Sat 7 Mar 2026
Shire Hall 40 Wallingford II 19
In the previous fixture, Shire were rampant with a thumping 68-0 win. On that day, Shire had the luxury of a very full youthful bench. This time Shire were slightly understrength but were keen to extend their winning run which had earned them Berkshire’s Team of the Month for February. Wallingford had turned up without their shirts and so were forced to wear the retro Shire plain blue shirts. From the outset, it was clear that this was not going to be the cakewalk of the previous encounter, but a well worked team play saw Dave Tridgell go over after only 10 minutes. Rhys Stewart added the extra points and Shire were up and running. Problems started with the set scrum as Shire struggled to move the heavier experienced Wallingford pack and so possession was at a premium. There were gaps to be found in the backfield and it was Rhys Stewart who made excellent ground to create space for the supporting Ed Gallen to score under the posts. Rhys added the extra points and not longer after, a superb kick and chase from Ryan Darby saw the bounce of the ball land perfectly in his hands to score Shire’s third try. The conversion was good from Rhys Stewart to make the score 21 – 0. Wallingford were up for the fight and scored their first try after a lineout drive. Shire’s tactics to force an illegal drive failed to convince the referee. Ryan Darby thought he scored in the corner, but the referee ruled it out as a foot had stepped out of play. Shire’s response was immediate with the last play of the half when yet another great break by Rhys Stewart with good support saw Matt Margot go over for his 95th club try and also pass 600 points for the club. Rhys Stewart added the extra points to give Shire a comfortable half time lead with a try bonus point as well.
Half Time Score: Shire Hall 28 Wallingford II 5
At half time, Neil Evans, Oliver Kidson, Ryan Darby and Tom Overend were replaced by Will Myers, Jason Tunkhume, Fergus Bennett and Jamie Pedder. The scum problems for Shire continued in the second half and it was no surprise that the referee awarded Wallingford a penalty try with Shire’s scrum in totally disarray after just 5 minutes. Further problems occurred when Will Myers was shown a yellow card for a no-arms tackle and it was no surprise that Wallingford exploited this with their third try. This brought the score to 28-19 but with 20 minutes to go, Shire’s younger team (generally) would prove to be the difference. Jamie Perry and Rhys Stewart were both forced to leave the field with injury. A series of good plays on the Wallingford line culminated in Ed Gallen going over for his second try to which Billy Wigley added the extra points. With 5 minutes remaining, an alert Kris Sharma took a quick penalty and glided over virtually unopposed for his 6th try of the season. Billy could not add the extras but Shire were now in total command.
Credit should go to Wallingford who put up a fine display to keep Shire out. Ultimately it was the speed of Shire’s younger players who were the difference. This was Shire’s 4th win in a row and the award of Team of The Month was fitting – an award we hadn’t won since November 2019! Rhys Stewart’s four conversions brought him to within 8 points of the magical 1000 points for the club. No game next week but the week after we face Phoenix and we will be looking to extend our winning run.
Final Score: Shire Hall 40 Wallingford II 19
Tries: Ed Gallen (2), Ryan Darby, Dave Tridgell, Matt Margot, Kris Sharma
Conversions: Rhys Stewart (4), Billy Wigley
MOTM: Ed Gallen – another outstanding performance (Special mention to Rhys Stewart)
DOTD: Will Myers – default option when you get a yellow card!
