Sat 24 Jan 2026
Windsor II 29 Shire Hall 26
In the previous meeting between these two sides, Shire were forced to concede the game because of a lack of players. This time round, Shire fielded just the basic 15. With the drop out of two backs, Shire were a bit forward heavy and so had to adjust. Dan Smedley moved into the centre whilst Neil Evans took the unlikely role of winger! The game also saw the return from long term injury of Gwyn Robins and a second consecutive appearance for former captain Ritchie Denver. It was Shire who dominated the initial periods of play and after only 7 minutes a good break by Kris Sharma created space for a good support line by Jacob Kenny who scored his first try for the club. Billy Wigley could not add the extra points but this was a good start. Set scrums posed a problem for Shire as they were shoved back with Windsor’s superior weight and it was from a scrum 4 minutes later that the Windsor No.8 picked up from the base and powered over. The conversion was good and this gave our opponents a bit of a boost. Despite excellent tackling by Gwyn Robins, Dan Smedley and Matt Margot, Windsor spread the ball wide to give them an easy score after 20 minutes. They further increased their lead to 14 points on 35 minutes with another well worked try but there was determination in Shire’s play. Just two minutes later, a well disguised pass from Billy Wigley put Laurie Moss into space and he broke through at least 4 tackles to go over. Billy added the extra points, and the deficit was now just 7 points. Just before half time, Shire’s decision to run from deep backfired when the ball was stripped by Windsor to record their try bonus point.
Half Time Score: Windsor II 24 Shire Hall 12
The chat at half time was very positive and it was clear that Windsor had weaknesses that Shire could exploit. The decision to bring Neil Evans off the wing for scrums proved to be decisive as possession could now be gained but Windsor were the first to score early in the second half to extend their lead to 17 points. Shire were not going to sit back and good runs by Ed Gallen, Ollie Homan-Green and Gwyn Robins created good territory. Windsor were guilty of many indiscretions at the breakdown, and it was surprising that the referee did not punish them more for these continual infringements. The backs were also effective with good passing and determined running from Dan Smedley, Laurie Moss and Manzi Murenzi. 10 minutes into the half and it was Shire who added to the scoreboard when another finely disguised pass from Billy Wigley put Laurie Moss again into space and he crossed virtually unchallenged for his second try. Billy Wigley added the extra points to bring the deficit to just 10 points. It was clear that Shire sensed that, at the very least, they could come away from the game with bonus points. Windsor continued to press hard, but some excellent defensive work kept them out. One particular breakdown saw Gwyn Robins somehow snaffle the ball and give Shire possession. It was a sign of Shire’s confidence that they decided to run the ball from their own 5 metre line and gain at least 70 metres with the ball being transferred among the backs with speed and penetration. With the last play of the game from a Shire lineout 10 metres out, Shire found themselves forced back 30 metres by a strong Windsor defence. Somehow the ball broke to Matt Margot who sprinted to the line to record yet another try to bring him ever closer to joining the exclusive 100 Try Club of which there only 4 members (all retired!). Billy added the extra points to bring Shire within 3 points of Windsor.
All things considered this was an exemplary performance against a team that are top of the league. Maybe if we had had a bench, the result could have been different. To take 2 bonus points is outstanding. Every player put in a real shift and they should all be congratulated for their never-say-die attitude. Next up is the rescheduled home match against Aldermaston but this game will be played away as our pitch is already booked.
Final Score: Windsor II 29 Shire Hall 26
Tries: Jacob Kenny, Laurie Moss (2), Matt Margot
Conversions: Billy Wigley (3)
MOTM: Gwyn Robins – back from injury with a vengeance!
DOTD: Neil Evans – “I’ll play on the wing” – really ?
