Rugby was definitely the winner on Friday night as old rivalries reignited under lights with our Vets facing off against Trinity. Standing pitchside with notepad and pen was U14s coach and club committee member, Mark O’Connor.

FINAL SCORE
Warlingham Vets 19 - 57 Trinity Vets

Forwards

• Scott Toomey
• Tom Bolland
• Rory Kavanagh
• Scott Cheshire
• Jamie Webzell
• Matt Healey
• Nick Hammond
• Mike Thompson
• Jim Thompson
• Elliot Jones
• Darren Gwynn
• Marc Bradbury-Smith
• Sach Shimizu
• Barry Ruddock
• Matt Talerson
• Billy Kebble

Backs

• Nick Kewell
• George Britten
• Alex Glover
• Nick Waterton
• Russ Jao
• Roy Hart (C)
• Gulliver Martin
• Adam Downie-Keen
• Andy Elmes
• Oly Reynoldson
• Mike Solle
• Tom Harris
• Luke Robinson
• Cedric Bunel

On Friday night under the lights, 30 of our Vets hosted the Vets from Trinity. I say “Trinity,” but really it was anyone Sparky could round up - with Chipstead, Fisher, Sutton & Epsom, and Trinity all in the mix. We were extremely proud to field such a strong squad, with a blend of ex-players, dads, coaches, and current senior players, all led by Roy Hart.

The lads clearly practised what they preached, going through a rigorous activation process with no muscle left unstretched. So thorough, in fact, that debutant Marc Bradbury-Smith managed to pull his calf on the way to the pitch! With so many vocal coaches both on and off the field, it was never going to be a dull night. The crowd added plenty of banter too, which only boosted the fun.

The game started brightly, with Warly looking sharp. Trinity, however, had a serious size and weight advantage, along with surprising line speed and rock-solid tackling. After the opening exchanges, Trinity strung together a slick move which left Glover off balance, allowing them to score the first try of the night. Not to be outdone, the Warly men regrouped and hit straight back with some neat handling. Glover, seeking revenge, pulled off a clever chip-and-go that outsmarted the entire Trinity backline, finishing with aplomb!

For around 10 minutes the game was evenly balanced, with Warly hammering away inside five yards but being denied by some questionable high tackles. Unfortunately, both were on Elliot, and the ever-bashful referee appeared to have mislaid his cards, and forgot where the bunker was.

The match was played in a great spirit, with Roy determined to give everyone a run-out. At one point he even dragged Fawkey in from the sidelines, once a pair of boots was found! Robin jumped straight into hooker, and with Nick Kewell at scrum-half and Jamie on the flank it felt like the youth team days all over again. Even so, our pack was under pressure. Despite the tireless work of Healey, Elliot and Townsend, it took Billie to steady the ship as we were often on the back foot, leaving Barry to rescue situations with several awkward pick-and-goes.

Trinity soon found their stride, and to be fair their handling was excellent. Their barrel-shaped centre possessed a frightening turn of pace and, despite valiant defensive efforts (not least from Nick Waterton, who threw himself in front of the steamroller more than once), he broke the line for multiple tries.

The second half resumed with both teams fired up. Tom Bolland seemed to be everywhere, putting in a huge shift. Unfortunately, our lineout wasn’t firing, and kicking for territory proved fruitless. But with gritty determination, the forwards produced a fantastic scrum deep in the 22, securing clean ball for Tom to crash over for a well-deserved try.

By this stage Trinity had the game wrapped up, but Warly weren’t finished. ADK put in a crunching tackle to deny Sparky a score, and Bolland added another big hit on their 9 (albeit the ball may have gone). Shouts for captain Roy rang out, and he duly answered. Rolling back the years, he jinked one way, then the other, leaving several Trinity defenders on the floor before turning on the afterburners to score our third try of the night in style.

All in all, it was a fantastic game to watch, and those on the sidelines are already looking forward to another Friday night fixture under the lights. Man of the Match went to Alex Glover, as awarded by the Trinity boys.

A brilliant evening of rugby, great to see all the lads back out enjoying the game in the right spirit. Well done to all the Vets!

Watch highlights here: Instagram | Facebook
All photos: Hayley Sasserath