23rd September 2006

MERTON 56:5 EGHAM HOLLOWEGIANS 1st XV

The 1st XV faced Merton in their first league game of the season. This was a repeat of the Surrey Vase Final back in May, and unfortunately the result was not too dissimilar.

Merton were a well organised outfit, with a strong antipodean flavour. EHRFC were unorganised from the start of the day, with a few late cancellations and James Gilbert was recovering from food poisoning.

The feeling was that EHRFC had some decent spells during the game, but this was never going to be enough to topple a strong team like Merton, who must have designs on League 3 rugby next term.

The promising result against Lightwater seems like an eternity ago. While it is not a case of going back to the drawing board, there is some soul searching to do. Excuses can be made all season long about no shows, injuries etc, but if EHRFC are to succeed this year, it will be with the team who shows up on a Saturday. Those who can't quite make it today won't be able to score points or make tackles.

So to Woking at Kings Lane on Saturday coming. Defeat here surely makes it difficult to finish in the top 2 come April. Time to front up chaps.....

EGHAM HOLLOWEGIANS 2nd XV 29:7 OLD SUTTONIANS

The twos got their season off to a flying start with a good solid win over Old Suttonians, with a team consisting of a mixture of the old and bold and some young blood from the uni, backed up with some steel from the Army.

The game started even with both sides bashing away at each other trying to dominate at the rucks and the mauls. EHRFC opened the score on the 30minute mark with a good solid move from the back row finished off with a dash for the try line by Chris Parrott ( Uni ) and converted by Ben Challoner ( Uni ), the score remained at 7 nil up to half time.

As the second half got under way it was clear to see that the opposition were getting tired, Egham started to make the pressure show and it was not long before the tries started to flow, with tries from Ato ( army ) Saki x 2 ( army ) and the best for last Frenchi who after a good solid line out and drive from the pack broke from the back of the maul and sprinted for home covering all of 3cm or was it 20 meters?

Old Sutts got one back in the dying minutes but by that time it was way too late for any sort of come back. The man of the match was an Army boy jumping at number 2 - he not only won all of our ball but about 90% of the opposition as well. Lets just call him Thomas as there is not enough room to get his full name in!