Old Wimbledon Warriors vs Camberley A

Match Report - Neil Dethick

Well now dear reader, our first A team fixture in several weeks was well worth waiting for!

Coaches Jackson and Bray had selected a strong team to travel up the A3 to Wimbledon to play the first of our Quins Cup games against a team which had always been able to run us close. It was good to see almost everyone arrive on time although I say ‘almost everyone’ as Isaac had decided to – ahem - pop over to wish the Bs good luck in their match before journeying on to Wimbledon….!

In claggy but thankfully dry conditions, the game kicked off and immediately it was obvious that the teams were well matched. The first 20 minutes was dominated by penalties with our lads guilty of several infringements at the breakdown, mainly handling in the ruck and being off their feet. OWW were caught offside on many occasions, and it was from one of these penalties that Ollie was able to open our account with a penalty in front of the posts.

Cambo dominated the territorial aspect and twice came within inches of scoring only to be penalized on the try line. It was therefore more than frustrating that OWW hit back with two tries, including a lucky fumbled pass, to move into a healthy lead. However, Cambo just about stayed in touch as Ollie slotted his second penalty after good work from our pack. This reduced the arrears to 14 – 6 at half time.

Encouragingly, our backs looked more composed and confident than in previous matches with some strong running from John at inside centre and Alex coming off his wing. Skipper Rhys lead from the front constantly encouraging and cajoling the team to greater efforts and Geth controlled the game nicely at 10.

The second half started off with a minor calamity as OWW intercepted a pass from a Cambo line-out to score a breakaway try which put them firmly in control of the match. However, in what was to prove a pivotal moment, OWW botched the conversion.

Cambo now had it all to do. Our dreams of a cup run were in danger of being dashed at the first hurdle. Things were looking bleak. What did we have left in the tank? Well, what we had left was quite a bit as it turned out! Immediately Cambo took the game into the OWW 22 and camped on their try line. Several goal line phases failed to produce a touch down for the pack but then the ball was popped quickly through the hands to Luca who was unstoppable from a couple of metres out. The conversion was kicked and there was a sense of renewed hope flowing through the team. 19 – 13 with 10 minutes left.

From the restart Cambo were quickly on the attack again and after OWW coughed up possession in their own 22, the ball was moved quickly through the hands to fullback Ollie who popped up on the wing to score in the corner. The conversion was missed leaving the score 19 – 18 with only minutes left on the clock.

Right. Squeaky bum time. Could OWW hold their nerve? Could Cambo fashion one last opportunity? Cambo still had all the territory but every time the position looked promising, there would be a loose pass or a knock on. It looked a certainty that, yet again, we were going to fall agonizingly short. The clock had gone red, we had lost possession and all that had to happen was for the ball to be punted into touch for OWW to win. The game was gone. But then, unbelievably, incredibly, astonishingly, an OWW player, in front of his posts, decided to deliberately fly hack the ball over the dead-ball line. PENALTY TO CAMBO! OMG!!!

Amidst the chaos and confusion, the arguments and recriminations, a cool-headed Ollie stepped up, placed his kicking tee in front of the posts, took a couple of deep breaths and then calmly slotted home the penalty. We had won 19 – 21 with the last kick of the match!!!! Absolute scenes ensued with man-of-the-match OIlie mobbed by his team mates who loudly celebrated a famous victory.

It’s been said before in these reports that one of the best qualities of the Cambo team is their ‘never-say-die’ attitude and if ever there was n example of that, surely this match was it. The heart, determination and desire was evident in all the players and we now have to capture that spirit to kick on in future matches. We weren’t perfect by any means – if truth be told we should have won more easily than we did – and we need to cut down on the penalties at the breakdown, improve our handling skills and execute our pre-planned moves better. But for now, we’ll take the victory and the resulting feel-good factor and look forward to next weekend’s fixtures.

Well done the boys!