Bonus point win for the Green Machine!

Wigton v De la Salle 19/9/15

Wigton, with only one regular first teamer in the back division, defied the pundits to record a terrific bonus point home win over De la Salle. That one regular first teamer, Jonny Charters, had one of his best afternoons in a green shirt as he made breaks, scored a try, kicked goals and generally controlled the game from fly half with some incisive tactical kicking.

As the two sides tested each other out in the opening minutes, there were encouraging signs for the relatively inexperienced Wigton team. Looking comfortable at scrum time, Wigton fashioned an overlap on the blindside, but the ball was passed into touch. It was not long before a raking diagonal kick by Charters pushed play deep into the visitors 22. Good pressure set up a lineout a few yards out, but a squint throw squandered the position.

De la Salle put together some phases of possession and as Wigton struggled to regroup after a midfield break, they were caught offside. Centre Chris Petrou stepped up to kick the goal and give the visitors a 0-3 lead.

Wigton's pack, with skipper Robert Marrs to the fore, despite dubious headgear, won a fair share of ball. Charters made a clean break with good footwork to go roaring into the 22, linking up with centre Jamie Simpson who gave winger Owen Bonney a run for the line. De la Salle scrambled back and the young debutant was tackled just short of the line.

De la Salle then enjoyed more pressure but good defence by Wigton held them at bay and an excellent turnover enabled the Greens to get out of their own half.

Wigton then won a ball at the line on the De la Salle throw. No8 Stuart Creighton ran through the midfield and gave an excellent pass to Simpson. With play very close to the try line, Wigton knocked on. However, at the resulting scrum, Wigton produced a coordinated shove and pushed their opponents off the ball, enabling flanker James Brough to pick up and score. Charters added the conversion to make the score 7-3.

Wigton then failed to catch the ball from the restart , resulting in a lineout back in our own 22. However, an accurate catch and drive cleared the lines. However, the visitors finished strongly and a scrum penalty enabled them to set up play in the home 22. Unfortunately for them, a lack of precision saw a forward pass, and shortly afterwards a knock on, surrender threatening positions. Deep in our own territory, Charters made a rare bad decision as he tried to run out of danger by counterattacking on the short side. The ball ended up in touch and Wigton were penalised for preventing a quick throw. De la Salle took a quick tap a few yards out. Wigton seems to have the situation under control but a penalty for a high tackle enabled Petrou to narrow the gap to 7-6 as half time came.

The next twenty five minutes saw a lot of action. De la Salle claimed the kick off and put up a box kick. This was fielded by scrum half Dan Reed. He linked up with Charters who used the boot to drive play into opposition 22 again. From the lineout, Wigton seemed to be making good progress to the line, but were halted by a mystifying penalty. Nevertheless, a penalty to Wigton from forty yards out let Charters extend the lead to 10-6 with a sweetly struck kick.

From the restart Marrs managed to knock on. However, hooker Elliot Armstrong won a strike against the head and Charters again booted Wigton to within five yards. De la Salle tried a ploy at the lineout but the ball did not cross the five metre line. Wigton tapped quickly and made several probes and switches of direction before Marrs crashed over from a few yards out. This gave Wigton a 15-6 lead.

Wigton again failed to take the restart cleanly and a messy passage of play gave Petrou a chance to kick his third penalty. Unfortunately for him he missed. Brough set up Wigton's next attack with a splendid ball steal in the tackle. Charters had his tactics well worked out now, and again kicked into the corner. De la Salle were unable to throw the ball straight at the line, so Wigton had scrum in the 22. Charters, full of confidence, found a gap but was unable to find young Brad Bouch in support. This was mainly because he had been tackled without the ball. This resulted in a simple penalty for Charters and a 18-6 score.

De la Salle were now showing signs of flagging as Wigton scented the win. The kick offs started to go a little deeper and the chases were less energetic. An easier catch saw the ball go direct to Charters who again kicked deep, the ball turning the full back and winger. An attempted counterattack resulted in a spilled ball being picked up by a grateful Marrs. Wigton's support play and continuity were good and Creighton forced his way over for a try. 23-6.

Things immediately got better for Wigton. From the restart, another deep kick by Charters. This time De la Salle tried a chip over the oncoming defence. The ball was picked up by Simpson on the half volley. He rode a high tackle and scampered upfield. The the poise of a 200 match veteran first teamer, he drew the last defender and put Charters away for a simple finish under the sticks. The conversion gave Wigton a 30-6 lead and a bonus point for the fourth try.

Just reassure the spectators that he was not quite perfect, Charters put his next kick direct into touch. De la Salle caught Wigton napping with a quick throw and from then on, the defence looked short handed. Neil McPherson crashed through a couple of defenders to score an unconverted try to give a 30-11 score.

With ten to fifteen minutes left, this proved to be a mere consolation for the visitors rather than the start of a revival. The game petered out as both sides made handling errors and the ball failed to move far from a succession of scrums in an anti climactic last few minutes.

Wigton were understandably delighted by the win. The experienced players stepped up to the mark, but the whole team showed themselves to be willing accomplices, getting stuck into the opposition and producing a performance to be proud of.