Wisbech 42–10 Thorney
Counties 2 Eastern Counties / Cambridgeshire County Cup Quarter-Final
Harecroft Road
Wisbech 1st XV secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season with a commanding 42–10 bonus-point victory over Thorney on Saturday at Harecroft Road.
The Counties 2 Eastern Counties league clash also doubled as a Cambridgeshire County Cup quarter-final, giving both sides plenty to play for.
The Men in Red struggled to gain a foothold during the opening 20 minutes, as Thorney dominated territory and possession, pinning Wisbech deep in their own half and limiting opportunities to get their hands on the ball.
Against the run of play, the visitors kicked deep into Wisbech territory, where centre MJ Wright gathered and launched a scintillating counter-attack down the left touchline.
Wright offloaded to fly-half Jon Johnson, who beat two defenders before returning the pass for Wright to cross in the corner. Johnson converted to give the hosts a 7–0 lead.
Minutes later, Wisbech were left rueing a lapse in concentration and defensive discipline as Thorney responded with a well-worked converted try to level the scores at 7–7.
The remainder of the first half was closely contested, with neither side able to gain a decisive advantage heading into the break.
Wisbech started the second half strongly, scoring within five minutes.
Wright again made the initial break before delivering a perfectly timed inside offload to back-row Sam Anderson to run in the try. Johnson added the conversion to restore a seven-point lead.
Thorney fought back with a successful penalty to narrow the gap to 14–10, before Wisbech were reduced to 14 men when flanker Owen Ketteringham was shown a yellow card for a late tackle.
An intense spell followed, with the home side showing great resilience while a man down.
The Men in Red upped the tempo and after sustained pressure inside Thorney’s 22, flanker Brad Williams powered through the defence before offloading to prop Kerrie McMullen, who scored a popular front-row try under the posts. Johnson converted to make it 21–10.
Wisbech then took full control of the contest.
MJ Wright crossed twice more to complete an impressive hat-trick, with Johnson converting both tries to extend the lead to 35–10.
Another lapse in discipline saw Wisbech reduced to 14 again when hooker Morton Middleton received a yellow card for a neck roll at the breakdown.
Thorney enjoyed possession but struggled to build momentum as Wisbech’s defensive effort and fitness shone through.
The scoring was completed on the stroke of full time when James Taylor finished in the corner after an inspired pass from Johnson.
The fly-half maintained his perfect record from the tee with the final conversion, rounding off an excellent all-round performance.
On his first appearance of the season, back-row supremo Brad Williams was deservedly named Bowser’s Man of the Match for his outstanding work rate in both attack and defence.
Wisbech Wildcats fielded a strong 26-man squad, including five colts and six West Norfolk players, for their Eastern Counties 2 West league fixture against Thorney 2nd XV at Harecroft Road.
The match was played on the far pitch, running concurrently with the two clubs’ respective 1st XVs contesting on the main pitch.
Despite securing a resounding 76–0 victory over the visitors, the match was played in excellent spirit throughout, with both sides displaying outstanding sportsmanship.
The Wildcats return to action on January 10th when they welcome Cambridge 3rd XV to Harecroft Road.
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