Match report and photos Colin Coulson
The new season is upon us and Raiders started their programme with a 7am meet at Gatwick for an away fixture in Guernsey.
Pre-season has been very positive with high numbers at training and four fixtures under the belt with forty plus players involved. As happens every year players pick up injuries during the summer and in pre-season training and games. Thus, the unavailable list to start the season is already in double figures. On the positive side several new players have joined the squad, and many others have come through the junior section at Worthing to now become Raiders.
In this opening fixture eight players were making their debut for Raiders. The weather forecast for Saturday had looked bad all week but, on the day, it remained dry and warm. Raiders made a poor start to the game, giving away an early penalty, which led to Guernsey scoring an unconverted try after only two minutes, 5-0. The home side had made a strong start but the visitors gradually eased themselves into the game.
With ten minutes played Raiders put together a sweeping attack, going through many phases but just failing to cross the try line. However, this play had earned them a penalty and Louis Ellis popped it over to close the gap to 5-3. Although the home side were strong when in possession, the visitors defended well and forced them to make errors. Once in possession Raiders were able to turn the tables on Guernsey and put them under pressure with their expansive style of play, forcing them to give away another kickable penalty in the seventeenth minute. Louis Ellis added the three points to take the lead 5-6.
The game was pretty even at the mid-point of the half, both sides having good spells with the ball in hand but defences were good enough on both sides to prevent any further scores.
In the twenty-sixth minute the home side scored a well-constructed try which they converted to take the lead back at 12-6. In the thirty third minute the home side had a red card for foul play. The visitors were awarded a penalty for an offence at a scrum and Louis Ellis stepped up again and kicked his third penalty of the afternoon to close the gap to 12-9.
To end the half Raiders built a great attack from deep in their own half. After some strong running and slick handling, the move broke down a few metres short of the Guernsey try line and the half came to a close.
Half time score: Guernsey Raiders 12 Worthing Raiders 9
Raiders made one change at the break, Balazs Magda coming on in the front row for Ollie Streeter. Throughout the second half they used their bench players as they pushed to find ways to break down the home side’s defence.
Having kicked off to start the second half, it only took a minute for the visitors to build an attack from deep. Max Boxall made the important burst through the defence in centre field which allowed him to run at pace at the last defender, rather than try to score himself he gave a perfectly timed pass to Bruno Perry on his left, enabling him to score under the posts. With Louis Ellis’ conversion Raiders took the lead 12-16. Unfortunately, for Raiders, within a couple of minutes Guernsey scored an unconverted try and thus retook the lead 17-16.
Between the second and fifteenth minute of the half the visitors were penalised seven times. Thus, there was no way they could maintain pressure on the opposition. It was in the middle of this period that Guernsey took advantage of the penalties to put themselves in a prime attacking position and a converted try resulted. Thus extending the lead to more than one score at 24-16.
The rest of the half saw Worthing Raiders building attacks that never quite did enough to produce points. The nearest they came to scoring was from good lineout possession being quickly moved into the centre, where Jack Forrest ran a great line and split the defence, giving him a clear run to the line, however the referee adjudged that there had been obstruction in the play and the chance had gone.
With full time approaching the visitors were given a penalty forty metres from the Guernsey posts. Louis Ellis had been replaced a few minutes earlier and with no front-line kicker on the field, skipper Jack Forrest elected to take a shot at goal himself. A successful kick would have earned the visitors a bonus point. Unfortunately, the kick sailed past the left hand upright and the game came to a close.
Full time score: Guernsey Raiders 24 Worthing Raiders 16
Despite the result the performance from this inexperienced side was extremely promising. Still, plenty of areas for the coaches to work on but much to look forward to from these players and all those that were missing today.
Scorers:
Try: Bruno Perry
Con: Louis Ellis
Penalty: Louis Ellis x 3
Team:
1. Fraser Bruce 2. Jimmy Staples 3. Ollie Streeter 4. Jack Lake 5. Ollie Crow 6. Will Gearing-Grief 7. Harrison Dakin 8. Stan Vincent 9. Jake Rutherford 10. Louis Ellis 11. Harry Forrest 12. Jack Forrest (Capt) 13. Max Boxall 14. Kieran Tomlinson 15. Bruno Perry
Replacements:
16. Elliott Luke 17. Balazs Magda 18. Dan Macadams 19. Austin Steele 20. Charlie Spencer
