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WILLIAMSON TROPHY AND CHRIS COX MEMORIAL CUP

TUE 6 SEP 11

It was a very wet and windy day in Abingdon that greeted the few regiments that had mustered teams for the inaugural competition of the Corps rugby calendar.  The intent, as always, was for units to contest for the trophies on offer and the Corps committee to assess the riches of playing talent and identify the squad for the season ahead.  Unfortunately, the appearance of only 4 teams (well done to 9 and 27 Regts who still attended even though they had less than a full complement) meant a rather truncated day’s play and a hasty re-organisation of the event.

After careful evaluation it was decided that 9 Regt and 27 Regt would contest the Chris Cox Memorial Cup as a 10s game, playing 15 mins each way, and 3 LSR and 29 PC&M Regt would contest the Williamson Trophy as a full game (Williamson games are normally 15 mins each way due to the number of games required within one day).

Chris Cox Memorial Cup

The sides looked evenly matched as the game kicked off, but proceedings became messy very quickly as the referee did not exert control and left many players confused by his decisions.  It transpired that he was adjudicating his first game, so the events that ensued were not much of a surprise.  Although it is often difficult in the midst of battle, it should be remembered that referees have to gain their experience somewhere and we cannot play the game without them (perhaps an inter-sqn/coy event would have been the better option Mr Appointer?!).

It soon became clear that regardless of the referees quality and experience, 9 Regt had too much guile, speed and thrust for 27 Regt.  To say it was an end to end affair would be overlooking the fact that 27 Regt only once made an incisive break (which was a stunner from their hooker, who after a couple of steps and shows and goes was racing through the vast space before being hauled down metres from the line), and the majority of the play was in the 27 Regt half. 

The majority of the 9 Regt attacks were well structured and the odd defensive blunder from 27 Regt only exacerbated the difference in quality.  Deep into the second half 9 Regt decided that they needed to slow the pace down and called upon the services of Capt Al Tindale (perhaps they were trying to level the playing field?).  Thankfully, towards the end of the game, he was unable to make use of a two on one overlap and spurned another opportunity to score (we would never have heard the end of it!). 

Under the cosh for the majority of the second half, 27 Regt were grateful to hear the final whistle.  The final score was a resounding 66-5 victory for 9 Regt, but praise must be given to the dedication and effort of the members of 27 Regt that made the effort to travel up from Aldershot/Bulford, and the referee in his first game (it will only get better from here!).

Williamson Trophy

The final between 3 LSR and 29 Regt looked to be a battle between the superior pack from 3 LSR against the rapier backs of 29 Regt, with the added ingredient of a strong wind.  3 LSR had the wind at their backs for the first half, and were expecting to notch up a few points before having to stare into a gale in the second.  However, the spectators (there were an admirable few who braved the elements) were treated from the start to a injection pace from the 29 Regt backs; a great break and kick ahead was coupled with superb support play lead to the first try of the game.  The subsequent conversion gave 29 Regt an early 7-0 lead.

However, the superior forward power of 3 LSR soon came to the fore, expertly cajoled by Maj Andy Geary, and they applied constant pressure on their counterparts.  Unfortunately for them silly errors stopped 3 LSR from capitalising on this dominance up front.  The commitment from both teams was commendable and one incident in the first half summed it up best.  A rather large Fijian from 29 Regt decided to counter attack and found himself one on one with the 3 LSR left winger, who was shall we say in need of some serious nutrition (he was probably about 9 stone wet through).  The two of them dropped their body positions in expectation of the collision and the crowd winced as the Fijian crashed into the winger.  However, rather than see the winger bounced off and trampled all over, he stuck to his guns and executed a text book tackle bring a loud round of applause from the impressed spectators.

Due to the superior play of the 3 LSR pack, 29 Regt were consistently relying on foul play to halt the black tide.  The referee had finally had enough of the constant team infringements and decided to send a second row forward to the bin.  However, this manpower shortage did not deter 29 Regt from using their speedy backs to counter attack, and only a lack of support prevented a certain try.  3 LSR were eventually breached once more after their No 8 decided to effect a shoulder charge (rather than a legitimate tackle) and saw the 29 Regt attacker spin out of the contact, break the line of defence and score under the posts.  Another successful conversion increased 29 Regt’s lead to 14-0.

With the first half dragging on, but supposedly coming to a close, 29 Regt had their full compliment reinstated with the return of their second row forward.  He made an immediate impact when picking up the ball at the base of a ruck and seeing nothing but space ahead of him, he raced in for another try under the posts.  The successful conversion brought a very long half to a halt with 29 Regt leading 21-0. I don’t recall there being any lengthy delays, but the referee deemed it necessary to play an additional 10 mins, much to the chagrin of Col Ed Newman who started with the aspiration to play for 10 mins!

The 3 LSR pack started the second half in much the same vain as they had played the first, aggressive, controlled and very much in the ascendancy.  Their dominance was eventually rewarded when the scrum half used the go forward ball to catch the 29 Regt scrum half (Corps and Army player, ahem!) on the back foot from the base of a ruck, and dart over for a well deserved score.  Unfortunately the conversion was missed still leaving 29 Regt with a sizeable lead 21-5.

The persistent fouling was still the best method of defence for 29 Regt against the 3 LSR pack, but the referee continued to take a dim view and brandished his second yellow card of the match to the inside centre.  As before, this reduction in numbers only sought to bring the best from the 29 Regt back line.  A quick attack passed through the hands and lead to a tactical kick ahead.  The 29 Regt right winger gave the 3 LSR cover defence a 10 metre head start but still managed to overhaul them to score a blistering try.  With the lead stretched to 26-5 there seemed little hope for 3 LSR.  However, they never settled for second best and when the referee decided to warm his hands up by putting them in his pocket, only to return with a yellow card in his sticky mitt (most of the crowd were perplexed by his decision) they pounced.  The resultant penalty was taken quickly with the 3 LSR forwards barrelling over, only for the referee to decide the ball was held up.  The pressure never waned and after sustained forward play the 3 LSR fly half was able to step inside (a tactic that had not worked during the previous 100-odd attempts!) and score from 10 metres out.  The conversion was scored and the referee brought the world’s longest rugby match to a conclusion with 29 Regt emerging triumphant 26-12.