Bracknell A vs. Winscombe - 4th round National Plate

"God loves a trier," they say, and if there's a god of rugby he loves a try poacher most of all. If that's so, he'll be beaming over Bracknell Colts' scrum-half Ally Walton who - after almost 70 minutes of this nerve-shredding, body-crunching, too-close-to-call encounter - latched on to the ball as it squirted from a scrum and weaved for 30 metres though startled Winscombe defenders for the deciding touch-down.
The mazy, opportunist's score from Walton, with two minutes left, did what countless tackles, most notably from Bracknell's man of the match Euan Webster could not ... it put Winscombe both down and out on their knees.
Winscombe had battled back from 12-3 down at half time to level the game at 17-17 using tight forward play to grind Bracknell down. Bracknell, whose pack more than held their own at scrum, if not line-out time, looked most dangerous with the ball in the hands of a flying back three. That was clearly shown in the opening exchanges as Winscombe, trying to run the ball from their own 22, found Bracknell winger Jordan Wenham whose pace allowed him to arc a run into the left corner.
Centre Sam Dearsley brought Winscombe back into it with a penalty on 25 minutes for 5-3 but then Bracknell pressure defence paid off with an intercept and sprint for centre Elliot Madison on 34 minutes. Full-back Jake Findlay added the two points in a tricky crosswind.
The first score after the break would be key and it was Winscombe, via Dearsley again, who came up with it on 45 minutes with a great break and dash to the line. He also converted for 10-12 and it was definitely game-on.
A fantastic forward effort led by the likes of Tom Fir, coupled to a fast line of defence in midfield, should have had Syntner BMW sponsored Bracknell Academy boys home and hosed for a date with Ivybridge of Cornwall in the quarter-final of this National Plate competition on 22 February.
Only indiscipline at the break-down and a rash of needless penalties, when the hard work was done, slowed Bracknell's progress and left them staring down the barrel when the unfortunate Findlay was called upon to pay the price on 53 minutes with a yellow card from referee Andrew Dobson.
Yet despite being a man down it was Bracknell who scored left when a wonderful kick into the right-hand corner produced the kindest of bounces to bamboozle the cover defence and drop into the path of Jacob Elliot's run. All he had to do was touch down for his first try for Bracknell and he managed that with aplomb.
At 17-10 down and the draw taking the home side through, Winscombe needed two scores in the final 10 minutes. One of them came with a run, wriggle and stretch from the home side's towering No 8, Sam Hartshorne, who was finally able to slip the shackles which Bracknell had slapped on him with a quick penalty tap 10 metres out.
Dearsley converted to level at 17-17 and, after so much effort from both sides and the first signs of cramp appearing, it was all down to the next score with two minutes remaining and who wanted it more.
Enter Ally Walton, Gawd bless 'im.