So with the 1st XV's appearance at Twickenham now less than a week away I thought that it would probably be useful for some of you to know just a little more of the boys who will be wearing the black and pink on Sunday. I also understand that those of you who can't watch the boys every week sometimes are unable to decipher the nicknames which I tend to use in the match reports.

The path to Twickenham has certainly not been easy for the squad starting with an away game against Dover on a very wet November day the side came through to win 43-7. This was followed by a home tie against Rochford Hundred in February. On this occasion the visitors, who remained unbeaten throughout the League season, were eventually despatched 47-8 and then followed Monumental March.
This started with a big arm wrestle in the mud at Eastleigh in a League game where we managed a 1 point victory 22-23 and was followed by a visit to Charlton Park, who appeared at Twickenham in the same competition last season. This was the Divisional final and on a bitterly cold day in Kent when the snow had to be cleared from the lines we witnessed a courageous fight, with the black and ambers eventually overcoming very committed opposition 33-12.
Then followed the game against Old Reigatians title which again was a hard fought game which ended in a 35-29 victory and the League title.
And finally the visit to Coney Hill, winners of the South West Divisional title, where, on a very wet pitch the boys eventually proved too much for a typically dogged Gloucester side winning in extra time by a single penalty. Probably the 4 toughest games the team had faced all season.

There are clearly many factors which have come together to make this amazing day a reality when the club was relegated to Surrey 1 in 2013 but key to the success must be the outstanding coaching team led by DoR Gareth Rise and ably supported by Alun Rise, Ash Wright and JJ – interestingly all have or are, in Ash's case, still playing for the black and ambers. Together the coaches have built a seriously talented squad, the majority of whom have been playing together now for 4 years or more experiencing both the highs and lows and who, over time, have clearly morphed from being a squad of talented individuals to a team who, from 1-18, now play for each other and to witness development has been something special.

So to the squad :

15 – Tom Allen aka TommyA - Tommy started his career in the 1s when he was just 18 and the club were playing in the National Leagues – at that young age I remember him as a very talented player but things like being on time for the coach on away games was not a big priority for him. After travelling the world he returned in 2015 and has been an ever present in the squad. Still extremely talented in attack he has also been fantastic as the last line of defence and pulled off some match changing tackles. Possibly in his last season in the 1s he really deserves this opportunity.

14 – Oyoni Gbla – This is Oyoni's second spell with the club and this season he is joint top try scorer in League matches with 20 and has also started all 22 League games a feat only matched by Mac as well as appearing in all of the major Cup games Oyoni provides great pace and physicality out wide – its great to see him 'sitting down' his opposite number and this season we also saw him hurdling them as well.

13 – Josh Wright – The youngest of the Wright Brothers, Josh spent time with us last season when he was always the most taped player on the park with almost all parts of his body seemingly held together by the white stuff. He returned to Cam in Feb, clearly missing his big brothers and has again shown what a talented and aggressive player he is – naturally a 10 or 12 he has on several occasions filled in as scrum half when the need has arisen and made a decent job of that too. Since his return his requirement for tape seems to have vastly diminished however following Smarty's attempt to kiss him during a recent game he has been sporting a reel of tape around his shorn head while Smarty ended up in A&E and missed the next few games with stitches in his lip.

12 – Oli Wright – Oli is simply quality – voted player of the season for 2016/17 he always provides a serious threat with the ball and his fearless tackling is deadly although it has unfortunately brought him a few knocks during this season but its good to see him return to fitness – probably the quietest of the three!!

11 Ash Wright - So Ash, who has covered the centre positions when necessary, also tied with Oyoni as top try scorer with 20 tries in the League this season almost all of them down to his searing pace. Unlike Oyoni who quite likes to 'bosh' opponents Ash will always try to burn them off. He is, of course also a key member of the coaching team concentrating on defensive processes, key to a successful campaign.

10 – Matt Smart – Still only 20 Smarty has made big strides in the couple of seasons he has been playing with the 1s improving his game management ability along the way and although he has suffered a couple of injuries this season this does not seem to have slowed his progress. Already with numerous county caps to his name he can only improve as he becomes more experienced and will surely relish the wide open space of Twickenham

9 – Tom Dunn – aka TommyD – Tom has been in the squad for 4 years playing 9 or 10 and in addition also provides some outstanding place kicking - witness the 2 touchline conversions in the last game against Gosport (we will ignore the simple ones that were 'blown' off course). Tom had a horrendous injury in the depth of winter when purely accidentally he managed to break his jaw in several places. However he has never been a quitter and worked hard at the rehab, stayed in touch with the squad and returned to play some of the best rugby in his time at Watchetts and despite only 13 appearances he still topped the Cam's League points table with 138 – another quality player who manages the game well and a vital member of the squad.

1 – Stephen Hastings – aka Hasty – Hasty is one of the biggest talents in the squad, arriving at Watchetts weighing in at something approaching 19 st he claimed to be a winger, and to be fair he is very quick for a prop, but he soon came under the wings of Alun Rise and his conversion to loosehead has been a work in progress for 2 seasons and the change has been tremendous. Moving up another level next season will see him having to work even harder but IMHO he has the ability to become one of the top looseheads in London 1.

2 – Dylan Emerton – aka Dyl – Dyl is simply the complete footballer, he has all the skills required of a hooker, scrummaging, lineout throwing and all that dark and dirty stuff that takes place amongst the forwards, he is also a natural ball player, outstanding with the ball going forward, devastating in the tackle and another player with great after burners. A product of the Academy he has been a 1s player since he was 18 and a name I always look for on the team sheet.

3 – Nick Barry – They say that tightheads only really come into their own in their late 20s – early 30s well Nick registered for the 1s from the Academy last year when he was just 18 and has worked so hard, again with Alun and Gareth, that he has played 19 games in the League this season. Invariably finding himself propping against someone almost twice his age with years of experience at the coalface Nick has, to his great credit, stuck at it, learned loads and next season I am sure, as long as he keeps fit and continues to use his mentors, will make more giant steps forward. Its actually been a great pleasure to see this young man develop and this progress is clearly helped by the great support he gets from his family.

4 – Sam Voight – Sam is one of the pillars on which the club's rise from those Surrey 1 days has been built. Fiercely competitive Sam is one of the leaders in the squad very physical both in attack and defence and an expert lineout jumper, someone who has truly earned this wonderful opportunity. In addition to his efforts with the 1s Sam is also the hugely popular head coach of the very successful U15s – a committed club man.

5 – Alex Gould – aka Hoff – This is Hoff's 11th season with the 1s – an ever present, except when he takes a couple of weeks of to ski every January and he has seen the 1s rise, fall and then rise again during his time. Always very fit and strong Hoff, like Voighty, has been key to the teams recent success and always prefers the arm wrestle games to the 50 point runaway games. Now closer to the end of his career than the start he will surely enjoy this great opportunity.

6 – Josh Watson – aka The Warrior – another ex Academy player who is in his 10th season with the 1s, started playing in the centre moved to blindside flanker about 2 seasons ago and with his destructive, physical defence (reading the player biops he is usually the guy no one in the squad wants to be tackled by) and also his surging runs he is yet another of the leaders within the squad and I'm sure his class at school will be very proud of him on Sunday.

7 – Alex Hughes – aka Hughsey – Always a very talented junior Alex returned to the club 4 years ago providing quality, physicality and pace to the squad. Happy to play out in the backs as well as his preferred back row slot Hughsey is without doubt an outstanding talent and in addition to all of his work particularly in the lineout, with ball in hand he offers a threat from anywhere on the park.

8 – Mac Duaibe - Mac moved up from the Academy when he was 18 and has been an ever present since. Always an amazingly gifted player and in those early days often in trouble with officials who didn't agree with him!!, he has matured into a quality #8 who has played all of the League games and leads the forwards in the # of tries scored. His reading of the game has improved enormously, his understandinhg of the role of the official is also much better and, with The Warrior and Hughsey IMHO made up the best back row in the League by a distance this season.

16 – Dan Harvey (prop) – Our veteran prop has played a key role this campaign bringing loads of experience to this young front row and has filled in on either side without a murmur and has enjoyed plenty of opportunities with ball in hand. What a way to finish your playing career.

17 – Mua Inoke (hooker/prop) – Young Mua who has surprisingly been in the squad for 2 seasons and is still not 20 is another Academy player who has taken the move to 1st team rugby in his stride playing hooker or prop. Again another very physical player who is quite devastating with ball in hand and certainly seems to have a bright Rugby future and we wish him well as he continues his studies at Hartpury next season.

18 – Alex Ter Kuile (hooker/backrow) – akaTK - Former Camberley junior TK returned to the club a couple of years ago and has become a regular member of the squad although plagued by injury this season it is great to see him at last fit again and able to take his place in the squad.

19 – Ben Harrison (Lock/backrow) – Ben is yet another of the Academy boys and has filled in as lock when both Tom and Hoff were injured and can also play in the back row if required. His performances in the lineout and his striking pace allied to his physicality with ball in hand make him a handful for the opposition – a very competent and versatile player to have in any squad.

20– Henry Tagg (scrum half/fly half/ wing/fullback) )– aka HT - HT, now completing his second season with the black and ambers is definitely an allrounder as during that period he has started at 15, 11, 14, 10 and 9, and on one game at Twickenham took over the mantle of kicker and slotted every chance from all areas of the park. HT is yet another member of the squad who is blessed with great skills and is also one of the quickest in the squad.

21 – Rory Lillington (centre) – Lils provides solidity and experience in the centre and has been an ever present in the squad during the season, his presence often providing the back bone to the backs in tight games and he will also enjoy the chance of an appearance on the big stage.

22 - Josh Lewanituva (wing) – aka The Flying Fijian - Josh has been a great find this season. Basically a 7s player his conversion to the 15 a side game has been a challenge but now he is now fully integrated with the squad and uses his physicality and pace to great effect and I am sure that at some time on Sunday we see him charging down the pitch.

The following players although not in the playing squad have been involved with the squad for a number of seasons and will be acting as water boys on the day

Roger Wood – The Yorkshire Terrier is the Club Captain and although possibly not playing as many 1s games as he would have liked he is the go to man for all things social for the Senior Squad – a key member of the management team.

Tom Keith – Tom, having returned following a horrendous run of injuries which threatened to end his rugby career, started on the slow road back at the end of last season and established himself as a regular first team player again at the beginning of the season bringing loads of physicality and aggression to the team which also included a couple of turns on the naughty step, however he was desperately unlucky when he broke his forearm against OTs in a freak accident. Hopefully his arm will mend fully and his appetite to play return in readiness for next season.

Will O'Meara – Will is another 1st team player who has been out with long term injury but, to his credit, has been at almost all of the 1s games this season and I am sure that he will also enjoy the opportunity he has on Sunday and maybe we will see him in boots next season as well.

Now the Physios - We have Sophie and Liv who spend every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday strapping, massaging, stitching and generally looking after the senior squad. Without doubt they have had some serious challenges this season particularly through March but they have done a fantastic job looking after all of the boys and without doubt are key members of the squad who also will hopefully be able to enjoy this special day.

And Finally – if you are not able to get to the game on Sunday (ko 3.00) you can watch the game live on Sky channel 422 FreeSports. If you don't have access to Sky the RFU will load the games onto youtube and when this has been done the link will be made available on the website.