Old Colfeians 18 Sevenoaks 23
Last Saturday saw Oaks travel to South East London for their last away fixture of the season. With Oaks needing four points to secure home advantage in the promotion play off match on April 30th the management took the brave decision to rest several starters and give niggling injuries time to heal.
With the Colfe’s 1st XV pitch already undergoing drainage work in preparation for next season, the match was moved to their training pitch, which is roughly the size of a generous vegetable patch, unless you are growing cauliflowers, in which case it is officially too small. This ensured the depleted Oaks squad were in for a tough, tense afternoon as there was so little space to move the ball and play running rugby.
Predictably the afternoon was to prove to be one for either the committed supporter or the connoisseur. With thirty large human beings crammed into space more suited to a game of ‘Sardines’ it should come as no surprise that both well drilled defences ruled the roost for most of the day. The major beneficiaries were the kickers who gently lob the ball over the black dot from the half way line. The only two tries on the day came from Oaks winger Dodd, the first from a well taken line that split the home defence asunder, the second through sheer cussedness as he barrelled over from close quarters.
Oaks lead 13-9 at the break but managed to get on the wrong side of the official in the second half and briefly trailed with only a few minutes left on the clock as the excellent OC’s kicker made hay. Enter Dodd who rounded off some excellent work from lock Anderson, undoubtedly Oaks man of the day. Adams converted expertly from the touchline and the points were heading back to Knole Paddock.
Coach Vaughan commented ‘It was a poor game, played in poor conditions, but at this stage of the season we will happily take the four points however they come. A number of young lads stood up to the task today against a well drilled and physical OC’s team who you know will always give you a tough game. We now move on to Darfordians at home next Saturday before the final test against London Cornish on the 30th’.
Squad
Naismith
Vizard
Power
Anderson
Coleman
Baldock
Robinson
Sedgwick
Streather
Saunders
Beale C
Vaihu
Tree
Dodd
Adams
Simmons T
Mckerlie
Aspinall