Chichester 51 v Wimbledon RFC 1XV 0
The demeanour of the Wimbledon players as they trudged disconsolately from the field pretty well said it all.
Threatening Chichester's line just twice, they conceded nine tries to a lively, well-organised opposition, who took full advantage of Wimbledon's sadly depleted resources.
The loss of prop Steve Hellier in the pre-match warm-up, wing James Hayes after 10 minutes and lock Anton Kriel in the second half really added insult to Wimbledon’s injury woes.
The only positive from the day was the battling spirit of all the Wimbledon players who, despite over half their number playing totally out of position, refused to give up and so nearly scored in the dying minutes.
Flanker Steve May deserves special mention not only for playing a full 80 minutes at prop for the first time ever, but also causing his opposite number a few problems. So too does hooker Adam Sykes who might just have found a new career out on the wing.
With this sort of spirit (and a dozen or so more fit players) Wimbledon will get through this bleak period. Hopefully it will be by next Saturday, when they take on Hove at home.
October 25, 2010