Kicking off, the hosts were quick to test the Chipstead defence; which, unusually for the Exiles, proved porous. After two minutes Wimbledon were 7-0 ahead. Chipstead were struggling to cope with the Wimbledon attack and the squad was failing to build any substantive continuity of play. After seven minutes the Exiles were facing a 14-point deficit; and then after twenty minutes we were 21-0 down. Those however would be the last points we’d concede.

Finally, the Exiles started to assert a semblance of structure, and substantively pressure the Wimbledon line. The first Chipstead try came after a superb rolling maul which got the pack into the Wimbledon 5 metre area. Sustained effort was then rewarded with seven points to close out the first half with the score 21-7.

The half time team talk was frank and candid; focusing less on the decision of officials and more on what the squad, as a unit, needed to do to address the situation. Six minutes into the second half Chipstead crossed the line again for an unconverted try (21-12). If the first half had been Wimbledon’s; the second was Chipstead’s as the squad pushed to narrow the deficit further. After 22 minutes another successful foray into the Wimbledon red zone was rewarded by another seven points (21-19).

However the Exiles were also playing against the clock and with time ticking down the players knew that any stoppage would mean game over. With the play entrenched in the Wimbledon half there was an opportunity for a drop goal which if successful would have edge the visitors ahead. Fortune favours the brave, however on this occasion the kick fell agonisingly wide and the referee blew for the end of play. Final score 21-19.

Congratulations to Wimbledon for the competition and best of luck for the rest of the season.

There are many facets in the context of a game that can determine its ebb and flow; from the decisions of players and officials, to ball handling and game management. In summary this was a tight contest and hopefully it proved a salutary lesson to the Exiles’ squad about the need to keep focus at all times and concentrate only on those aspects of the game that they can control.