3rd January v Woodbridge (a)
2016 began with a solid performance against an improving Woodbridge, which produced a 26-0 win. There were tries from Toby, Renee, Waldo and man of the match Olllie, with Jack converting three of them.

24th January v Colchester (a)
This was followed by a visit to Colchester on a decidedly ‘sticky’ pitch. This, coupled with damp, windy conditions, contributed to a scrappy game with plenty of handling errors. Colchester were clearly out to avenge their defeat in the Plate final and ‘Wold went down to a narrow 17-19 defeat. Ollie, Toby and Waldo crossed for tries and Jack was able to land a conversion on a day which was a kicker’s worst nightmare, but overall Southwold were unable to secure enough ball at the breakdown in a closely fought game.

31st January v Bury St Edmunds - Suffolk Cup (h)
After winning the Plate, Southwold moved on to the Cup where they face Ipswich YM, Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury. A convincing win against Ipswich YM in the first game was certainly their best performance of the season to date and they approached this game against Bury with a degree of confidence.

The conditions were cold and windy, (Southwold common cold and windy?? Surely not!), and neither side could gain much advantage in the early stages. A rare opportunity to move the ball led to Josh demonstrating his pace and power to break tackle after tackle and go over for the first try of the day, which Jack converted. Bury then scored two tries, one from a tap penalty and the second as the No 8 picked up from the base of a 5-yard scrum, before Ollie charged down a kick and dropped on the ball for a Southwold reply. Half time 12-14.

The second half was tight, Southwold certainly had more possession and looked the more likely to score, but handing errors cost them in attack and defence as the ball became ever more like a bar of soap. One such instance eventually cost us as Bury pounced on a dropped pass and a bobbling ball to score from close range. At the final whistle, the score stood at 12-21, which did not accurately reflect the game, but Bury took a couple of chances well and were obviously very pleased to have eked out he win.

28th February v Hadleigh (h)
With their confidence boosted by a substantial win against Norwich the previous weekend, Southwold took the field against Hadleigh looking to continue in a positive vein. Before the game was ten minutes old, Joseph opened the scoring with a try and Will followed suit after great interplay between backs and forwards. ‘Wold exerted all the pressure at this point and were unlucky not to score after a chase through and last-ditch defensive touch down behind the Hadleigh line. The relief was short-lived though. The ball was moved right quickly for the 5 yard scrum and Max ploughed over for five points. Max had his best game of the season (so far!) and this was just reward for his work throughout the game. The biting wind played havoc with the kicking, but Jack knocked over two conversions for a 19-0 lead before Hadleigh replied with try from a scrum close to the ‘Wold line.

One of the best moves of the day resulted in the next score. Waldo broke a couple of tackles, succumbing to the third, but delivering the ball in a lovely (I think that was the word JJ used?) offload to Billy, who put Renee in for a (converted) try. 26-5. Provider then turned scorer as Waldo outflanked the Hadleigh defensive line to touch down in the corner. Jack continued to battle the wind manfully with his conversion attempts, but was probably wishing the scorers could find their way infield by this point, so Toby’s next try close(r) to the posts was most welcome! 38-5

Early in the second half, Jack passed slickly for Henry to drive the ball towards the Hadleigh posts, where swift recycling allowed Renee to keep the scoreboard moving. Hadleigh stuck at it throughout the game and are showing real signs of improvement, rewarded with two tries before the close of the game, though these were countered by two tries from Renee and Waldo. Renee’s was unusual in its simplicity. Jack lofted a restart kick, Renee chased and claimed it from the outstretched hands of the Hadleigh defenders, then sprinted clear unopposed for a five-pointer. Simples!! Waldo had to grow about six inches to reach out and touch down after a typically uncompromising break through tackles at pace. Hadleigh put the full stop on the scoring sheet though as a forward span out of a tackle to go over under the posts. Final score 53-19.

Tackle of the day probably goes to Ben, picking out the largest player on the Hadleigh side (although it was George ‘on loan’) and executing a big hit. Get your head in the right place next time, though, Ben, it’s far safer!!

Despite the conditions, ‘Wold were able to move the ball well and were never under real pressure. Let’s take that through to next week’s Cup clash with Sudbury!