19th of March.
The day in 1863 when The SS Georgiana, the most powerful Confederate cruiser, is destroyed on her maiden voyage with a cargo of munitions, medicines and merchandise then valued over £700,000. Fast forward 102 years and the wreck of the SS Georgiana, valued at now £35,000,000 is discovered by teenage diver and pioneer underwater archaeologist Edward Lee Spence. Fast forward 51 years and the Wildboys were on their way to the much anticipated derby against their local rivals Henley.
After an ill-mannered Henley refused to turn up to the first leg before Christmas, the Wildboys were keen to prove that they were not happy with being stood up. The team was looking strong as always, and had Ryan Collins returning to cover at scrum half.
This kick off from Henley saw Wild Bill collect and the Wildboys were off. The first 10 minutes were frantic and hectic for the away side, as they couldn't seem to find their feet. Some pressure around the breakdown from Henley and some dropped balls in the back line kept the Wildboys at bay for a while. An attacking Henley put the ball in behind the defensive line and it bounced over the try line, and then guided out of play by Guy Hackshaw. An eager Henley player dashing through to try and compete for the ball lightly pushed Guy to which Guy was somewhat unimpressed. He picked up the said individual and tried to bury his head into the ground. This saw them both being sent to the bin for 10 mins for foul play.
A somewhat hungover Fat Controller demanded water and started to take charge. This saw Adam Draper break the line from a set piece and went charging into the Henley half. On the supporting line Rob Nichols was given the ball, but his diminishing pace let him down and could not finish. With some solid pod work around the breakdown to settle the play the ball got passed to Rob Nichols again who performed his elaborate show and go, and darted over the line. The conversion was missed 0-5.
With the Wildboys now feeling slightly more settled they could begin their typical powerful play. Some strong scrummaging and clinical lineouts they kept possession for the next 10 minutes. Captain George White was feeling confident as he successfully sold a dummy and went charging down the left side of the pitch. Some fantastic clearing out by Tom White and George Hope gave Ryan Collins the clean ball he needed to swiftly pass down the blind side which put Adam Draper in for his 1st of the game. Again conversion was missed 0-10.
As Guy Hackshaw came back from the bin, Tony Wilkinson was being sent there himself for a ‘team yellow’ as the Wildboys had been giving away too many penalties – another setback for them.
However, this did not deter them and the 3rd try for the Wildboys came again from a set piece, which seemed to be working very well for them. It was a great team try which saw a well-timed pass from Adam Draper to set George Culbert up in the corner.
The Wildboys didn't fancy the conversions today, so the score was 0 - 15 as the ref blew for half time.
The first 10 minutes of the second half were again strong for the Wildboys, dominating in the scrums with thanks going to the front row. Mark Wilkinson, Tom White and George Hope were working very well around the breakdowns and the likes of Ben and Tony Wilkinson putting in some solid tackles to keep the opposition at bay. The next try came from a great solo effort down the wing, from none other George Hope with his blistering pace to outrun the winger and fullback. This time converted 0 – 22.
Things then took a turn for the worse. Tom White went down with a yelp, and immediately he knew that damage had been done. His ankle looked limp, and the two vets Jon and Max demanded he kept his boot on as he was carted off the pitch, straight into his father’s car and off to John Radcliffe. It later turned out that a broken fibula and some sever ligament damage was the outcome, and an operation and an 8 week cast was the cure. Gossip Girl wishes Thomas the swiftest of recoveries.
However the game had to continue and Marc Freeman replaced Tom to ensure the Wildboys wouldn't slip. Even with the replacement things started to slow down for the Wildboys. Henley were determined to ensure it wasn’t going to be an embarrassment for them so started to play some more consistent rugby. The possession was with Henley for the next 25 mins or so, and tested the Wildboys defence which seemed unbreakable at times with some try saving tackles coming in from Ryan Collins, Rob Nichols and George Culbert. The Wildboys then got a flash of possession which they grabbed with both hands and responded with a try from Adam Draper, which was unconverted 0 – 27.
The last 5 or 10 mins saw George Hope get sent to the bin for killing the ball, which was the Wildboys 3rd yellow in this game. This enabled Henley to claw back a try, which came from a strong scrum from them, and their 8 picking and driving over. They, similar to the Wildboys, missed their conversion also. 5 – 27.
Man of the Match had several nominations this week. Max Wood, Jon Goodson, George Hope all getting votes between them, however this week it went to Rob Nichols.
Mare of Match was uncontested. Guy Hackshaw.

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Man of the match – Rob Nichols
Mare of the match – Guy Hackshaw

Tries: Rob Nichols, Adam Draper (2), George Culbert, George Hope

Conversions: Jayson Abbott.