Cranfordians v Didcot at Guildford Stoke Park 5th Jan – Result 20-10

The match between Cranfordians and Didcot was moved from Wildwood Lane to Stoke Park last minute, due to biblical proportions of rain falling in Cranleigh the previous evening. Thankfully the slightly sloping pitch at Guildfordians allowed sufficient drainage and it was game on. The team arrived well prepared and wrapped up, ready to deal with the 30 knot winds and the driving rain. Having lost the toss we had an uphill challenge in the first half.

We started very well, collecting the ball from the kickoff and after several carries by the forwards, we made good progress into the Didcot half. Unfortunately, a transgression at the breakdown led to a penalty against us and we were in defence mode. Our defence was solid and we continued to put pressure on their attack. However, a short laps of attention led to a break by on the far right hand side, which wasn’t converted. At the restart, after a small knock on, we set a solid scrum and our backs attacked out of our 22. A well executed Alpha loop took us up to the Didcot 10m line and we just couldn’t connect to release our winger. However, it was a great way to relive the pressure. We regrouped and the forwards rumbled their way up the middle of the pitch. The backs attacked down the right flank again, but we ran out of space. We piled on further pressure and attacked the Didcot line with the forwards eventually diving over following several pick and goes. A challenging restart led to a Didcot scrum and we were pinned down on our own 22. With lots of defensive pressure we managed to drive them back to the halfway line. The soft ground and the energy consumed chasing uphill took its toll and Didcot touched down again in the far corner. Conversion missed. The half time whistle blew much to our relief and we could consolidate and feel content with only a five point deficit given the conditions.

HT 5-10.

The Second half kicked off and we were on the attack, with our fresh legs making breaks and carrying well with our backs providing plenty of support and interplay. We eventually crossed the whitewash to make it 10–10, conversion just missed. The second half progressed, Didcot made very little ground and we kept them in their own half. The ongoing pressure paid off as we cross the line once more to make it 15-10. The wind had eased slightly and the rain down to drizzle, but conditions weren’t right for our backs to be expansive. We toiled and worked hard despite our lead and having the advantage of playing down hill and wind behind us. Just before the end we had a final flurry and scored our fourth and bonus point try to finish the game at 20 -10. An excellent performance by everyone in the squad and it was wonderful to see Tabitha back on the field. Some outstanding performances by our forwards who put in a big shift especially Bex Francis at loose head prop who went the full 70 minutes.

We now find ourselves joint leaders in the league and can’t wait to travel to Newbury on the 19th to seek revenge.

Go Cranfordians!

Report by Gareth Stingemore.