Guildford Rugby Club
Guildford's Battle for Survival Intensifies with Narrow Defeat at Newbury
Newbury 23 – 20 Guildford
1st February 2025
Guildford's Battle for Survival Intensifies with Narrow Defeat at Newbury
Team: 1 Freddie Cole, 2 Ben Meager, 3 Jon Karimian, 4, Josh Smith*, 5, Jamie Curtis 6 Ollie Millward, 7 Tom Devereaux, 8 Joe Garner 9 Charlie Cuervo, 10 Joe Gwyther (C), 11 Louis Bounds 12 Tyler Pickford, 13 Alex Jordan, 14, Solomon Poole, 15, Will Craven
Replacements: 16, Lewis Gunn, 17 Oli Hirst, 18 Alex Burrill, (*Debut)
Scorers: Tries: Jordan, Gwyther, Poole
Cons: Gwyther (1)
Pens: Gwyther (1)
Saturday’s clash at Newbury was a must-win encounter, pitting two struggling sides against each other in a fierce battle for survival. Back in October, Guildford had snatched victory in the dying seconds, but this time fortune favoured Newbury, as a late penalty condemned Guildford to a 23-20 defeat. The result leaves Guildford languishing second from bottom, six points adrift of Chichester, with just six games remaining.
Guildford’s lineup was once again shaped by enforced changes. Ben Meager returned to hooker after a brief injury layoff, while Freddie Cole and Oli Hirst made the journey back from university to strengthen the squad. Unfortunately, Alex Burrill, unable to recover from a training injury, withdrew during the warm-up, paving the way for Jamie Curtis to start. Captain Joe Gwyther led an unchanged backline - a rare stability in a tumultuous season.
New recruit Josh Smith, making his delayed debut from the postponed Tottonians fixture, became the 50th player selected for the 1st XV this season - a testament to the squad’s injury woes.
Guildford began with confidence, swiftly moving the ball wide to Louis Bounds, who tested Newbury’s defence at every opportunity. Their early dominance paid off just three minutes in, when Alex Jordan broke through to score, though Gwyther missed the conversion, leaving the score at 0-5.
Newbury responded with determination, but a pivotal interception from Gwyther saw him sprint 80 yards to score under the posts, converting his own try to extend the lead to 0-12 within nine minutes. At this point, it looked like Guildford might cruise to victory.
However, Newbury clawed their way back, scoring a converted try after 16 minutes. Despite being reduced to 14 men following a yellow card for a high tackle, Newbury managed to keep Guildford at bay. A well-placed cross-field kick from Gwyther set up Solomon Poole in the corner, bringing the score to 7-17 after a missed conversion.
Newbury’s resilience shone through as they narrowed the gap with a try out wide, followed by a penalty on the stroke of halftime, levelling the scores at 17-17.
The second half saw Newbury emerge with renewed vigour, dominating collisions and edging ahead with a successful penalty, taking the lead at 20-17. Guildford levelled the scores with a Gwyther penalty, setting up a tense final quarter.
As the clock ticked down, both teams fought tooth and nail, with Guildford struggling to capitalize on a numerical advantage after a Newbury player was sin-binned. Ultimately, Newbury seized their chance, slotting a penalty to secure a 23-20 victory.
Guildford’s quest for league survival now turns to their upcoming fixture against Tottonians on Saturday 8th February at 14:30. With Tottonians in fourth place in the league, Guildford will need every ounce of support from the home crowd to pull off an upset.
Come on G’s!
Mike Burden
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