Walcountians aim to crown great season with Shield triumph

The Old Boys have already secured their second promotion in three years by finishing runners up in Surrey League Two and are now looking forward to the challenge of Surrey League One and, possibly, regaining their former divisional status which they last held in 1998.

This is a far cry from the situation seven years ago when the Old Boys were looking into the abyss after being relegated from the old Surrey League One and conceding more than 1,000 points in the season.

After several lean years on the recruitment front, Walcountians have profitably recruited players from both Wallington County Grammar School and elsewhere, including several New Zealanders and South Africans.

Notable recruits have been no less than six members of the Wallington County Grammar School side which won the Daily Mail Shield at Twickenham in 2000 – Ollie Beales, Andy Boivin, Chris Drinkwater, Chris Mockford, Ian Richardson and Alex Sutherland.

Several members of the Walcountians side have played at a higher level, including both Beales and Boivin, who played in the National League for Hull Ionians and Rosslyn Park, and Russ Yeo who played for Sandal.

The 2008-09 season saw Walcountians with a new coaching team in the shape of Steve Whitcomb and Bruce South, who have made the Old Boys both a fitter side and one capable of using possession more effectively. They have made a massive contribution to removing the inconsistency which cost the Old Boys promotion twelve months earlier.

Walcountians’ strength has been the pace and try-scoring ability of the backs. Winger Chris Walsh has led the way with 27, followed by centre Dan Crompton (19), winger Chris Drinkwater (17), fly-half Callum Stone (14) and flanker Scott Cook (10).

But the back line has also shown excellent creative ability with the distribution of key midfield backs Callum Stone and Chris Mockford has been outstanding. Finally, the whole back line has been outstanding defensively and has been ruthless in shutting out opponents.

Particularly worthy of mention have been centre Sam Naylor whose thunderous tackles have been feared by opponents and the rock-solidity of Ollie Beales at full-back.

Finally, a special mention should be made to schoolboy Jack South who has filled Andy Boivin’s old position at scrum-half with skill and commitment after the talismanic Boivin departed to Australia in mid-season.

However, the success of the backs has been made possible by an immense effort by a pack which destroyed all opposing packs apart from in the three games the Old Boys lost. In past years, Walcountians have suffered from a lack of muscle up front and inconsistency in the contact area which too often handed over possession.

This time round, the Walcountians scrum has been anchored by four beefy props in Ben Anderson, Steve Cowlin, Kemlo Longstaff and Ed Stevenson who have secured possession in both the tight and loose play, while hooker Matt Houghton has improved all season after being converted from the back row. They have been well-supported at second row by the combative Russ Yeo and the athletic Simon Fowler and Alex Sutherland, whose excellent jumping in the lineouts has regularly secured the ball for Walcountians.

Finally, the back row has been outstanding in securing and turning over possession in the loose, with flankers Warren Chapman and Scott Cook excelling in this area of the game and burly No 8 Gavin Welsh using both his strength on the break and outstanding distribution ability to unlock opposition defences.

PLAYER PROFILES

Ollie Beales (full-back): Ollie joined Walcountians in 2003 and has been rock-solid in defence, both in the tackle and in fielding kicks. Possesses impressive counter-attacking pace and a constant threat to opposition defences.

Chris Walsh (wing): Chris has enjoyed an outstanding first season with Walcountians, running in 27 tries. Tall, pacy wing with the physical strength to break tackles which has made him a nightmare to defend against.

Dan Crompton (centre/wing): Dan, a Kiwi, is in his second season with Walcountians. Although relatively small for a centre, Dan is highly competitive and possesses blistering acceleration which has seen him score 19 tries. A solid defender too.

Chris Mockford (centre/fly-half): Chris made his Walcountians debut in 2005 and has firmly established himself as a key component of the Walcountians’ midfield. Tall and long-striding in attack with the ability to break defences, Chris is also an outstanding distributor of the ball and is the leading points scorer with his accurate place-kicking.

Sam Naylor (centre): Sam, a Yorkshireman, made his Walcountians debut in 2004. A powerfully-built centre whose crash-tackling is feared by opponents and a strong, direct runner in attack. Dislocated his knee in the Surrey Shield quarter-final win over Old Freemens and therefore misses the final.

Chris Drinkwater (wing): Chris has been consistently outstanding for the Old Boys in almost 150 games since his debut in 2002. A stocky winger with great speed and a low centre of gravity which makes him difficult to stop. Scored 17 tries this season and has been Walcountians most regular tryscorer over the past six years. A versatile player who can also play full-back and centre.

Ryan McGibbon (wing): Ryan came to rugby late but, since his debut in 2007, has rapidly developed. His strength is his explosive pace, which saw him score eight tries this season. Virtually impossible to catch if in the clear in open play, Ryan has improved his passing and defence as the season progressed.

Callum Stone (fly-half): Callum made his debut in 2003 and has played in every position behind the scrum before settling at fly-half. Although small, Callum possesses an impressive range of skills and has been instrumental in both creating chances for team mates as well as running in 14 tries. A combative player who is not afraid of taking on opponents much bigger and heavier than himself.

Jack South (scrum-half): The youngest player in the side at 18, Jack has put in a string of impressive performances since taking over the scrum-half berth. A fiery competitor with pace on the break, he has linked well with Callum Stone as his distribution has become more assured. Son of Walcountians’ Assistant Coach, Bruce South.

Ed Stevenson (prop): Ed is a powerful and mobile prop, whose rucking and mauling skills have made him an outstanding ball-winner in the loose. Has helped anchor the Old Boys scrum since his debut in 2006.

Kemlo Longstaff (prop): Kemlo is one of a clutch of strong and solid props who have stabilised Walcountians’ scrum in recent years. A solid scrummager and hard, unobtrusive worker at ruck and maul, who provides teammates with the possession to run at the opposition. Made his debut for the Old Boys in 2005.

Steve Cowlin (prop): Originally a second row, Steve made his Walcountians debut in 2003 as the club was fighting possible relegation. Steve has matured into a fine all-round player, displaying outstanding mobility in the loose. Steve has also worked hard on and improved his scrummaging in the face of strong competition from other props.

Ben Anderson (prop): Ben made his Walcountians debut in 2002 as a schoolboy and returned to the Old Boys in 2007 after a spell with Warlingham. The largest player in the team, Ben displays considerable pace for his size and his bulldozing runs at opponents have been instrumental in gaining territorial advantage for Walcountians. A powerful scrummager and fearsome tackler too.

Matt Houghton (hooker): Matt made his Walcountians debut in 2003 and originally played at flanker. Converted to hooker a year ago and has since made the position his own. An aggressive, combative, all-action player in the loose who has been instrumental in securing possession for the Old Boys, his specialist hooking skills have improved steadily over the year.

Simon Fowler (lock): Simon made his first appearance in 2005 and, apart from a year in New Zealand, has been a regular player since. Tall and rangy for a lock, Simon possesses impressive pace and fitness which betrays the fact he used to play in the back row. A trojan worker in the loose and an athletic lineout jumper who has helped Walcountians dominate this phase of play.

Russ Yeo (lock): Russ captained Walcountians between 2003 and 2006 and has played an immense part in Walcountians’ revival in recent years. A tall, powerfully-built lock, strong in the scrums and a ferocious competitor at rucks and mauls who never gives up until the final whistle.

Alex Sutherland (lock/No 8): Walcountians’ current captain, Alex led Wallington County Grammar School to triumph in the Daily Mail Shield in 2000. An excellent all-round forward who has played at both lock and No 8, strong on the break and an athletic jumper in the lineouts. Alex first played for the Old Boys in 2002.

Warren Chapman (flanker): Warren, a South African, has been the unexpected success story of the season. After several years in the 2nd XV and approaching the veteran stage of his career, Warren secured one of the back row berths this season with a series of fine performances. An aggressive tackler who is repeatedly in the face of opposition half-backs, Warren has been instrumental in disrupting opponents throughout this season.

Scott Cook (flanker): Scott has been one of the successes of the season after making his 1st XV debut at the start. Although small for a forward, Scott possesses explosive pace and is a combative tackler and competitor for loose possession who has frequently turned over possession. Readily supports the threequarters and has scored ten tries. Originally from Wales, Scott joined the Old Boys after playing rugby for the RAF.

Gavin Welsh (No 8): Another South African, Gavin has been one of Walcountians’ main creators of opportunities this season. Converted from fly-half to No 8 to take advantage of his impressive physique, Gavin has excelled as a ball carrier and has been very difficult to stop on the break. A superb distributor of the ball who links well with his half-backs.