Feb 18 - LNE3 Harlow (H)

 L  7 - 8  Report attached

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Wymondham 7 v Harlow 8- Report

By Chris Williams

The Wymondham pitch was looking good after some dry and windy weather had enabled the grounds man to rake and roll the pitch, but as kick-off approached umbrellas became a necessity as supporters emerged from the clubhouse- it was going to be another muddy game.

Harlow came out of the blocks fastest and soon won a penalty in front of the posts which their fly half converted to give them a three point lead. After that Wymondham had most of the ball and territory, and came close to scoring with following a typical barnstorming run through the mud from second row Josh Wright ending in a line out close to the Harlow line. Eventually Harlow cleared with a long kick which stayed in play near the half way line and Wymondham were adjudged to have held on to the ball in the tackle giving Harlow the opportunity to kick further into the Wymondham half . A few phases later and they had scored in the corner against the run of play; the conversion was missed so after 15 minutes it was 8 nil to Harlow

It was now mostly Wymondham trying to force the pace. Harlow probably just had the better of it in the forwards but Wymondham always looked like they could score if they could only keep their feet and hold on to the ball which resembled a bar of soap. Unfortunately, the resulting knock ons ended in a number of missed opportunities. At the break, the score remained 8-0 to Harlow.

In the second half the rain eased, the match continued in much the same fashion with Wymondham exerting pressure and seeking that elusive score to bring them back on terms while Harlow looked to feed off any mistakes. Play moved rapidly from end to end and the neutral spectator would have noticed little difference between the two teams despite the difference in their league positions. This really is a very close and competitive league with any team capable of beating any other on their day. Wymondham continued to apply the pressure but as one sage on the touch line said “In these conditions you don't always need the ball to win the game".

The game was played in a good spirit but one unfortunate and untypical incident resulted in a player from each side receiving a red card so both teams were down to 14 men for the last 15 minutes. After an attractive period of play, Wymondham deservedly scored their try with Dodd touching down near the posts to give an easy kick for all seven points making it 8-7 after which the referee blew for full time giving the disappointed Wymondham team a losing bonus point.

With the exception of the dismissals, this was a good hard fought game of rugby played in the right spirit and matched by the enthusiastic support including a large contingent from Harlow enjoying the home side's hospitality late into the evening.

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Match preview

Wymondham will be keeping an anxious eye on the weather in the hope that, after two blank weeks, the notoriously poor-draining Tuttles Lane pitches will have dried out sufficiently to allow their League fixture against second-placed Harlow to go ahead. Fortunately, thanks to Wymondham Town Council, they now have a fall-back position as two excellent pitches have been made available for the Club to rent at Browick Road until their plans for a permanent move come to fruition.

Wymondham were unfortunate to come away from Harlow in October with only a losing bonus point as they pushed the home team all the way before ending as losers by 36-21 and will feel that, on home ground, they could gain some reward from this encounter.

In fact, Harlow have made something of a speciality of involvement in close games this season with 11 of their 15 fixtures to date having ended up with ten points or less between them and their opposition.

The enforced break has at least allowed some players to recover from minor injuries but influential captain Pena Sokia is still a doubt with a knee injury suffered in the game against Holt.

Exciting winger David Martin has been training hard and looks set to play some part in the game, having recovered from a hip injury sustained, coincidentally, on the last occasion these two sides met. Joe Riches, Andy Duckham and Phil Johnson are also in contention having recovered from various injuries.

With the relative luxury of a good sized squad of fit players to choose from, the coaches are leaving it late to pick their final 15 and will be influenced by performances at Thursday night’s training session and late fitness tests. Depending on the results of these, the versatile Barry O’Sullivan could end up playing either in the backs or the pack.

With a large crowd expected for lunch and a good contingent of Harlow support, Wymondham will be hoping to give home fans something to cheer while ensuring they remain above the drop zone.

Wymondham (From): D Canning, T Masters, N Brown, J Wright, A Duckham, D Blake, P Johnson, S Hodgson, H Anderson-Brown, J Payne, T Wilson, R Dodds, B O'Sullivan, P Sokia (Capt.), A Brugger, Simmo, D Martin, A Turner, J Riches