Effingham & Leatherhead produced a ruthless display of finishing which left Warlingham ruing what might have been in perfect conditions at Hamsey Green.

The visiting Eagles’ defence forced errors from the home side and capitalised to secure a deserved bonus point win and yet Warlingham had plenty of the game and chances of their own.

Both sides wanted to play fast and the large crowd of supporters were treated to open rugby in perfect conditions. An early Eagles try sparked the Wars into life seeing the ball thrown around with abandon. Centres Tom Warne and Louis Rossi-Jones looked to exploit space in the outside channels for elusive wingers Noah Clay and Jackson Stevens, whose footwork and pace were a constant threat. There was no shortage of ambition with the pack laying a strong platform. However, a Warlingham chance wide on the left wing broke down and the Eagles swooped on the loose ball to run in from halfway for a second try. Warne also hobbled off after the play requiring a reshuffle at losing a key player.

The rest of the first half was all Warlingham. Slick handling through the forwards with offloading from back row Olly Wilson, young pack star Jack Norman and the outstanding Jack Forde opened up the visitors defence leading to a penalty 30 yards out, which was cooly slotted over by teenage number 10 Harry Sturgess. Wars’ pack were well on top in the scrum with front row Matt Healey, Matt Barnett and the evergreen Simon Townsend drove the home side forward at every set piece albeit without much reward from the referee. It was powerful running from man of the match Barnett, Harry Cave and skipper Morgan Gillam that camped Warlingham deep in Eagles territory, prompted by scheming half back Shay Holton. Warlingham opted to turn down kickable points to go for a try through their dominant pack. But with the scrum flying forward a back row move broke down and Eagles picked up the pieces to counter attack from their own line and their dangerous full back beat two tackles to go the length of the field. A frustrating swing back to the Eagles as the half came to a close with the home side 3-24 down at half time.

The second half featured more of the same. Warlingham had great chances to score and defended strongly providing a real test for their opposition. Wars pack again flexed their muscles with Riley Potter and Elliott Jones added to the engine room. A driving maul from a 20 yard lineout drove close but couldn’t force the ball down. Gaps opened as the players fatigued. Dangerous full back Callum Wand was starting to work his magic on the ball and he carved open the Eagles defence from his own 22. The cover defence reached him and as he offloaded to support, Eagles impressive cover stopped the second wave of attack. Wand was sadly forced off with a dislocated shoulder after this exciting line break.

Effingham & Leatherhead were determined to get their try bonus point and attacked cleverly down the flanks and through the middle with good handling, building phases and probing play. An inside ball close to the ruck sent the Eagles centre over and a further try under the posts looked to have completed the scoring. However Warlingham never give up and after more strong running from Potter and Barnett, Jack Forde picked his way through the defence beating the cover, drawing the full back expertly and shipping a great pass to winger Lewis Hazeldine who raced under the posts for a great try converted by Sturgess.

As the final whistle blew, the scoreboard would make tough reading for the Wars but this was a game they were competitive in throughout against a strong side. Both sides will look ahead to their remaining fixtures with optimism and things to work on as the season starts to draw to a close.