Honours Even For Local Rivals As Both Teams Secure League Safety With Draw

Match Report From Southwold V Ipswich

Written by David Vaughan

A thrilling end to the game saw Ipswich take the lead for the first time with a contender for try of the season for any team, with just five minutes to go, and then Wold scored another great try in the corner to even the score just before the final whistle, leaving both sets of supporters breathless and happy
What a game this was, full of running rugby and searing pace from start to finish with both teams preferring to keep ball in hand and test each others defence constantly.
It was great to watch and a fair result, between two Clubs with loads of history and friendship between them, but on the pitch it was fierce from start to finish
Ipswich powered over for their first try after ten minutes but missed the conversion from wide.
Josh Wallis then gave Wold the lead at 6-5 with two consecutive penalties in the space of three minutes.
Wold then piled on the pressure and two forwards tries from Sam Webb, charging over from a lineout, and then Jamie Jenner finishing off a series of pick and go's from the Wold pack saw Wold take an 18-5 lead with Josh Wallis slotting the second conversion but not the first from the touchline
The Ipswich backs then replied with blistering pace from the right to simply outpace the Wold defence and score to the left of the posts, and the lucky drop goal conversion bounced just over the bar off the left hand post but was still worth the extra two points and draw the visitors nearer at 18 -12
A Josh Wallis penalty on the stroke of half time saw Wold then lead 21-12
The teams battled it out for the next twenty five minutes with nothing to chose between them but it was that Ipswich pace again that saw them score a converted try on the right and close within two points at 21-19
Wallis narrowly missed a long penalty three minutes later after being high tackled himself and Ipswich were down to 14 men after the deserved yellow card was shown for the offence, with eleven minutes left to play
Five minutes from time came the contender for try of the season as Wold were camped in the Ipswich 22 and looking likely to score, but Ipswich gained possession and a daring inch perfect cross kick saw an amazing catch from the winger who sprinted up the line with more of that Ipswich pace and Ipswich were in front for the first time 21-26 with the conversion missed again from out wide.
Still five minutes remaining and Wold pushed and pushed but Ipswich held strong in their 22 and nearly held out until time until Wold were awarded a scrum just to the right of the posts just inside the 22 metre line
It was their last chance and good ball saw Luke Wade at inside centre spin an inch perfect long pass out wide which caught Ipswich off guard and Wallis coming in to the line from full back offloading to Jacob English who crashed his way over just inside the flag
It was another great try and Josh Wallis's conversion saw the ball take the paint off the post but on the wrong side and it was 26 points apiece at the whistle and the crowd could at last calm down and reflect on a fair result from what had been a great game

MOM for Wold, Josh Wallis, top all round display from the young No 15