A Game of Fine Margins as Guildford Fall Short on the Road

Guildford Rugby Club

A Game of Fine Margins as Guildford Fall Short on the Road

North Dorset 33 – 23 Guildford

9th November 2024

Team: 1 Matt Poole, 2 Jordan Brodley, 3 Paddy Wood, 4 George Angel, 5 Alex Burrill, 6 Ben Bushell, 7 Tom Devereaux, 8 Joe Garner, 9 Charlie Cuervo, 10 Joe Gwyther, 11 Ieuan Jones, 12 Rob Voller (c), 13 Alex Jordan, 14 Barney King, 15 Liam Driscoll

Replacements: 16 Oli Hirst, 17 Ben Meager, 18 Lochy Ellis-Jones

Scorers: Tries: Wood, Garner, Bushell

Cons: Gwyther (1)

Pens: Gwyther (2)

After a promising win against Newbury in their last outing, Guildford aimed to build momentum with an away victory at North Dorset. Conditions were ideal: the flat, well-maintained pitch in this rural setting provided an excellent stage for what would become a closely contested match.

Guildford’s line-up saw only three changes from the previous week, bringing a sense of stability, though the team was without Ollie Millward, sidelined with an injury from the Newbury game. The inclusion of student Ben Bushell as his replacement proved more than adequate, while Matt Poole took up the loose head position in Jon Karimian’s absence, and Barney King replaced Solomon Poole on the wing.

The opening exchanges saw North Dorset set the pace, with their powerful ball carriers testing Guildford’s defensive resolve early on. Six minutes in, the hosts broke through for an unconverted try, exploiting their strength in the scrums and gaining ground with quick, wide ball movement. Guildford, undeterred, responded with effective play down the wide channels, earning a penalty which Joe Gwyther converted to get Guildford on the scoreboard. Gwyther added a second penalty after a high tackle resulted in a yellow card for North Dorset, edging Guildford ahead 6-5.

Guildford’s persistence soon paid off, culminating in a well-executed driving maul from a 5-metre lineout that allowed Paddy Wood to cross for a try just before the break. Despite missing the conversion, Guildford led 11-5. However, in a lapse of concentration, they allowed North Dorset to score a converted try on the stroke of half-time, shifting the balance back to the hosts at 12-11.

The second half began under floodlights, and Guildford showed early intent, pressing from the restart. A second yellow card for North Dorset for a high tackle gave Guildford a temporary numerical advantage, but they were unable to capitalise on it. As the game wore on, the teams exchanged tries, with Bushell scoring a well-deserved try for Guildford, but an earlier converted try by North Dorset meant the home side retained their lead at 19-16.

The tide turned decisively when Guildford’s discipline faltered, leading to a yellow card and a subsequent spell where North Dorset scored two converted tries, extending their lead to 32-16. Once back to full strength, Guildford displayed glimpses of their best play, combining pace and precision in a seamless attacking sequence that ended with Joe Garner scoring under the posts, converted easily by Gwyther.

In the end, Guildford’s late surge couldn’t close the gap, and they fell 33-23 to a well organised North Dorset side. While they showed moments of quality, inconsistency and lapses in discipline proved costly against a well-drilled opposition.

Guildford will be looking to put this defeat behind them next week when they host local rivals Petersfield, with pre-match hospitality available for supporters keen to rally behind the team.

Mike Burden

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