Hurst triumph in Daily Mail Vase Match

The 1st XV won an excellent and far from easy game against Wimbledon College in the Daily Mail Vase this week ( Round 5), winning 15-5 .

Hurst fielded a young side, missing some key UVI players who were taking their A level exam modules; their replacements, making their 1st XV debuts, were fifth formers Ollie Bunn and Jamie Hutchings. Both had excellent games and Jamie in particular stood out for his work in the lineout and also at the breakdown both in attack and defence.

Both Wimbledon and Hurst coped well with the difficult conditions; mud not only made the ball very slippery but also caused problems for those attempting rapid manoeuvres such as jinking.

That said, Hurst’s young forwards are to be congratulated on denying possession to an older and physically larger set of forwards throughout the first half. Their ball control was superb with Richard Hadfield playing a central role, demonstrating immense strength, stamina and speed in both the loose and the tight. Deservedly he scored Hurst’s first try from a well worked line-out ploy. It was, however, Rob Biggs who opened the scoring with a difficult penalty goal in the early minutes of the match and he neatly converted Hadfield’s try to put Hurst 10-0 up at the break.

Wimbledon were not content to go down without a fight and came out of the break to show a fantastic fighting spirit demonstrating some superb ball handling as, for a while, they took the game into the Hurst  25. Hurst, now working against

both wind and slope, fought them off with some magnificent play led by Captain Rob Noble whose reputation as a defensive ‘rock’ is now assured. Hurst gradually took the game back, conducting a series of imaginative forays  deep into Wimbledon territory creating the defining moment of the game when the ball reached the left wing and Conor Walker-Sims. In a masterclass performance he completely out paced the cover and crossed the lines inches from the corner flag.

To their  credit, Wimbledon’s efforts relented not a jot despite the impossible position in which they now found themselves and achieved a well deserved try in the dying minutes of the game.

Hurst now progress and the next round, again played at home, will be against St. Georges Weybridge on Wednesday 19th January.