It was a thrilling end to a great afternoon’s entertainment as Dan Watt paced to the tee to attempt to convert the injury time try which his forwards had forced wide out on the left. Watt’s kick, which would have tied the match, sailed narrowly past the post and the disappointed full back was left to rue what might have been.

Watt should not be too upset since it was a mighty team effort which had dragged the scoreline from a seemingly hopeless 19 points adrift to a paltry 2 point difference in the last crucial quarter of the encounter.

It had started well and the visitors took up position in the Titans’ 22 for the first twenty minutes. When a team stays in opposition territory so long it is important to come away with points and skipper Jamie Townsend ensured this when most of the pack drove over the Taunton line close enough for a simple Watt conversion.

Six minutes later flanker Charlie Williams put his side on the board for veteran fly half Gary Kingdom to convert. Isaac Dalton put the hosts in front on the half hour and Kingdom obliged again with the extras. Alex Ricci and Watt evened matters before the break.

Four tries in the third quarter was rich reward extracted from slumbering Albanians by the now rampant Somerset outfit two of which Kingdom converted. Almost in moments OAs seemed to have let the chance slip of at least matching their high flying rivals who themselves now seemed to rest. Still Jack Arnott, Tom Wyatt, Ollie Down and Williams again had surely done enough for victory.

The visitors rallied and Ollie Stonham surged over in defiance of the odds just before Williams second. Watt converted and gave the extras when Mike Bond lowered the deficit and the fullback imperiously converted a forty five metre penalty with five minutes left and the Taunton discipline failing. Harry Betts it was who crossed the line with the last move of the match.

Albanians faced the long trip home with two league points, far more than appeared to be coming back with them in the middle of the second period. Jamie Townsend’s men should be proud of the fightback and bear in mind what is possible when Worthing come visiting next Saturday.
Kickoff 15.00hrs.

Brian Quinn,

Raconteur