After another rest week, Raiders returned to action with a home game against Old Alleynians. With both teams sitting in mid table, it was vital that Raiders get a win and leapfrog their opponents in the league table.
Injuries and work commitments again influenced selection, with JD Leali’ifano, Struan Robertson and Matt Bosworth all unavailable. Ben Heber returned after a long absence through injury, Dan Wallis Downham and Ethan Stone also returned to the starting lineup.
It was a miserable afternoon weather wise, the wind was increasing in force and the rain grew steadily heavier throughout the game. Conditions certainly played a part in the outcome of this encounter. Old Alleynians kicked off with the wind at their backs and during the first few minutes of the game they kept the home side on the defence. After eleven minutes it was the visitors who opened the scoring with a converted try, 0-7.
Raiders then played with some control and power to develop a great attacking situation in front of Old Alleynians’ posts. When the visitors were penalised at the ruck, Raiders chose to kick the penalty via Tom Sanderson’s boot, thus closing the gap to 3-7. However, was this the right decision, when they had a real chance to earn seven points from the situation?
The answer to that question was no, as within fifteen seconds of the restart the visitors scored another converted try after Raiders failed to secure the ball in the air, 3-14. The hosts came back strongly playing excellent fifteen-man rugby in terrible conditions. They put together a multi-phase play which took play from their own half all the way to the Old Alleynians goal line. Unfortunately, the referee decided the ball was held up over the line and the chance was gone as the visitors had a goal line drop out.
In the twenty-fourth minute Old Alleynians extended their lead with a penalty, 3-17. To make matters worse, skipper Elliott Luke was yellow carded for being offside at a ruck close to the Raiders’ try line. Raiders rebuffed the oppositions’ effort to get over the line from the ensuing penalty, but moments later they conceded their third converted try of the half, 3-24. Old Alleynians then received a yellow card for a high tackle.
After another good attack by the home side, the scoring chance was lost when they spilled the ball a couple of metres short of the line.
Half time score: Worthing Raiders 3 Old Alleynians 24
Raiders restarted the game, now attacking the northern end of the ground. The light was fading fast and the rain increasing in intensity. Raiders used all of their bench and rotated several players off and back on in order to keep putting fresh legs into the action. After five minutes the visitors extended their lead with a penalty, 3-27.
The hosts nearly got a touch down in the corner after good use of a long kick with the wind. The Old Alleynians’ defence was just able to usher the play into touch a couple of metres from their try line. With eight minutes gone in the half the Raiders’ forwards attacked the Old Alleynians’ defence at close range from a line out, after several rucks the ball went wide to the left and Christian Streater touched down. Tom Sanderson converted to close the gap slightly to 10-27.
The visitors received another yellow card after eighteen minutes. Raiders were playing their open, running style of rugby and it was creating a lot of pressure on the visitors’ defensive line.
With twenty minutes gone the hosts developed another multi-phase attack resulting in Tom Meyer putting a kick pass to the right wing, which Lewis Reed collected and scored. Tom Sanderson landed an excellent conversion from the touch line, 17-27.
Raiders were held up over the goal line again in the thirtieth minute. The game was one of two different styles – the hosts’ running game and the visitors’ kicking game. Although Raiders pressured the Old Alleynians’ goal line repeatedly in the final ten minutes it turned out to be a win for the kicking game rather than the running one.
Full time score: Worthing Raiders 17 Old Alleynians 27
The home side were very disappointed with this result, conditions certainly didn’t favour their style of play but they were guilty of basic errors despite playing outstanding rugby at times. In the end Old Alleynians’ defence in the latter part of the game enabled them to take the victory.
Referee: Jesse Lipetz-Robic
The Egremont Man of the Match: Ollie Crow
Team: 1. Sam Cook 2. Elliott Luke – Captain 3. Regin Pratt 4. Jack Lake 5. Ollie Crow 6. Ethan Stone 7. Luke Gill 8. Dan Wallis Downham 9. Tom Sanderson 10. Josh Taylor 11. Will Beer 12. Ben Heber 13. Christian Streater 14. Lewis Reed 15. Tom Meyer
Bench: 16. Max Ravaudet 17. Joel Andrews 18. Austin Steele
Scorers:
Tries: Streater, Reed
Conversions: Sanderson (2)
Penalties: Sanderson
