judge for not raising his flag, the ball was speeding to the right for the ever-present Jacko – still convinced of his centre credentials – to burst through for a 20 metre try, coolly converted by Andy T.
The WOBS had taken the lead to 18-16, and the Bec boys were reeling but the controversy was not over. With just five minutes remaining they won a penalty and opted for the try attempt rather than take the kick – mistakenly believing themselves to be four points adrift, rather than just two. A match saving tackle from Pearse, jolting his dodgy shoulder again in the cause, and two enormous clearance kicks from Jamie kept Bec way from our lines and after a tense few minutes the game was won, and the celebrations could begin. Reports suggest that a great night was had by all up to about 9pm; after that is anyone’s guess…
As one Bec supporter said at the end: “It was clear that your boys just wanted it more than ours did.” Let’s keep this in mind as we greet our old (and frankly, slightly odd) friend Cyril of Wandsworth next week, and our sarky Walcountian foes for the next big one on 12th November. [Reporter
DC, adviser TC] Saturday
1st October: WOBS 19 Raynes Park 11. The second half restart at 3-8 down was going to be crucial for the WOBS, and fortunately the WOBS responded magnificently with wave after wave of attack, inspired by a dominant performance from the strong back row trio of Jackson, Burt, and Hugo Sanders (the latter making a big impact at Number 8 in his League debut). In fact all the forwards were magnificent, with Hammond partnering Saunders at lock, and five players used in the front row - Hurley, Hooch, Taylor, Kozary and Lane. Young Mark Lane, a third debutant for the WOBS today, impressed with some fine open play, and an accurate throw in the line-out. A beautiful passage of play soon after the interval saw the ball go left and eventually led to a quick release through the backs' hands and a finger-tip flick-on by Pardo led to a smartly taken try by Andy Pollen on the right. A series of astute penalty kicks from the silver boot of Andy Tyler, leading the team for the first time and making all the right decisions tactically, effectively wrapped up the game, as the advantage moved gradually from 2 points to five points to a safer margin of 8 points. One sequence in the last quarter stood out as the WOBS organized their runners off the back of the scrum with first Burt, then Will Taylor and then Sanders each punching big holes in the opponents' defence. Dan Mourad, quieter in early games, decided to emulate this with a couple of strong bursts through the centre, somersaulting out of one tackle to surge through for an additional 5-metre surge. Raynes Park fought to the last and in the final ten minutes dominated the game, with some WOBS-like open rugby, which required desperate defence from the WOBS - with Pardo making several match-saving tackles. Jamie had another tidy game at scrum half and Tom Holt at fullback was hardly troubled. Mark Wilson shored up the defence well, coming on for the hamstrung Ali Stirling. This was an important game to win for our League campaign and, more crucially, one that would have been no fun to lose. Big thanks to the reserves Ben Holloway, Pearse and Darren who made the effort to get to the game, and support the squad - particularly club-man Ben whose selflessness over selection for the squad of 18, allowed both Saunders and Lane to have full games. And best wishes for a quick recovery Ali - that jug awaits. [Reporter: DC] Saturday
24th September: London Fire Brigade 14 WOBS 61. After a delayed start (due to a fire in Epsom) the game started predictably enough with repeated catch and drives and rolling mauls from our firemen friends. The WOBs were clearly out of sorts and it was shock rather than a surprise when the Firemen scored after 15 toiling minutes. The WOBS regathered but had to live off scraps in the first half. Fortunately there were enough and a beautiful break through the centres by Andy Tyler, after an inch-perfect pass from Jamie receiving loose ball by the touch line, started the recovery. New boy Ali Stirling, a helpless spectator for the first quarter, grabbed a smart try when the ball fell loose after a spectacular chase by Kasanda, who had pounced successively on three astounded firemen. The move of the half, and a good contender for a future pink fluffy cushion award, was by Chris Jackson, who took an inside pass from Tyler, burst through, chipped over the defence, chased to the line (yes, a full 60 metres in all), floored the full back, and when the ball fell loose, Jacko had the presence of mind to stretch out an arm to score - mistakenly reaching for his inhaler. 21-7 at the break and time for the WOBS team talk. The message from all who spoke, in that customary cloud of invective and expletive, was simply to stop those rolling mauls - a matter of skill rather than of strength. One voice, young Jamie, added the observation that "if we increase the tempo the firemen haven't got a chance" and these wise words from the mouth of Brucie were the key to the spectacular revival in the second half. Despite conceding an early score from, you guessed it, a rolling maul, to bring the scores closer at 21-14, the WOBS had cracked the problem and with superlative hard graft around the edges, with Carson and Hurley doing some magnificent work, the strategy started to work. At every opportunity, driven by some lightning breaks from Jamie, the ball was flung loose - particularly to the right - for some spectacular moves from our own line, led by Dan, his fellow centre and the full back. The second half was a blur of running and passing, with three more tries to Ali, whose pace seemed guaranteed to score every time he received a loose ball. The forwards joined the fray with barn-storming runs from Tom Lewis and James Burt, who were both rewarded with tries, one from a beautiful inside flick by Tyler. The pick of them all was a surging run from Tom Holt, again on the right, enjoying his spell at full back, cutting out then in, and delaying the final pass perfectly to put through a flying Andy Pollen to score. 61-14 was the deserved final score which puts us second in the tale with two league wins out of two. A great league debut from James Madsen on the blind side flank, replaced by a fiery James Pymont at half time. Dave Lewis and Paul Kozary shared the hard work up front, and it was good to see Phil Myles, back in the team. This was a great performance but we need more discipline and application in the mauls if we are to do the same to Raynes Park next week. [Reporter:
DC] THE 2004/2005 SEASON Saturday
19th February: Raynes Park 12 WOBS 20. The omens were good for this game: a strong performance in the practice game last week against Warlingham of Surrey 1 and - the key difference this week - an Availability List to make the selectors' eyes water. With 22 fired-up players pitch-side on the day, the prospect of an upset against League leaders Raynes Park was a distinct possibility and skipper Carson rallied his troops to the call with a stirring oration before the kick-off. With possibly our strongest pack of the season playing, we needed a good start - and James "I'm really a centre" Burt, relishing his first chance in the coveted No 7 jersey, led the way with an enormous charging leap from the kick-off and some shuddering early tackles. It was soon clear that the main threats from Raynes Park were a rumbling set of wheeling forwards and a fine playmaker at No 10, and it was from a wheel on our own scrum that the Park were able to steal the ball and run uncontested for a simple try. More breaks were being made by our confident opponents but in some desperate last ditch tackles, often at the second attempt, from centres Holt and Gordon-Steward we held back the surge. Ben Calnan on the wing provided some critical cover tackles, one an amazing double effort as he leapt up from the ground to make the second strike. The WOBS chipped back at them with two well taken penalties - the second one a beautifully cued strike from the golden left boot of our own 'Eddie Charlton' - and then delivered a killer blow with a text-book inside pop pass from Tyler to Tom Calnan, which saw the fullback touch down effortlessly next to the posts to give us a deserved 13-7 lead. By this team the WOBS' heads were up and the park was being comfortably patrolled by the back-row of Goughy, Burt and Wilson, ably supported by Saunders and Hammond in the powerhouse. A minor aberration close to the half time whistle allowed Raynes Park a second score but, crucially, the WOBS were a point up at 13-12 for the changeover. With the WOBS turning round to face a strong wind, the game could have gone either way. But a superb re-start followed by a decisive break from Holt saw the ball sweep from side to side, before flashing rapidly through the centres' hands to the left wing, who cut in, set the ball up for our marauding forwards. This gave the opportunity for newcomer Eoin Carson to be rewarded for his pace to the breakdown with the critical try, to give us a healthy eight point margin. Lee demonstrated his commitment and versatility with some good darts from wing or centre, and Mark Wilson, coming on for the last quarter, showed his experience by stepping through with consummate ease to make a fine break which unluckily did not result in a score. Cameo moments were a pass from Hammond directly from the line-out to fly-half and an outrageous step and dummy kick from Dave Wilson, playing his most assertive game of the season in a Man of the Match performance. In the last quarter Raynes Park gradually realized that the game was slipping from their grasp and an intense period of pressure began. On this occasion though the WOBS resolve was up to the task, and the whole team played their part in a superb defence. Our scrum halves, Jamie in the first half and newcomer Ed Bishop in the second, had good and gritty performances, both hampered by some appalling off-side encroachments from our opponents' back row, when it became clear to Raynes Park that the referee was unwilling to take control of this part of the game. Clever box kicks allowed the WOBS some vital breathing space when under pressure, and some strong defensive clearances from Tyler into the strong wind kept the Park well away from our line at the end, when they were running the ball at us from all quarters. Dave Lewis came on at the close to relieve the exhausted front row trio of Rob, Eoin and Ox, and four other players were available but not used on the day - Ben Nickell, Teds, Paul Kozary and Peter Hilton. The whole squad, including the subs, can take great credit from a superb team performance and a display of true commitment to the cause. Impressively, the WOBS continued their steadfast commitment to the cause later on in the Ship, again showing grit and determination as pint after pint of 'Winter Warmer' was despatched in the traditional Surrey manner - to the tune of "You Zulu Warrior". Regular patrons and bar-staff alike embraced this revelry - right up to the point where we were asked to leave. Notable performances included the purchase and consumption of several rounds of whisky shots from our honorary jock Gordon-Steward, and a wonderful cameo from Captain Bobby, whose deft moves culminated in a trip to Pagliaccio's (via old friend McDonalds) for a pizza and a sleep. The perfect end to a cracking day. [Editor:
DC. After hours reporter TC.]
Saturday
22nd January: Teddington Antlers 34 WOBS 41. For this important League match - just as we had done on 8th January - the WOBS listened to our pre-match briefing and started the game in tremendous form. The forwards provided a rock-solid platform, punch-punch-spinning the ball wide for our fleet-footed backs, with our five flankers showing up regularly in the right places to provide silky skills in support. It was a marvellous spectacle from the boys in Blue and Gold and within 20 minutes the WOBS had four tries on the board. A darting run from a scrum by Jamie, an incisive break through the middle from Tom, a pacy finish from Andy Pollen, and a score from Lee, returning bronzed from his winter trip down under …as well as having several excellent chances which were only thwarted by a dropped pass by the effervescent WOBS. The try-glut slackened a bit as Teddington regathered their forces, but by half time Tom had poached another try and the lead was a 'seemingly unassailable' one of 36-12. Something happened during the half-time team talks and, unfortunately it was the Antlers who came out fighting - with a simple plan to use their large No 8, Prop and Centre as three battering rams. The new tactics from the Antlers worked and the WOBS deer-hunters became the hunted as we faltered, time and again missing the first tackle (by not going low enough), and surrendering the gain line too easily. The tackles were still coming in later on, with some great efforts from all eight up front - with Ben Nickell outstanding - but we were now on the back foot, the pressure was great, and tiredness was setting in. And once again the WOBS learnt the painful lesson that flicking bad ball back to the three-quarters is not the way to win a game. The rot had set in, and even though we stole another smartly taken try early in the third quarter - another really fast burst from Pollen - the error-count, turn-overs and back-chat were all mounting. Our opponents' confidence, and try count, rose accordingly as the charging Antlers realized that they were back in the hunt. The last ten minutes were the most painful (to play and to watch) but luckily the WOBS had just enough points in the bag to hold off to win 41-34. Despite the tight result and poor second half performance, there were a lot of positives to be taken from this game. The front row of Kozary, Carson and Lewis (and later John Wicks who came on to add some needed energy and good cleaning out for the last 20 minutes) were not really troubled in the set pieces. Teds and Goughy provided enough shove in the second row, and the back row of Dave Wilson, James Burt and Ben all had good games individually. And all the backs looked sharp and did some great running and tidy covering at various points during the game. Perhaps the single failing was simply that we stepped back a pace to allow to Teddington to run at us - plus there may have been a hint of some point-chasing individualism at key moments, when the simple wide ball would generate the best results for the whole team. But a win is a win, and morale remains high. Just as important, we remain undefeated for our three games in 2005. And now we know exactly what needs to be done for the next game, against Alleynians on 29th January - to play the way we can for the full 80 minutes. It's not half a game! [Reporter
-DC] Saturday
8th January: WOBS 38 Old Walcountians 17. It was the first game of the year for the turkey-stuffed WOBS and the Old Walcountians, riding high in Surrey 2, were expecting an easy win. But they had not read the script of the Jacko Christmas Message, which had told the WOBS in no uncertain terms what was needed to revive our League campaign. Playing
downhill the WOBS had a tremendous start with Hammond, finding new powers
after an unaccustomed Friday night of abstinence, bursting immediately
through the whole pack, then sidestepping the midfield defences, only
to be stopped by their full-back, falling at his feet. The first quarter
continued in This effort inspired the whole team, the backs starting to click again, with Jamie back in partnership with Andy Tyler, giving the chance for both wings, Ben Calnan and Kevin Danagher, to shine. Kevin was enjoying his first taste of WOBS rugby, finding several opportunities to run wide on the right, and cutting down several attempted OW counterattacks with some powerful follow-up tackles, and scoring a neat try to bring us up to 12-0. The last 10 minutes of the half saw a reversal of fortunes with OWs camped on our line. Tackle after tackle went in for the WOBS but the thin blue-and-gold line did not waver, despite an ever-increasing number of penalties and five-metre scrums. The telling moment - perhaps the decisive incident of the whole game - came when after a clean Walcountian break wide on the left, Ed G-S was able to turn on his heels to bring off a try saving tackle. From here the WOBS were able to pounce on a loose ball, releasing Ben after some really slick handling through the centres. A second cameo move came after a quick penalty by - er, Hooch !? - who passed and looped effortlessly to take us close to the Walcountians line. In the final line-out of the half, close to their line, the whole WOBS team knew what was happening and a single voice was heard from the OW coach "watch out, their full-back's joining the line"… but it was too late to stop a beautiful floating DSM by Tyler wide to the right for Tom to pluck out of the air, and ghost through at full throttle for a perfect score. But was 19-nil going to be enough with the wind and slope against us? Luckily the WOBS paid full heed to their half-time pep talk and kept their form from the re-start with Jamie trying out his reverse pass and then taking a snap decision to go blind, finding Tom Holt, who made a strong dash for a killing try, converted from wide out by Tyler. The WOBS made three substitutions: Andy Pollen (on for cramping Ed), Dan Pring (to replace hamstrung Gough), and Ben Nickell (for hand-crushed Jacko), but a few indiscretions allowed chances for Walcountians to make use of the slope and they edged back to 26-12. But to their credit the WOBS regathered and, in a superb passage of play, again involving a surging break from Kevin on the right, gave Dave Wilson the chance to execute a text-book No 8 try from the ensuing scrum. Our opponents responded with a late try to give them a faint glimmer of hope and the ball was flung frantically across the pitch - allowing Tom to steal a cheeky interception to seal the game at 38-17. This was by far the WOBS best performance of the season, and gives us great hope for a second half revival. Well done to the whole squad, including a big thank you to Adrian Pring the unlucky non-playing nineteenth member of the squad - there'll be plenty of chances for all in the weeks to come. [Reporter - DC]
Saturday
9th October: WOBS 10 Old Abingdonians 17 With 5 substitutes supporting the squad on the day, we were able to bring on three fresh players at half-time (Paul Kozary, Tom Holt and Alex Podbury), and although we lost some of our form in the set pieces, we still controlled the loose, with the back row of Goughie and Burt now coming into the game more. Alex Podbury showed his fitness and ball skills, to add new continuity between forwards and backs. Eventually we were awarded and converted a penalty, and with this our confidence grew. Although bloodied and with aching back, Andy Tyler was starting to make some breaks by now - and released two beautiful wide DSMs to Tom. It seemed that a try was inevitable, but the ref had different ideas, ruling that Andy was 'held-up' after seeming to have made a good touch-down after a silky solo break. Desperation was starting to set in, as passes were spilled and chances lost, and our opponents opted for some time-wasting tactics. But a strong burst from Chris followed by a subtle switch inside, gave our full-steam full-back a spectacular try. Soon after Tom Holt was stopped short of the line, playing in the unlikely left wing position. In the closing minutes, Jamie who had had a really excellent game at half-back, with some inch perfect passes to his stand-off, started to make some speedy darts of his own. But it was all too late and 10-17 was the disappointing outcome. Despite
the unfavourable result, there were many positives to be taken from this
game, including the lesson that we do need to take our chances when we
get them, especially when they arrive early as they did in this game.
And perhaps we have to recognize that when the forwards are playing well
we don't need always to sling the ball wide, and put unnecessary pressure
on ourselves when the mistakes arise. All this can be ironed out with
more match-practice and, dare it be said, some training? [Reporter DC] Saturday
2nd October: London Fire Brigade 13 WOBS 34 The second League game of the season for the WOBS was against the Fire Brigade - a must-win game if the WOBS were to revive their campaign for 2004-2005. With a strong wind and a big slope in our favour the WOBS struggled to take advantage of the conditions despite a solid base of possession from the set-pieces, anchored by the new front row combo of Hooch, Pearse and Dean 'Ox' Hurley. Unusually, we also got the better of the line-outs where James Burt was stealing good ball at the front, with Rich Hammond at 4 picking up some loose throws as well. The backs had a new look about them with Andy Tyler making an impression on his first game with the WOBS with several half-breaks from fly half - well served by some clean fast delivery from rookie Jamie Bruce playing with rising confidence in what was already his fifth game this season at half-back. The WOBS were solid in defence but were stuttering in attack, and turned around with a slim 10-0 lead - thanks to a charging break from Jacko, enjoying a run out at inside centre. Despite a score from Tom straight after the changeover to bring the score quickly to 17-0, things got very difficult for the WOBS as the Brigade showed us how to use the slope and wind to good effect with two well-taken forward rumbles to creep back to 13-17, and set the WOBS alarm bells ringing. Under intense pressure the WOBS knuckled down to fight fire with fire and, gradually, the Tyler half-breaks turned into clean breaks - and ominously for the Firemen Tom Calnan started to find some space out wide in the gaps left by our public-spirited opponents. A mazy run of 70 yards from deep in own our half was stopped inches short of the line, and a second dash suffered the same end - but this time Ben was on hand to take the pass off the ground for an easy touch-down. The move of the day showed the WOBS at their champagne-best with the ball sweeping from right to left and back again, with the whole team seeming to have a hand in the movement. While the ragged firefighters were considering how to defend the third surge out wide, Adrian Edwards cleverly reversed the play with a beautifully executed version of a "Cuthbert Dibble and Grub-ber" kick straight through the defence, and raced through to touch down in the corner. After that the Brigade appeared to go on strike as the WOBS piled on the points, with a second try from Tom finally extinguishing any remaining embers of resistance, as our opponents threw in the metaphorical fire-blanket. This was a great performance, captained with intelligence and inspiration by Pearse who led the way with some typical aggressive tackling. "Just make sure you're more psychotic than they are" were the wise words uttered by the skipper at the break. There were strong performances too from Richard Saunders, Ben 'everywhere' Nickell, and Teds. Plus a trade-mark burst from Hammond, finding his lungs late in the game to run clean through the wavering fire defences. And good support from substitute players Jeremy, Dave and Darren. Thanks go as well to Callum for dusting down the boots for the day, and leading a large group of WOBS supporters (four ladies, three men and their three dogs). [Reporter:
DC (editorial TC)].
"HANGING ON IN THERE" This Season started with a croak rather than a roar as we were put to the sword by our old adversaries Old Haileyburians. A dramatic defeat in the first game led to many asking whether Surrey 2 would be too much to cope with. Would it be another short stay and then straight back down again? We all hoped not but things didn't look good, yet all along there was a belief that this is where we should be playing our rugby - against harder opposition than last year and with a tough game each week. Two more losses came before we managed a draw in our third game of the season and our first league points The World cup was now well underway and we hoped that the crushing power of the England team would inspire the boys to greater things. Could we learn from the precision and excellence of Wilkinson - the speed of Back and the power of Hill and Johnson? As awesome as the England performance was it took the Wobs several weeks to recover fully from the celebrations and it was not until late January 2004 that we secured our first win in the league and a chink of light in what had so far been a very dark season. With renewed vigour we marched on to the end of the season trying to preserve our place in Surrey Division 2 for which we had fought so hard the season before. A win in mid February and two further wins in our last two games of the season found us resting well away from the relegation zone and able to take next season head on now we know what the standard is like. To be honest on our day we could beat most teams in Surrey 2 but we need to be more consistent. We have achieved our first aim of staying up and now need to concentrate on fitness over the summer ready for the 2004-05 season to begin in September. We include below two 'live' reports on key successes for the WOBS Under 21's and the Sevens Squad last season. We have a very good base of players who are old boys, and some friends of old boys, but we are very keen for more players, especially Worth Leavers and University Leavers. So
if you are an aspiring player and want to play a good standard with a
side that plays hard both on and off the pitch please contact either Desmond
Calnan at dcalnan@tecres.net or
Jonathan Nickell at jonathannickell@hotmail.com.
"MACCA'S MIGHTY WOBS REACH SEMIS OF SOUTH of ENGLAND U-21s COMP" The omens were good from the start: 16 WOBS at the ground at 10am, an hour before kick-off, with a few guests from Durham making up the full squad of 21… already changed and warming-up…could this really be a WOBS team? Yes, Max McAlister had done a great job getting things organized, but how would the boys perform after a year of gapping? The first round against St Paul's had a difficult start, with the WOBS not getting sight of the ball at all in the opening minutes against a large pack. But after taking a steadying penalty the side quickly settled into some flowing rugby. The floodgates opened with some fine running and silky handling, with tries from Max McAlister (3), Tom Podbury (2) and guest Brendan McKercher who had taken over control of the game with electric service from the back of the scrum, combining well with Ben Green at stand-off. Despite the one-sided scoreline of 35 nil, St Paul's continued to come back at us, and some solid tackling was needed in the backs, led by some aggressive play from fit-again Sam Middlehurst in the centre. The second Round saw us facing a top team from Tonbridge, who had won a very high-class game against Eton. The first half was tight and scoreless, with the well-drilled Tonbridge forwards contesting strongly, and our backs unable to penetrate a smothering Tonbridge defence. A glimpse of a break from Phil Doyne-Ditmas late in the half gave us hope for the second period. Despite spending long periods in their half, it always looked as though a breakaway try might settle things, and so it was to be. Midway through the tense second half, with extra time looming, the break finally came as the WOBS, defending, suddenly secured possession and spotted space on the right. The ball sped rapidly to the wing with some lightning handling skills, including a deft touch from Phil again, finding its way back inside to Max who had a 40 metre sprint for the posts. A penalty soon after allowed the WOBS to wrap up the game with a superb 10-0 victory. After the prize scalp of Tonbridge came the chance to take on Whitgift in the Quarter Finals. Although the Whitgift team was strong, the WOBS' confidence was now running sky high, and Ed Davies and Brendan were able to knock the Whitgift fly-half right off his game. We kept the ball moving and after several phases of superb play slipped the ball blind for a smartly taken try on the left by Max. The second half tactics were to keep the ball deep into the corner, in order to secure good line-out possession from Dan O'Connell who leapt all day, supported by good work from Phil Myles and (later on) Paddy Scott. Rob Palmer and Pikey shared the hooker's duties and threw accurately. The pressure forced errors from Whitgift, and resulted in two more good tries - the first a stampeding run from No 8 Rob Evans [at least his uncle Rivlin was a WOB!], and then a well-gathered pass taken by Charlie Vaughan-Fowler in a very tight space on the right. Fifteen nil, and into the Semis. We
were hit from the start by a whirlwind from Wellington, and in minutes
we were 10 nil down. But the plucky WOBS, against the play, managed to
claw back, and it was only a professional foul, rewarded by the sin-bin,
which prevented a try from Tom Podbury. We took the penalties and turned
round still in contention at 6-10 down, with Jack Bodkin continuing to
take them on, and Phil Symonds keeping us in contention with some great
covering. The two sides were tired now, Ben's feet were bleeding profusely
and both Sam and Max took heavy head blows early on. Again we showed the
Wellington machine too much respect, and allowed two tries to slip past,
the second one delivered after a blatant foul off the ball by our arch-enemies. See you all there next time, on Sunday 5th September 2004. WOBS
Under-21 Squad on the Day: Next
Games for WOBS Under 21's: Sevens Competitions WOBS
WIN SEVENS SILVERWARE OLD CATERHAMIANS SEVENS - SATURDAY 15TH APRIL 2006
In the first game of the day, the Young WOBS 2 team met tournament favourites Rosslyn Park - and for the first few minutes gave the Park quite a scare. They started by pressing the Park right up on their lines, and only the smallest of mistakes allowed the Park to break through to score. A few minutes later it was the WOBS who were breaking through, with Alex Podbury sprinting 2 thirds of the pitch to make a fine score. More pressure from the WOBS brought out the worst in the Park, who tried to slice off the Keelaghan head (wouldn't you?) with an outrageously bad tackle. The ref didn't have the courage to bin the offender, and from that point the Park cruised comfortably to victory. In the meanwhile WOBS 1 were in some disarray with skipper Lee Howard arriving late in traffic with Tom Lewis only minutes before the first game. Bolstered by some fit lads from the Twos they put up a good fight against Castaways but conceded a late try when pressing for victory. The group was a difficult one for WOBS 1, with a strong Foostcray side and Chipstead taking wins over our boys. As the injuries increased the determination of the squad grew and the final games saw a convincing win over Warlingham, followed by a tight 28-28 draw with Kittens where Podbury grabbed a hat-trick of tries. Wisely the WOBS declined to take a penalty kick with the scores level and a minute to go, saving the battle-weary team the pain of any further games. WOBS 2 followed their first game with an easy win over Suttonians, with Keelaghan and Pring scoring freely - and the took on Eastbourne Stags in a bad-tempered encounter where again the Keelaghan head took a swipe, and although this time the WOBs had the satisfaction of seeing the perpetrator red-carded. But unfortunately our own red mist had set in allowing the Stags to finish the game well on top despite having only six players. In the Plate competition the WOBS 2 boys really came into their own with a classy win against the Kittens followed by a tight (but solid) win over Castaways, avenging the defeat of their seniors. The players who stood out in these games were Dan Pring who continued to run in tries from the wing at will, and Mark Breen who seemed to have more energy than others, and who covered the park with some great defence, as well as always providing a threat in attack. Plus the raw pace of Kevin Danagher was used to great effect. The final was a big anti-climax, with Worth taking on the hosts Old Cats, and somehow managing to upset the referee into awarding penalty after penalty against us. The final straw was when he reversed the penalty decision when we were camped on their line - for the controversial 'offence' of pushing an opponent who was preventing us having quick ball for our penalty….! Clearly the Old Cats were destined to win their own Competition. Nevertheless, Silverware was won in this our first game of the campaign. The WOBS squad decided to hand over their 'purse' for this win to Mitcham RFC who are collecting money for one of their players, Dan Hodges who has suffered severe spinal injuries in a recent game (on 18th Feb 2006). Well done WOBS. Next
games: WOBS
1 (tries in brackets): WOBS
2 (tries in brackets):
Middlesex Sevens: Saturday 30th April, 2005 With possibly our strongest squad of the season available, the WOBS were on fire for this Competition - but we were unfortunately a few twigs short of a bonfire, with only 8 players available for the day, and just seven for the first match against British Airways. Despite a frantic start from "Gallic Ben", who opened proceedings with a 10-metre forward pass to our startled high-flying opponents, the WOBS soon settled into a rhythm - which comprised letting the British Airways boys run straight at the WOBS until they dropped the ball, and then scoring at will. The pace of Tom Calnan and our feisty nouveau frenchman was too much for our opponents and, with Lee also stepping through the BA air-defences with ease, the three of them grabbed a brace of tries each. Dan Mourad, returning to the WOBS after a break of over two years, grabbed another, allowing the WOBS to take good care of the BA-boys with a resounding 45-nil win. The second pool game, versus Quinton, was tougher and very tight with just a single WOBS score separating the teams at half-time. A good break from a very fit Tom Lewis paved the way for a second half avalanche with Andy Tyler mesmerizing the opposition with some electric breaks. The timely arrival of our eighth player, guest Chris Hay, added more pace to our flanks and - vitally - allowed Jacko to take a well-earned break. A hat-trick of tries from skipper Leeroy turned the game to a give the WOBS a convincing 31-5 victory. The third round turned out to be our easiest game, with the Teddington Antlers being well and truly scalped by the WOBS rampant. We played the last quarter of the match with only 6 players when Dan had to leave the field to deflate a golf-ball sized swelling after taking a heavy blow to the forehead. This time it was Chris Hay's turn for a hat-trick, with Tom C and Tyler bagging a pair, and Lee and Tom Lewis also marking their cards with a try apiece. 57-5. The WOBS had won their pool with consummate ease and were through to the Final for the day against 'former Premiership club' Harlequins Amateurs. The game started early but unfortunately the WOBS didn't, and within five minutes we were 21-0 down, after a couple of sloppy errors and some poor defending. The match started for us in the second half, with good tries from Tom and Lee, but the pressure was on us to press forward which allowed Harlequins to break through for their fourth try. A smart interception try late on by Tom brought us closer at 17-28, but time was up and the WOBS had to accept their third successive Finals defeat in this competition in three years. This was one of the best-balanced teams the WOBS have ever fielded - with ball-winners Jacko and Lewis doing much of the graft for linkmen Dan, Andy Tyler and Lee. Ben and Tom were back very close to their fastest, and guest Chris Hay was a great all-rounder winning loose ball with some telling tackles and scoring freely. Skipper Lee was an inspiration in all games, and led the team from the front. Next Sunday (8th May) it's the highlight of our season, the Surrey Sevens (at Warlingham this year). Tom is unfortunately absent (playing soccer in Ireland seems to be an insufficient excuse….) but if we keep this form up, the WOBS must be in with a good chance of creating a major upset at Surrey this year. Come and play - or just watch! Results: Squad: [Reporter:
DC] Hendon Sevens: Sunday 24th April, 2005 The WOBS trekked up the Great North Way for their fourth successive year in this Competition with a great squad and high hopes of silverware. The boys made life difficult for themselves with a lucklustre first game against a fairly ordinary but bumbling Hammersmith & Fulham team - and before we knew it we were four scores down. We settled down to a better second-half performance but the damage was done and we lost 14-42, with tries from skipper Lee Howard and James Burt. Despite losing Nick Greaves to an unlucky self-inflicted neck injury after his third attempted side step, the squad rallied, after Pollen had cleared his head, to rip into the second and third pool games. The second match was against group favourites, Old Albanians, who were totally outplayed by an electric performance from all, with Lee leading the way with two solo tries, soon followed up by another from Burt, with guests Steve Brimacombe and Pete Ostick both breaking through too for good scores. The transformation surprised our opponents completely (and most of those watching) but the change of fortune can be attributed entirely to our meticulously disciplined defence, with Sam Barnett cajoling the whole squad to keep their lines to secure a convincing 27-12 win. Tom Lewis and James Burt by this stage of the competition were dominating all kick-offs, whether receiving or chasing, with some great high takes from the restarts, with Ed Bishop and Tom Holt doing a lot of linking work around the park. With all four teams in the group having won 1/ lost 1, the final round against Old Hamptonians was set to be a nail-biter, but the tension relaxed at the outset, when a break through the middle by Lee, led to a long pass to Barnett, who switched beautifully with Steve to score a classic try. Two tries from a fully recovered Pollen, and another dart from Lee gave us a comfortable victory 24-12. Points difference was to be the key so, in spite of crushing the pool winners Old Albanians, we finished second to take a place in the Plate semi-final against Eastbourne Stags. The WOBS were playing well but were unsettled by some unlucky breaks, including a preposterous "crossing" in the opening minutes, which put us three scores down to the shirt-ripping Stags. The WOBs regathered to pull back three tries through Steve, Lee and Barnett - with Toms Holt and Lewis leading the recovery with some desperate late surges. The chase for points led to further errors and the boys went down finally 21-31. But it was a performance the whole squad could be pleased with - and with a couple of lucky breaks and some more consistency, the team were quite good enough for Silverware this time. Next week we have a head-to-head with Middlesex Sevens on Sat 30th April, followed by Haslemere the next day, on Sunday 1st May. All reinforcements, regulars and Uni boys, will be welcomed. Apparently Dan Mourad will play. Results: Squad
: [Reporter
DC] Sevens Competitions - April and May 2004 After
securing our league position the WOBS rounded off their season with an
impressive set of results in our annual quest for "Sevens Silverware",
but unfortunately we were not rewarded this year with the now-customary
tinkle of pewter Tankards and the chores of polishing Plaques Plates and
pendants. No silverware this year - but a very good campaign. Lee takes the plaudits for some great tries, matched by some superb sevens skill early on from Ben Green. Thanks go to Tom for leading the squad in the absence of injured (and exam-bound) skipper, Chris Jackson.
Worth Old Old Boys Vs Worth New Old Boys : Saturday 18th Sept Those of us who were brave enough and old enough to pitch up at Worth on the weekend of the 18th to play against the much talked about and highly acclaimed new wobs were certainly given a run for their money. Confronted by a squad of more than 15 (which is a miracle) fresh faced, eager and highly drilled new wobs, the old wobs began to wonder what kind of affair this supposedly friendly match was going to turn into. The old wobs had been blessed with a string of talented past 1st team players including, 1999 captain Pearce Lynch and 2000 captain Lorenzo Stallion Curci. The names went as far back as Dean Hurley who proved to be an indispensable force in the tight play. Similarly the new wobs had brought to the field a fantastic turn out and may I also point out a few ringers who used to play for a school called Joey's (some school in Sydney I think). Kick off came too soon and thanks to our intensive warm up and highly skilled coaching team, all players were up for the challenge. It was an incredibly physical start with hundreds of ferocious hits going in. Some unfortunate defence from the old wobs resulted in the first points of the game and new wobs eased themselves 7 points ahead. The game maintained an incredibly elevated tempo and fitness was surely going to be the overall winner. Some dazzling foot work from the Australian playmakers in the new wobs backs prized open some Grand Canyon sized gaps in the old wobs back line and they were in for an easy try. A missed conversion and old wobs were trailing 12 - 0. Heads were down but some firm and true words from the almighty Lynch encouraged a sudden burst of brilliance from the old wobs forwards. As always we won the line out on their 22 and a tremendous surge was ignited by the old wobs. A classic Neil Back try was formed and a conversion to go with it. Just before half time the always persistent new wobs produced some spectacular rugby on and off the ball and scored another. 19 - 7 to new wobs at the half time whistle. The second half would prove to be not so much a game but more of a battle, we were ready for the challenge that lay ahead. An extraordinarily animated old wobs pack started the second half with nothing but purpose. New wobs were once again all over us but we managed to sustain the pressure and exploit their mistakes. Holty took advantage of loose ball and dove for the line like lion on its prey. Tyler came up trumps and converted a tricky kick, 19 - 14. Fitness was really beginning to tell and breakdowns were not being cleared. An attack from the new wobs created all sorts of problems for old wobs and the inevitable was to happen. One of our Australian comrades fancied his chances directly through our pack and chipped ahead only to gather again and to offload to support and the birth of a magnificent champagne try, 24 - 14. Sloppy defence from the old wobs let them down again approaching the third quarter of the game, an easy try, 31 - 14. Things were looking bleak for the old wobs, retention was slow and passing was sloppy but a moment of inspiration from Curci changed all that. A gap was spotted and Curci burst through accompanied by team mates and a fantastic converted try, 31 - 21. The old wobs were struggling and players looked fatigued. A few lucky decisions put the old wobs in a brilliant position, a scrum on the 22. Old wobs demolished the scrum again and some glorious play through the backs saw Holty wriggle through once more for his second try 31 - 28. All was not lost, the game could be pulled back yet? Wishful thinking when once again the new wobs backs seemed to drift past the defence as if they weren't there. A three man overlap and some clever fowl play saw the new wobs run in the final try of the game. It was a highly physical and competitive game and the quality of rugby was astonishing. Well done to the new wobs but at the end of the day, Rugby was the winner. Final score: 36 - 28 Rep:
Andrew Pollen
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