Daily Mail Cup Last 32 Skinner 22 Worthing 11

Worthing travelled to Royal Tunbridge Wells on a damp Wednesday to play the highly rated Skinner team. A solid week of training had preceded and confidence was high with an element of expectation in the ranks prior to KO.

 

Worthing played up the hill on the heavy pitch and managed to score first via an excellent play from the set piece with Ball hitting the angle from blind side wing and beating the opposition to score.

 

Unfortunately the joy was short lived as an inability to deal with the resulting restart allowed the Skinner side over for the equalising score and then in front with the conversion. The home side continued to put the visitors under pressure for periods of the first half but were unable to breach the Worthing line again. Strong scramble defence and pressure placed on core skills thwarted any Skinner progress and it was Worthing with their superior kicking game that won many of the territorial battles. Eventually this territorial kicking battle resulting in a penalty for Worthing towards the end of the half, taking the score to 7-8 in the visitors favour.

 

 

With the pitch becoming ever heavier and fatigue setting in the home side began to shade the territorial battle and consistent pressure lead to two further scores and a drop goal on the stroke of nether side. Final score Skinner 22 Worthing 11.

 

 

Every player gave every effort and there was not a point during the game where the vocal and aggressive Skinner crowd was sure in the feeling that it was game over, safe into the next round.

The back 3 were outstanding under the high ball, Harcus and Roberts were stand outs in the forward pack never taking a backward step.

Man of the match was Ball, making yards with every carry, having a good tackle count, fielding high balls and scoring the only try.

 

What would have happened on a harder deck? Would there have been a different result with the hard running of the Worthing backs having more of an opportunity to beat their opposite man 1v1?

 

I am unsure, but I would have loved to have seen that match………

 

 

Worthing College

Open Evenings

13th January 2010

1730 - 1930