Saturday, February 15, 2003

THE Premiership dream is still beating for Worcester but, on a bleak day in Lancashire, it was clear that it might have to be revived from a cryogenic state.

Worcester will now have to hope that Orrell can muster the same energy levels when they take on Rotherham at Edge Hall Road because their own destiny has now been wrenched from their own hands.

This last-gasp defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for coaches John Brain and Andy Keast. Worcester had carved out a comfort zone at half time through Chris Garrard and Will Wigram's tries and rarely did they look like surrendering the points on this ice-cold day.

But as time ticked on, it became evident that Orrell had a number of factors on their side. Not least referee Ashley Rowden's stopwatch which added a total of 16 minutes extra time and prompted some supporters to wonder whether it had frozen with the rest of us.

Eighty-seven second half minutes had elapsed by the time Ben Lewitt was driven over by the home pack to the delight of a few hundred Orrell enthusiasts.

It had been coming once Worcester surrendered possession in the final 10 minutes. They then did not get it back until it was too late.

Worcester will have to reflect on some cold, hard facts in the post-mortem this week.

They should not have lost this match. The game was there for the taking midway through the second half but chances, unusually for the backs, were squandered.

The National One pacesetters also drove Orrell back time after time and yet could never finish off their good build-up work.

They led 18-10 at half time through Garrard and Wigram's efforts but also a James Brown penalty and a conversion plus a delightful 40-metre drop goal from Chris Catling.

Orrell huffed and puffed but, despite a try, penalty and conversion from Phil Jones, their indiscipline around the ruck and maul was beginning to test the patience of Rowden who sent Nick Easter to the sin-bin 10 minutes before the break.

If the first half had ended on a high with Wigram's try, the start of the second could not have been more of a contrast.

Catling's clearance was charged down by Wade Kelly and the Gloucester man's blatant pull on the centre's shirt was spotted not by Rowden but by one of his touch judges.

So a minute into the half and Worcester were up against it after Catling's yellow card.

Jones slotted the resultant penalty but Brown, soon after, restored the status quo with his own three-pointer.

They had come through the 10-minute period well enough until, 14 minutes after Catling's departure, quick hands from Scott Barrow and Richard Welding saw the winger to the line.

It was only after Jones' conversion sailed over to make it 21-20 that the fourth official allowed Catling to return - a mere 15 minutes after leaving the field!

After that, Worcester, with Brown controlling play, were in charge up until the final 10 minutes and the fly half's third penalty of the day extended the lead to 24-20.

But that was as good as it got. The final section of the game was backs against the wall for Worcester as Orrell poured forward.

And after a penalty to touch and lineout won, Lewitt went over to the despair of the Warriors.

The temperature had already dipped below zero when the final whistle came. But, you have to suspect, Sixways may yet be a whole lot colder this week.

Worcester: Catling 6; Ezulike 6, Roke 5, Wigram 6, Garrard 6, Brown 7, Swanepoel 6; Windo 6, Hall 6, Lyman 6, ZALTZMAN 8, Gillies 7, Quinnell 5, Pfister 6, Evans 7.

Replacements: O'Reilly, Officer, Southwell 5 (Wigram 46 (blood), Pearl, Olver, Morgan (Zaltzman 80), Jenner 6 (Quinnell 64).

Man of the match: Dan Zaltzman - committed as ever. Tackled all day.