LONDON 3 SOUTH-WEST
19/01/08
LONDON CORNISH v OLD REIGATIANS

London Cornish 18 - Old Reigatians 15

London Cornish rose to the highest league position in the clubs history as they completed the double over Old Reigatians with their 7th win in the last 8 league games in London 3 South-West. The win was not without alarms however, as the side seemingly coasted through the match, too many players having an eye on next weeks tour to Guernsey. The stats show that Cornish won by a try, a goal and two penalties to a try, a goal and one penalty.

The recent persistent and torrential rain rendered the pitches at the Richardson Evans Memorial Ground unplayable, so the match was switched to the nearby LSE Sports Ground at New Malden on a perfect surface and a small pitch. A number of supporters from both sides found their way to the ground and the weather stayed dry for the duration of the afternoon. Cornish had made a number of changes from the side successful at Andover a couple of weeks back, James Turnbull given a start at prop with Ben Shribman switching to the bench, Mike Allewell switching to blind side in place of the injured Nicolas Patte allowing Will Carew-Gibbs to return at hooker after an 8 week injury absence, and former Skipper Tom Thirlwall given a first start of the season at no 8 in place of the rested Chris Milne. Cornish elected to play into a very strong wind in the opening period and were quickly on the defensive as clearing kicks made very little distance. Reigatians play a tight rucking game but have recruited a few South African flyers to light up their backline and it quickly became apparent that they were very up for the game. However, the powerful Cornish front 5 caused havoc in the tight as Turnbull, Carew-Gibbs and Ben Wheeler got the squeeze on up front and this was to play a key element in the match. Though penned in their own territory in the opening 10 minutes, granite Cornish defending prevented OR's from getting within striking range of their line, and on 12 minutes the visitors paid the price when they were cut apart by the best moment of the match. Cornish won a scrum deep in their own half and ran the ball from left to right, fly half Dan Pollard switching an inside pass to blind side wing George Bramble hitting the line at pace. He burst through the gap before passing to outside centre Keith Thompson who crossed into the OR half, committed the inside shoulder of the OR left wing and slipped the ball to Mike Harvey. Harvey flew down the right flank and his in/out move committed the full back as he tore into the 22, the ball passed in the tackle to the exiles full back Tim Mucken also arriving at speed to gather the ball, dash the final 5 metres and slide in at the corner, the speed and accuracy of the counter attack drawing gasps and extended applause from an appreciative Cornish support. The impossible conversion attempt into the wind actually went close but at 5-0 Cornish had demonstrated just why they have scored so many points this season. OR's regathered and drove Cornish back into their own half for long periods of the opening half, but were hampered by the pressure on their scrums and the inability of the backline to make clean line breaks despite plenty of ball. On a number of occasions they attempted to roll mauls to the Cornish line but the home side is so adept at countering these and the tactic did not work. The visitors did win a couple of penalties in this period but both kicks from some distance out missed despite the prevailing wind. On 25 minutes Cornish broke out again, good work on the floor by Allewell supported by a snipe from scrum half Mike Dardis and another run from Harvey. Cornish won a penalty, kicked to the corner and began to roll the maul, but as they popped a pass around the fringe it was intercepted by a suspiciously positioned OR forward who sprinted clear, the supporting backs only being hauled down by the home cover as they entered Cornish territory. With Pete Calvert ruling supreme at lineout time and causing problems for the OR thrower on their ball, it was in the loose that OR's gained an ascendancy, the home side simply unwilling to commit bodies to the rucks. Gradually the pressure increased and after an age spent defending the left hand corner of their 22, Cornish finally conceded a try on the stroke of half time when an OR forward managed to twist his way out of a tackle and plunge the ball over the line, the kick once again missing. WIht no addition to the score in the remaining minutes, the whistle went on a half-time score of 5-5.

Now with the wind in their favour, it was Cornish who could turn the screw in the second period. Skipper Rob Aird exhorted his troops to extra effort and within five minutes of the restart his side regained the lead. Now driving the OR pack backward at an alarming rate at scrum time, Cornish turned over an OR scrum inside the visiting 22. They drove the set piece back toward the line and as the referee indicated an advantage to Cornish, the ball squirted out for Dardis to scoop up and power across the whitewash for a score half way in to the posts. From where the OR kicker missed his conversion in the first half, Pollard did not, driving his kick between the uprights to give his side a 12-5 lead. OR's responded again, the side desperate to break a run of 7 narrow defeats since their last league win back in October. Sensibly utilising their pick and drive tactics to negate the effect of the wind, they drove up into the exiles half and won a penalty. This was kicked into the Cornish 22 and though the initial maul was repelled, the ball found its' way out of a ruck for one of their forwards to again twist through a tackle and plant the ball down. This time their kicker made no mistake and the game was all square at 12-12. Both sides had become increasingly frustrated with the interpretation of the rules at the breakdown by the referee, who may consider that this was not his best day. On 56 minutes Cornish had reason to feel hard done by when they worked a fine blind side move to put Harvey on a clear run to the line down the right flank only for the play to be harshly called back for a forward pass. Driven deep into their own 22 by a huge, raking kick by Pollard, OR's transgressed once too often when they were caught offside in midfield. Up stepped Pollard to drive his side back into the lead with the penalty. Cornish now made a change, Shribman coming on at prop in place of Turnbull who had given his opposite number a torrid time all afternoon. This period of the game saw Cornish dominant again, and with the referee again indicating an advantage for a transgression at a ruck, Pollard took a pot at a drop goal which sailed over the near post, the kick not awarded by the referee but not without dispute from those supporters behind the posts. The retaken penalty from way out on the left flank was pulled narrowly wide. On 68 minutes Cornish won another penalty following a driving run by open side Rod Petre supported by the powerful Thirlwall on the visiting 22. Pollard again stepped up to ease his side out to an 18-12 lead and Cornish made a couple more changes, Pete Drewett replacing Allewell at 6 and Matt Godsall giving Mucken a rest at full back. OR's were still in the game and continued to try and run the ball, their elusive full back and well balanced outside centre constantly probing for openings. They found the Cornish midfield defence in uncompromising form however, Henry Mitchell a rock at 12. However, they did win a penalty on 73 minutes and their kicker struck it well to drive it into the wind and between the uprights to reduce the arrears to 3. Godsall's first piece of action was to field a kick on half way, beat a defender and drive a superb grubber kick deep into the OR 22. There they should have stayed for the remaining few minutes but Cornish again lacked concentration at key moments, two lineouts being lost and play finding its way deep into the Cornish 22. This time the home side lost the scrum and after a frantic series of phases, it was OR's who lost the plot with the referee after he called them back for a forward pass as their runner broke clear down the blind side. Cornish were able to clear their lines and with no further addition to the score, the home side had won by 18-15.

It is clear that a number of the sides at the bottom have recruited in the holiday period in an effort to avoid the drop. The games between these sides in the coming weeks will be crucial and Old Reigatians are amongst them. They have a far better points difference than those around them but do need to win games, not impossible for a team who were capable of dumping league leaders Cobham out of the Cup before Christmas. It is a healthy sign that Cornish won this game without playing well, and it may well be that the impending trip to Guernsey had something to do with that. A few bumps and bruises will have to be analysed before the final selection for that trip but Cornish will make it as the 5th placed side in London 3 South-West, the highest position the side has ever attained in this, its inaugral season at this level. With 30 Vets making the trip and a host of supporters it promises to be a fantastic occasion! With the 2s now top of their division, the 3s riding high in theirs and the Dukes maintaining a 100% record on Saturday, it will take more than a few bumps and bruises to stop Cornish from continuing its march!

LCRFC – Tim Mucken (Matt Godsall), George Bramble, Keith Thompson, Henry Mitchell, Mike Harvey, Dan Pollard, Mike Dardis, Tom Thirlwall, Rod Petre, Mike Allewell (Pete Drewett), Rob Aird (Capt.), Pete Calvert, James Turnbull (Ben Shribman), Will Carew-Gibbs, Ben Wheeler.


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