It was a scrappy start from both sides, evident from the knock-ons and penalties conceded. Early and strong tackles from Rob, Chris, Dom and Max however took the attention away from the this and more onto the much emphasised 'hard, first 10 minutes'. These tackles took their toll on Richmond however and Rob broke their line with a great solo run, however knocking the ball on . This was a typical end to most moves for Wimbledon during this match. Richmond showed their first division standards though, with increasing attacking pressure, which led to some fine defensive work from Jack and Dom, and with a turnover Max was able to kick the ball to Richmond's 22. With drives from Aidan and Connor, Wimbledon were able to secure a penalty which was kicked for a line out up in Richmond's half. A move, sparked from Max and consisted of Dom and Angus, came on the Richmond 22 but was unfortunately knocked on (again!). A penalty conceded by Richmond saw Archie try for posts for the first time this match, albeit from almost half way. Unfortunately this conversion was out of Wimbledon's grasp as it drifted left . A Richmond scrum 5 yards forced Dom to make a try saving tackle and an excellent steal of possession, however with little support, Richmond turned the ball over and with missed tackles from Wimbledon their centre was able to score the first try. From the restart, Richmond almost doubled their try count but, thanks to a consistent tackling game from Charlie, Richmond were robbed of any further score.

From the start of the second half, there was constant pressure with multiple phases of attacking display from Wimbledon, demonstrating what they had learnt in training. However after several minutes of play, they found themselves in their own half. This forced Aidan to kick through, which produced a good chase from backs and forwards. As a ruck was formed, Richmond's' 13 was throwing punches, and Richmond conceded a penalty, resulting in a nicely slotted kick from Archie, giving Wimbledon a well deserved first mark on the scoreboard. Wimbledon determination forced the game up a gear in the second half, as Dom made great runs, gaining crucial metres. Another fantastic move from Chris, Charlie and Connor saw continuos play with their offloads although the ball was lost and Richmond began to attack. Before they could become more threatening, Dom cunningly once again stole the ball from right under Richmonds' noses . The ball was shipped out form a ruck by returning Scrum half James to Aidan, and with a powerful display from the forwards, he dived over and gave Wimbledon a glorious try.This time with an inch perfect conversion from Archie, Wimbledon took their lead to 10-5. RIchmond came back hard for 10 minutes solid and with sublime defending from WImbledon, and great tackles from Rob and Angus, they were able come back at Richmond with 2 moves of their own. The first involved and inter-change between Aidan and Dom which took up the space on the right wing, and the second was a run from Charlie, which took part on the left wing, tantalisingly close to the Richmond line! He was pushed out of play, and Richmond regained possession. They managed to ship it out to their left winger who put Richmond on level terms after some tired defensive work allowed him passed, making it 10-10. This try set Wimbledon reeling and slightly deflated, therefore allowing Richmond to slip between the centres, dodging the valiant but fruitless tackles of the Wimbledon defenders and securing Richmond the win.

Overall, a fair result would have been a draw for this exciting match but luck was on the side of the home team that day, although fantastic defensive efforts showed good signs of improvement and lots of promise. This brave Wimbledon side never gave up and spectators and players alike know there is a win on the horizon! On a lighter side to this match we cannot ignore the frustrated Max ,after Wimbledon conceded the last try, he fled the field, and ran to Badger asking him "Will I need surgery?! as he held up an already swelling hand . All sympathy was with him until laughter followed when he announced that he had received this injury by "punching the post back !" Later developments have revealed in fact Max has suffered a broken Carpal.
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