Rugby players desperate for a game

HAVING been inactive for nearly a month North Walsham's rugby players will be hoping they can return to action on Saturday.With Haywards Heath the first visitors of the new year, the Vikings will need no urging from the coaches to motivate them.

HAVING been inactive for nearly a month North Walsham's rugby players will be hoping they can return to action on Saturday.

With Haywards Heath the first visitors of the new year, the Vikings will need no urging from the coaches to motivate them.

Their meeting in Sussex in October ended in a 26-32 defeat with the only positive being two bonus points for scoring four tries and finishing within seven. If that game represents the low point of Walsham's season it probably rates fairly highly for Heath as it was their first win of the season and their first against Walsham. They now stand three from bottom in the table with four wins and 18 points and have only managed to muster 11 tries in 14 matches.

However, in full-back Owen Ashton they have one of the best kickers in the division, his 118 points with the boot amounting to more than half the side's total.

The weather has hindered training so this week will be hard graft for the players, although minor injuries will have healed so competition for places will be fierce.

The Raiders, who have endured a stop-start season, hope to get things moving with a home game against Bury St Edmunds 2nds while the Warriors travel down the A11 to play Wymondham 2nds in a Woodforde's Merit Table game.