WOLD FALL AWAY TO SUFFER FIRST LOSS AT SAFFRON WALDON

Written by David Vaughan

Wold were three points down after only 30 seconds for holding on to the ball in the loose straight from the games kick off and little did they know then how that simple three point penalty would come back and bite them later in the game
Wold did take the lead on fifteen minutes when refusing a relatively simple penalty kick they went for the five points by kicking to the corner. It was however the right decision as Jonny Walker took the ball at the back of the lineout, fed Chris Aldous who made good ground and it was then Zak Loader who went in for the try and Luke Wade made no mistake with the extra two pints for the conversion
Ten minutes later Saffron Waldon were awarded a scrum out on the left just outside the Wold twenty two and they won good ball and sent the ball out to the right down the backs line, and they then switched and came back to the left to find somehow Wold had drifted too far over and they had a three man overlap to ensure an easy try wide on the left. The kick was good and they took the lead again at 10 – 7
Four minutes from the break the home side were penalised in Luke Wade's kicking range for hands in the ruck and he duly obliged with the three points to level the score at the break at 10 – 10.
Ten minutes in to the second had Wold had a spell of possession in the Saffron Waldon twenty two and were awarded a scrum penalty as their pack began to dominate. They chose to scrum again and a second penalty followed which this time was taken quickly by James Hall who rushed over from his own quick tap penalty and with Wade’s kick again accurate Wold were seven points to the good at 10 - 17 and looking good for the away win
Saffron Waldon kicked for territory well from hand and another soft penalty given away by Wold in front of their own posts brought the score back to 13-17
The killer blow for Wold came in the 60th minute when a terrible Waldon throw from their own lineout sailed right over the forwards and was kicked forward by Wold on the break straight to the Waldon centre who ran in from 35 metres as the visitors missed tackle after tackle ah went over to the left of the posts for a great individual try.
The extra two points gave the final score of 20 – 17 but lots happened in the last twenty minutes as Wold pressed and pressed. A yellow card for James Barton for a late tackle didn’t help as Wold went down to fourteen men for the last ten minutes.
For the last five minutes they camped in the opposition twenty two but failed to take advantage as Saffron Waldon to their credit held on for the win
The home side were ecstatic knowing they had been gifted the win from a combination of Wold’s poor concentration, discipline and very unusually their tackling which is normally their strongpoint
Much work to be done on the training ground this next two weeks before the hard clash with Wymondham in a fortnights time