MATCH REPORT
Sevenoaks Rugby welcomed North Walsham to the Paddock on Saturday 1 April for a highly entertaining encounter that saw North Walsham edge home by one point with the final kick of the game.
Sevenoaks had every chance to secure the win however Walsham kept playing and were rightfully jubilant with the last play, a penalty from just outside the Oaks 10 yard line about 15 metres in from the left touch line that hit the right hand upright and rebounded inside the posts by the narrowest of margins. The win gives Walsham a lifeline in National 2 whereas Oaks will feel disappointed yet in charge of their own destiny with both Rochford Hundred and Walsham below them with two matches to play.
The opening salvos belonged to Walsham and having ascertained field position in the opening encounters they duly romped over the line for the first of a brace of tries by number eight Charlie Fethney that Matt Hodgson converted.
There was a rapid reply from Oaks after they moved the ball expertly into the Walsham 22 for Johnny Short to speed over the line and Bend Adams secured the extras. Then Oaks added to this with an excellently-worked move that saw Josh Pettet barrage up the middle of the pitch and send the Walsham defenders the wrong way with a sublime dummy before he crashed over the whitewash. Oaks then finished the first half pressing into the Walsham corner however to thanks to defensive resilience the visitors held out. 17-14 half-time.
This was a very tight encounter and it was important for both teams to take points away from the game to ensure their survival in National 2 rugby. Oaks started the second half positively and the pressure on Walsham told in the shape of a penalty to Oaks. However Walsham wanted to play and with 10 minutes to go worked their way up the field and secured an excellent try in the shape of scrum half Alfie Coop.
Oaks then applied further pressure and twice had opportunities through penalties to retain the lead before Jack Martin put a penalty for Oaks over from just inside the 10 yard line. With three minutes to play Oaks were 23-21 up.
From the restart Oaks immediately took the ball up the field thanks to some deft work by Josh Livett from 15 and were unlucky not to secure the try. Having nudged the ball forward from five yards out, Walsham sniffed blood from their own scrum and through man of the match Matt Hodgson bossing the phases executed their way up field and secured a penalty. It was on the edge of the fly half’s range and he slotted the penalty over thanks to the rebound to bring a cracking encounter to a close.
SQUADS
Sevenoaks Rugby Club
Livett; Adams; Osgood; Corrigan; Short; Martin; Holmes. Simmons; Sedgwick; Simmons; Pettet; Higgins; Hackett; McRae; Derrick. Naismith; Ganley; Munnelly; Naismith; Richardson; Horner.
North Walsham RFC
Ottis; Mustard; Jones; Coates; Bltyh; Hodgson; Coop. Scott; Knight; Youngs; Musindi; Holmwood; Basarah; Haynes; Pethney. Weber; Brightman; Knight; Kirkham; Dye.
HT SCORE
Sevenoaks Rugby 17 – 14 North Walsham
FULL TIME SCORE
Sevenoaks Rugby 23 – 24 North Walsham RFC
SEVENOAKS RUGBY SCORES PLUS TIMES
5' Jonny Short Try
10' Josh Pettet T Ben Adams Con
33' Shadyn Osgood
60' Adams Penalty
77' Martin P
NORTH WALSHAM RFC SCORERS PLUS TIMES
3' Pethney T Hodgson Con
23’ Pethney T Hodgson C
69’ Coop T Hodgson C
80’ Hodgson Penalty
PLAYER OF THE MATCH Josh Pettet
ATTENDANCE 420
