Raiders A win thrilling top-of-the-table clash
Saturday 18 October
Match report by Ali Coombe
Worthing Raiders A travelled to Wimbledon for a top-of-the-table clash between two sides who had both made impressive starts to the league campaign. With both teams putting up big scores in their opening fixtures, an entertaining and hard-fought contest was always on the cards.
Raiders A kicked off into a strong headwind, and Wimbledon were quickly into the Raiders’ half, taking advantage of some missed tackles. From a resulting ruck, Aaron Beesley mistimed his tackle and caught a Wimbledon second row high. He was shown a yellow card, and play was stopped while the injured player received attention.
The Wimbledon physio did not want to move the player, so an ambulance was called. To allow the game to continue, the match was moved to another pitch.
Play resumed on what could best be described as a sloping pitch, with the teams now even more exposed to the windy conditions. The A’s were also down to 14 men following Beesley’s yellow card. Despite these challenges, the Raiders absorbed the pressure Wimbledon threw at them and, against the run of play, were the first to score.
Raiders strike first with a scrum inside their own 22, the Raiders’ pack held firm, allowing Alex Havers to pick up from the base and pass to Eli Akehurst, who returned to the starting line-up after missing the previous week’s match with a bad back.
Akehurst’s explosive burst of speed took him through the defensive line and deep into Wimbledon territory before he was eventually brought down by their full-back. From the floor, Akehurst popped the ball up to Jared Penfold, who was enjoying his 1st game of his season. He showed his usual combination of pace and strength, as he powered through a covering tackle to score in the left-hand corner. Tom Sanderson was unable to add the conversion in the tricky wind.
The Raiders’ lead did not last long. Wimbledon turned their earlier pressure into points, scoring three unanswered tries to take control of the first half.
Their opening try came in the right-hand corner after a spell of sustained pressure inside the Raiders’ 22. Wimbledon eventually moved the ball wide and exploited an overlap to cross the line.
Their second try followed a move along the back line to their fast winger, who had been finding plenty of space throughout the game. On this occasion, the As were unable to stop him finishing his run in the left-hand corner.
Wimbledon’s third try of the half came from an overthrown Raiders line-out inside the A’s 22. A Wimbledon flanker collected the loose ball, stepped around the covering tackle and ran in to score.
Despite conceding three unanswered tries, the A’s were far from out of the contest. They found themselves deep in Wimbledon territory on several occasions, only to surrender possession through unforced errors. Credit must also go to Wimbledon’s defence, which stood firm under pressure.
Whyte finishes a well-worked move
The Raiders did, however, have the final say of the half.
After winning a penalty, Ethan Coombe kicked to touch to give the forwards a line-out inside Wimbledon’s 22. The pack set up a powerful maul,driving deep into the 22 and towards the posts.
When the maul stalled, the ball was moved to the backs, but they were stopped in their tracks. The A’s returned towards the same touchline as the original line-out, where the forwards were again halted.
From the resulting breakdown, Coombe moved from the open side to the blind side to create an overlap. With the ball in hand, he drew in two defenders before passing to Jack Whyte, who had a simple run to the line to score the final points of the first half.
Half-time: Worthing Raiders A 10–19 Wimbledon 2