News
- Sedbergh vaulted themselves right into the trophy hunt after beating Wellington
- The win means this national competition will not be settled until the last game
- If the top two slip up third-placed Cranleigh may yet have a say in the title
Sedbergh boosted hopes of a third successive SOCS Daily Schools Trophy title after a dramatic 20-10 win over arch-rivals Wellington.
The win means this national competition, sponsored by the school management system, SOCS, will not be settled until the last games over the next two weeks.
Wellington took a narrow lead into Wednesday's showdown at Broadstreet but hopes of sealing the title were dashed by Sedbergh's far better finishing.
Speedy second-half tries from wing Fraser Jones and substitute scrum-half James Naylor punished Wellington for failing to make the most of ample first-half possession.
Now Sedbergh must beat Millfield next Wednesday (December 4) to put maximum pressure on Wellington who play their final match on Saturday week (December 7), against Tonbridge,
Sedbergh's win gives them the lead, which is calculated on a merit table basis, by 6.48 points per game to Wellington's 6.43.
If the top two slip up third-placed Cranleigh, who have two games to play, may yet have a say in the title.
Sedbergh's Oliver Melville is tackled by Wellington's Alex Teague during the crunch match
Cranleigh, who are 6.30 league points per game, travel to Marlborough this Saturday (November 30) followed by a home game against Canford on December 7.
Despite the lack of ball against Wellington, Sedbergh still turned round 7-0 up after hooker Lawrence Mason had raced onto a pass from Murray Redpath.
Redpath made way for Naylor at half-time and this planned move meant Sedbergh made the most of two high-class players.
Wellington struck back early in the second half when wing Finn Tawse scored out wide.
Sedbergh's James Naylor sets up a box kick on his side's way to a vital victory
However, Sedbergh delivered the crucial blows when Jones and Naylor whizzed clear for tries and fly half Louie Jones added a penalty to a first-half conversion.
Overall, it was another memorable contest almost matching Sedbergh's 17-15 win last season.
For Sedbergh, the win continues an outstanding unbeaten record at 1st XV level stretching back to November 2016 when Kirkham triumphed 15-9.
Simon Mulholland, Sedbergh's head coach, said: "We were under terrific pressure from Wellington but we did not panic and kept to our plan."
For more information, please see the full article here.
