​READING AND HIGH WYCOMBE …… ​​​​
Reading play host to High Wycombe on Saturday (05 12 15) , 2.00 p.m. kick off. It is an important game for both sides, with both in the bottom three but Wycombe going above Reading after comfortably beating Witney last Saturday.
Although Wycombe and Reading played each other regularly in the pre-league days Saturday’s encounter will be just the 7th league game between the sides. Reading have won all but one of those encounters, winning in 1988/89 (14-11), 1990/91 (10-8), 1993/4 (17-0) and 2008/9 (69-3 away, 27-26 at home). Our only defeat came in 1989/90 when we went down 7-17 away.
The most memorable of these games was probably the first, in March 1989. With seven of the ten league fixtures played, High Wycombe were top of the table, having won them all. We had started the season, our first in South West One, badly, with three defeats; we had now won two from seven and were threatened with relegation, though only one went down. Wycombe were being pressed at the top by Clifton, who they had already beaten.
Both clubs took the fixture very seriously, raising massive support. Realising the importance of the fixture, the mini and junior sections rallied their boys and parents to come up and support and there were many from High Wycombe too.
High Wycombe had, at the time, a reputation for fast, open rugby. Their young number 10, Nick Beale, went on to play rugby at full back for Northampton and England, while their centres Preston, ex-Wasps, and Chris Ruddick were high class. They had just won the Rugby World magazine Junior Club of the Month award.
Reading, however, had a very strong pack, powered by their famous front five; Ian Turrell, Taff Jones, Paul Guttridge, Curtis Hutson and Danny Pratt, who had signed up for Wasps for the following season. Their young full back had come in fairly recently – Craig Hunter, who was to become club chairman a while later and is now in charge of the Junior section. The half backs were Simon Rogers, who could kick a ball huge distances, and Sandy McGivern, who, like all mentioned so far, came through the junior/colts system. Number 8 Allan Spence also made a big impact, with Roger Clark and Ian McGeever the flankers.
The Reading Chronicle noted a “cup atmosphere fuelled by vociferous support for both sides, the spectators treated to two teams of contrasting styles keeping the excitement going right to the end.”
Hunter opened the scoring with an early penalty, but the Wycombe full back, Youens, kicked one to draw level. Hunter then scored a pushover try from full back! As Reading won a five metre scrum the backs joined in as well to push over the line and Hunter claimed it. No doubt he wanted to stop the pack from taking all the plaundits. Paul Guttridge scored from a penalty move and Reading led 11-3 at half time. Hunter kicked another penalty (55 minutes) and Reading seemed home and dry. However, the visitors came back with two late tries (Ruddick and Titcombe) but Youens, in a hurry to take the conversions, missed them both and Reading held on to win by three points.
As the Chronicle said “The Reading forwards monopolised possession for much of the match and it was only desperate attacking by the visitors in the last ten minutes which brought the scores so close.” In other words the visitors kept going to the end of a great match.
Sadly for Wycombe the defeat meant they finished second to Clifton that season and they were not promoted. And we finished fifth, a satisfactory position in our first season at that level.
COURAGE CLUBS CHAMPIONSHIP: SOUTH WEST DIVISION ONE 1988/89
​​​P​W ​L​DIFF​PTS
CLIFTON​​10​9​1​161​18
HIGH WYCOMBE​10​9​1​ 63​18
BERRY HILL​​10​8​2​ 111​16
TAUNTON​​10​6​4​ 18​12
READING​​10​5​5​ -2​10
ST IVES​​​10​5​5​ -26​10
WESTON-S-M​​10​4​6​ 5​ 8
MAIDENHEAD​​10​3​7​ 11​ 6
OXFORD​​10​3​7​ -70​ 6
TORQUAY​​10​3​7​ -80​ 6
BRIDGWATER & A​10​0​10​ -211​ 0​