Wilmslow Wolves made a shock Cheshire Cup exit in the first round having been beaten by Altrincham Kersal 19-8 at Wilmslow Rugby Club.
For Wilmslow Wolves, it’s been a formality rather than a surprising cup run when it comes to the Cheshire Cup and this year was no different as Wilmslow knew they were to be a very strong force in this competition. Also this was a league and cup double header so there was even more emphasis on Wilmslow to perform.
With fantastic players from top rugby schools around the country such as Sean Street, Olly McCall, Dan Thomas, Max Harvey, Sam Rodman and Sam Jafarian from Wilmslow High, Marcus Cabrera- Dandy from Manchester Grammar School and players such as Adam Hewitt, Alex Taylor, Angus Crawford and Harrison Lewis, Wilmslow looked a very strong outfit, but were to be shocked by the very physical side of Altrincham Kersal.
There was a sense of optimism amongst the supports of Wilmslow before the game, but the players knew the task ahead was not going to be straight forward. Coach Tim Street knew it was to be a feisty affair between the two sides and this was clear from the first whistle.
Crunching tackles were flying from both sides in the early exchanges and the away side started at a very fast pace in terrible conditions to play rugby in. The early pressure came from Altrincham Kersal as the pre-match rain continued to fall and that pressure turned into a try 3 minutes into the game.
Wilmslow were pinned back on their own try line and were unable to hold out the power exerted on them by the opposition forwards and the conversion was slotted away comfortably. A shaky start for Wilmslow was nearly put right as debutant Max Petch made a half break away from the line, but the away side held their own in defence. Wilmslow were advancing slowly forward with clever kicks from Street and McCall helping the home side gain territory.
Both sides were giving away possession far too easily mainly down to the conditions as frequent knock- on’s emphasised how scrappy the game was for 30 minutes at least. The standard of rugby started to increase ever so slightly and again it came from Altrincham Kersal.
The away side picked up an injury which must have dampened the spirits of the players, but they reacted wonderfully well as, moments later they got their second try of the match. Altrincham Kersal had control and calmness in the scrum to keep it straight which allowed them to run free and dive next to the posts to score.
The problem for Wilmslow was the effort they had put in to try and get themselves back in the game after a lacklustre start ,and that made them look even more weary towards the interval, even though Olly McCall did score a penalty with 2 minutes to spare after a surging run from Cabrera-Dandy.
Wilmslow needed to wake up in the second half if they were to have any hope of putting themselves into the 2nd round draw and they started with flair and creativity that was missing from their first half performance.
Captain Alex Taylor led from the front and carved through the middle early on. Wilmslow continued the pressure and thought they had a try after a punt forward by Cabrera-Dandy saw Sam Jafarain hurtled down the right flank to try and force an error out of the Altrincham Kersal defence. He was in luck as the full-back slipped and Jafarian stabbed the ball past him and alongside Taylor. He picked the ball up and slid over but as he did, the ball fell away from him due to the greasy conditions and the try wasn’t given.
It was all positive stuff for Wilmslow and it got better for them as Max Harvey scored the first and vital try of the second half to get Wilmslow back into the game. Very similar to Altrincham Kersal’s try in the first half, Harvey barged his way to the corner after the breakdown to reduce the lead. It looked like Wilmslow were starting to get to grips with the conditions as they started to create scoring opportunities, however the game was still as disjointed as ever, with both sides were doing their upmost to get a foothold in the game.
After Wilmslow’s try the pendulum swung back to the away side as they were denied a game-breaking try after a wonderful cover tackle from Sean Street who seemed determined not be on the end of a defeat.
However, it was not to be for Street and Wilmslow as 10 minutes from time they were hit with a shuddering blow as Altrincham Kersal capitalised on a mistake and waltzed through a gap in the Wilmslow defence to run in what would be the final try of the game and more or less book their place in the 2nd round of the Cheshire Cup.
Wilmslow didn’t look like staging a comeback after this as heads went down and that energetic Wilmslow side turned into a dormant one. Same could be said about the game as the ball continued to change hands and mistakes from both sides saw the game fizzle out.
The ending concluded on a sour note as Wilmslow’s Ben Jones was penalised for blocking and on very unconvincing evidence he was sin binned. Moments, later fly half Olly McCall looked to have been stamped on by a Altrincham Kersal player, but this time the referee didn’t not punish the away side which was to the dislike of many Wilmslow supports and players.
However, apart from this lack of discipline from both sides at the end of the game Wilmslow can have no complaints. They just weren’t the usual Wilmslow side who play creative and flamboyant rugby. The players didn’t look like they enjoyed the game and that was the key factor that was missing from the home side.
What’s next for Wilmslow?
Well they will need to carry on producing consistent domestic results, but no doubt they will be hugely disappointed to fall at the first hurdle.
This is a members post by Chris Heal from Wilmslow Rugby Club.
Final score: Wilmslow Wolves 8, Altrincham Kersal 19
Wilmslow: Try: Harvey, Pen: McCall.
Half-Time score: 3-12
