Coverage by Senior squad member, Adam Downie-Keen

FINAL SCORE
Warlingham 69 - 0 Mitcham & Carshalton

Warlingham RFC finished their preseason campaign in emphatic style on Saturday, delivering a commanding 69-0 victory over Mitcham & Carshalton in front of a lively home crowd. With a squad full of fresh faces (only two players over 30 in the starting XV), Warly showcased an exciting blend of youthful energy, raw talent, and clinical execution.

From the very first whistle, it was clear who was in charge.

Barely 60 seconds had passed before Matt Barnett (2) powered over from close range, crashing through defenders to dot down after a goal-line ruck. That set the tone for what would become a relentless 80 minutes of fast-paced, attacking rugby.

Minutes later, a penalty kicked to the corner gave the forwards another platform to work from. A textbook catch-and-drive saw Spencer Clifford (5) steer the maul over the line for a second try, the pack making light work of the opposition defence.

Around the 20-minute mark, the backs got their first proper chance to stretch their legs, and they didn’t disappoint. Centre Ollie Wilson (12) carved through from deep inside our 22, leaving defenders grasping at thin air. He linked up with Moses Bisatu (13) in support, who continued the charge, though the move just fell short of a finish. Still, the warning signs were there for Mitcham.

Warly didn’t let up. A few phases later, a superbly floated miss-pass from fly-half Louis Rossi-Jones (10) found flanker Lucas Bibb (7) loitering wide. Bibb sold the dummy, cut inside two corner-flagging defenders, and got in under the posts for a crowd-pleasing third try.

Wilson wasn’t done yet. For the fourth, he shrugged off the opposition winger with ease and glided over the line. Then came the fifth - beautiful hands through the backline after a set-piece saw skipper Morgan Gillam (8) hit a perfect angle and burst through untouched.

The sixth was pure pressure rugby. A less-than-perfect penalty kick to the corner from Rossi-Jones (he'll claim it was deliberate!) pinned Mitcham back. Winger Fabio Monsellato-Boyd (11) was lightning on the chase, forcing a turnover on their line. A quick recycle, and Spencer was on hand to crash over for his second of the afternoon.

A rare blip came shortly after, when Lucas was shown a yellow for a high tackle - one many on the sideline felt was harsh, perhaps influenced more by the scoreboard than the incident. But even down to 14, Warly continued to fire.

The seventh try came from more smart play by Wilson, drawing in defenders before slipping the ball to Fabio, who danced past a loanee forward and shrugged off the fullback to finish smartly.

Barnett bagged his brace with a rampaging run and even threw in a cheeky goose-step before rounding the fullback. Not to be outdone, Captain Morgan picked another brilliant line to power in for his second, and the team’s ninth, under the sticks.

With a half century of points as the gulf between the two teams, the second half felt like a continuation of the first.

With the bench emptied, replacement Andrew Dearden (16) showed the poacher’s instinct to claim the tenth try, popping up on the wing after sustained pressure.

There was a slight lull (perhaps inevitable after such a ruthless spell) but the final flourish came in style. A quick tap from scrum-half Callum Wand (9) caught everyone napping. He linked up with Dearden, who drew defenders and returned the favour to Morgan, who then set Wandy up to race into the corner.

Mitcham, despite their efforts and the addition of four borrowed Warly players, couldn’t find a way through the defensive wall. A savage performance, built on speed, structure, and a real hunger to impress. Eleven tries, most converted, and a clean sheet to boot.

Man of the Match: Callum "Wandy" Wand. Sharp as ever at scrum-half, his control, tempo, and eye for a gap kept Mitcham on the back foot all game. A standout performance from a player who continues to impress.

The club President, Derek Child, handed out a couple of special awards on the day too. The Hard As Nails trophy went to Andrew Dearden, with Moses Bisatu picking up Best Attacking Player. Well done to all three players for picking up honours, but also to the rest of the team for such a convincing win against a local team. A special shout out must also go to the Warly players who unselfishly pulled on a Mitcham shirt to add firepower to their understaffed squad on the day - true spirit of rugby!

• All photos: Jay Singum
• Highlights: Instagram | Facebook

So, a hugely promising end to preseason for this exciting young squad. Onward to the next challenge of the league that begins this Saturday coming, as the squad travel to Staines - accompanying support is greatly appreciated!