Thank you to Trevor Allen for this match report:
North Walsham arrived with 11 players so in the true spirit of Rugby 2 players for each half were lent to the visitors so Holt 3rds could at last have a game after playing only 1 match since 7th October.
Walsham started the strongest and after repelling Holts initial attack from the kick off, turned over possession and got the ball wide to their quick winger to score in the corner. Holt then shipped a further 2 tries before Nathan Parfitt went for a storming run up his wing, flattened his opposite number with a Samoan sidestep and scored a fine try.
Again the visitors stepped up their game and scored throughout the half to reach 40 points. Then the moment of the game, Craig 'Trundle' Uttridge obviously getting ready for the Strictly final pulled from his locker a glorious sidestep followed by a dummy pass which mesmerised the opposition and punched a huge hole in the defence. Walsham scrambled but could not stop the attack as the second phase was spun wide for Holts second try.
This seemed to spur on the home team and after the half time break Holt went about making a comeback. The scrum was proving a good platform for attack for their No8 Alex Bainbridge who was having a storming match picking up from the base and running strongly into space before feeding to the backs. Holt scored 4 tries in the second half to bring the result to a respectable 36 -53 and if a couple of marginal disallowed scores had been given Holts way the last 5 minutes would have been nail biting. Unfortunately though they had given North Walsham too much of a headstart and just ran out of time.