Sunday saw the first opportunity for the Warlingham Under14s to flex their muscle in a meaningful game of rugby since early 2020. The boys have played plenty of matches against decent opposition recently, but none of them really mattered. Would they really be able to perform when the chips were down? Would COVID still play its part as stalwart scrum half Will Oxley-Evans had tested positive that very morning?

After the usual pre-match warmup the whistle blew to signal the start of the game and Ollie Hession chipped a peach of a kick high into the air allowing our boys to pressure the catcher. He fumbled it, we gathered it, and within 15 seconds we were on the scoreboard through quick and tenacious work from Joe Rapley and the speedy feet of Ciaran Lyas.

As the first half unfolded Warly U14s were dominating possession and making solid progress up the pitch with the ball in hand. Two more tries were score by Joe Rapley and Ciaran Lyas (conv. George Forkan) to give us a fairly comfortable 17-0 lead at the break.

The second half carried on in much the same vane as the first with Warlingham dominating possession against a strong Richmond outfit. The real difference was the tenacity of our forwards with stand out performances from man of the match Ollie Haydon (sit down Hession!), Xavier S-D and Cameron Buxton.

Richmond did manage spells of pressure towards the end as perhaps our reliance on just one substitute began to tell slightly and they capitalised with a swallow diving effort late on. However the reduction to a two try advantage did not last long as a great run down the wing by George Forkan was quickly recycled into the hands of Ollie Hession and the ball was smuggled over the line to give us a thoroughly deserved 22-7 victory.

It was by no means the perfect display. We will have plenty to work on at our next training session but we couldn't ask for a better start to our Waterfall campaign. And one thing is for certain - the lads are massively committed to making this a year to remember. They play with dedication and pride and will be a force to be reckon with whoever they come up against.

Next up - Old Reigations.