WOLD SIMPLY BLOW LOCAL RIVALS AWAY

SOUTHWOLD 37 - 12 LOWESTOFT AND YARMOUTH

Written By David Vaughan

It was just one of those days.
After two weeks without a game Wold were rested, fit and eager to do battle with their local rivals, but it turned out to be not so much a battle, but more of a slaughter.
Ally Butler had given his troops a pre match game plan, which Wold executed to perfection, and it left L and Y wounded, battered and well beaten on what proved to be a magnificent day for the black and gold warriors
Individually L and Y had some great skill but that skill was simply not enough for the sheer massed team performance executed by Wold in all departments both in attack and in defence.
L and Y kicked off and camped in the Wold twenty two for five minutes without reward as the Wold defence held strong and for pretty much the rest of the entire first half that was that in terms of possession or attacking for the visitors
Two Ben Haddingham penalties for offside offences saw Wold six points to the good after quarter of an hour and two minutes later the ball was gathered in by the Wold pack at a lineout and a great ten metre drive saw them cross the L and Y line for James Hall to drop down for a great team try and Ben Haddingham duly converted for the extra two points.
On the twenty five minute mark Wold were awarded an penalty on the halfway line and Ben Haddingham kicked long but didn't quite find touch, but fortune favoured Wold as the L and Y winger in trying to catch the ball, fumbled and the ball spun backwards over his shoulder and rolled over the Visitors try line.
James Barton on the wing was following up the kick like a steam train saws what had happened and simply raced on to dive on the ball first for Wold's second try and again Ben Haddingham converted to give Wold a twenty point to nil lead.
Wold continued to dominate all over the pitch but without reward and right against the run of play on the stroke of half time a darting run by their Fijian fly half saw him beat the Wold defence and some good backing up ended up with a deserved try out wide on the left wing.
The tough conversion was narrowly missed and the 20 - 5 score line at half time did flatter L and Y to a degree.
The second half saw Wold continue to dominate the set piece and press the blue and whites from all angles. Scrum pressure from the Wold front row of Smith, Aldous and Brett saw a second L and Y prop depart and on 60 minutes the scrums became uncontested which worked in L and Y's favour with the Wold scrum dominance removed, but Wold simply found other ways to overpower the visitors, and from the first uncontested scrum Russell Hume at nine broke and offloaded to James Hall who used his pace and strength to blast through the back line and score to the left of the posts and Ben Haddingham again duly converted for a 27 - 5 lead to Wold
Ten minutes later from another uncontested scrum near the left hand touch line the ball was fed out quickly to the right and Rob Owles in the centre broke through the defensive line making good yards and from the ruck the ball was presented well behind the pack two or three times following short but effective drives and eventually the evergreen Adam ( Poacher ) Smith crashed over from a couple of metres out for a superbly worked try.
Haddingham failed with the conversion from a difficult angle but Wold now had an unassailable 27 point lead at 32 - 5 with ten minutes left on the clock
There was still time however for two more tries in the game, the first of which went to L and y following another flash of personal brilliance from their fly half.
With five minutes to go L and Y had a penalty awarded five metres out from the Wold line, wide on the right, and quick handling saw the ball reach the fly half near the posts and he duly chipped over the top of the Wold defensive line and followed up his kick to score a great individual try under the posts which was easily converted to reduce the lead to twenty points.
Wold were not finished though and went straight up the other end right from the kick off and eventually were awarded a lineout in the L and Y twenty two.
The ball was gathered well by Lee Wagner at the front of the line and Wold simply drove fully fifteen metres for James Hall to score his hat trick try with a simple drop down over the line.
The conversion was missed to leave the final score 37 - 12 to the black and gold heroes
It was a resounding victory and no one could dispute it had been a dominating display which had re-established Wold above L and Y in fifth spot in the league table.
When Wold play that way they are a match for any team in the league and Old Cooperians away next Saturday should be a cracker of a game.

MOM James Hall for his three tries but a great team performance

Arn the Wold !!!