Saturday 7^th January 2012

London 1 North (Level 6)

Hammers 29 North Walsham 40

On a sunny but windy day, the Hammers entertained North Walsham at Hurlingham Park. It was an important game for both teams as a win for either side would keep them out of the relegation zone of the league.

The home team played with the wind in the first half and kept North Walsham pinned in their half for sometime. But due to nerves or the adverse conditions, both sides made a lot of handling errors, so there were lots of scrums and the game was not very exciting for the large number of spectators. Just as it seem that it was going to be a low scoring match James Boysons made a break from a scrum near half way, beating several players before giving a scoring pass to the supporting Ali Lines. This lead didn’t last long as from a lineout the North Walsham scrum half made a decisive break and off loaded to his centre who out ran the cover defence from twenty metres, to score under the post. This try was converted making the score 5-7. Shortly after scoring the North Walsham forwards fell foul of the referee at the breakdown, so giving away a penalty that Neil McClure kicked making the score 8-7. But not for the first time this season the Hammers gave away a very soft try straight away after taking a lead, by dropping a pass in centre of the pitch that North Walsham kicked through over the Hammers try line and claimed the touch down, which the referee gave in their favour to make the score 8-12. Both sets of forwards then tried to muscle they way down the field, but North Walsham gave away two kickable penalties around the fringes, from which Neil McClure slotted both over to make the score 14-12. From a passage of play just near the half way line Will North intercepted a Walsham pass on the left wing and scored under the posts. This try was converted to make the score at half time 21-12 to the Hammers, which was good news for the home side.

Disaster happened straight from the kick off, as North Walsham score a converted try, so making it a tight game at 21-19. A few minutes later a poor kick and chase by the Hammers allowed the North Walsham backs to counter attack from sixty metres and after the ball had gone through several pairs of hands they made space for their left wing to score a converted try, to take the lead 21-26 after ten minutes of the second half. The Hammers tried to make a game of it with good work by James Boysons in the forwards and Alex Bourne in the centre, but the ball always seemed to fall in the hands of a North Walsham player, as they kept up the pressure on the Hammers try line. Midway through the half Ali Lines had to leave the game due to leg injury which meant a major reshaping of the home team, as there was no scrum half substitute on the bench. So Jack Sargent went from centre to scrum half and Pieter Van Rensburg came on a full back for the rest of the game that was slowly slipping away from the Hammers as they couldn’t get out of their own half for much of the remaining game. From a five metre scrum near the Hammers line the referee awarded a penalty try to North Walsham when he deemed that Jack Sargent had impeded a scoring opportunity for them, by illegal means. With the conversion being successful it seemed a log way back for the Hammers at 21-33, but the team showed great resilience by scoring a very good try by Charlie Baillie from rolling maul that was converted by Neil McClure to make a score line of 28-33, with five minutes left on the clock. Just when looked like the Hammers had secured a losing a losing bonus point, it was snatched away from the team, when Walsham scored a try under the posts from driving play by their forwards. The try was converted so making the final score 28-40 to North Walsham.

This result meant that the teams swapped positions in the league, so the Hammers now occupy third relegation position on points difference and look to rectify this in the next game away, against Eaton Manor.