Old Walcountians made it three wins out of three to stay second in Surrey One despite meeting a stiff challenge from a physical Kingston XV on Saturday.
Despite a heavy defeat the previous weekend, Kingston proved everything but a pushover and the Old Boys were much indebted to fine performances from props Steve O’Hara and Llewellyn Wooldridge, who contained a solid scrummaging Kingston pack, and from lock Simon Fowler whose athletic jumping in the lineouts and tireless work in the loose helped secure a good share of possession.
And the Walcountians backline also deserved credit for pushing up quickly on their Kingston counterparts and preventing them from capitalising on any possession they had.
Walcountians took ten minutes to open their account when full-back Ross Norton banged over a penalty.
They increased their lead in the 16th minute when centre Ollie Beales went over from short range after a threequarter move was set up from a ruck in the Kingston 22.
But, in a dour first half with frequent stoppages, they failed to take advantages of opportunities to increase their lead. Failure to take the right option cost Walcountians a certain try while Norton was off-target with two lengthy penalties. Kingston’s impressive fly-half took advantage of tan opportunity to narrow Walcountians’ lead with a penalty one minute from the break.
Walcountians got a shock 15 minutes into the second half as Kingston’s No 8 barged his way over for a try from a forward drive.
The miss of a perfectly kickable conversion denied Kingston the opportunity to draw level.
The final quarter of the game saw Walcountians take their opportunities and turn a narrow lead into a comfortable victory.
Ross Norton helped the Old Boys on their way with a penalty in the 18th minute, but the turning point came three minutes later when winger Chris Drinkwater intercepted a pass halfway out and raced in for a converted try.
From then on, Walcountians, who had brought their replacements on, were in the driving seat, as they relentlessly drove Kingston back into their own 22. Apart from an impressive drop goal by the Kingston fly-half in the 23rd minute, all the remaining scores came from the Old Boys.
South African No 8 Gavin Welsh opened his account for the season by bullocking his way over for a try in the 26th minute after breaking from the base of a ruck close to the Kingston line, and the final try fell to Simon Fowler who forced his way over form a tap penalty in the final minute.
Walcountians face London Exiles at Barn Elms Recreation Ground, Barnes, on Saturday (3pm).
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