1st XV
Matches
Sat 23 Apr 2016  ·  London 3 South West
Camberley Rugby Football Club
1st XV
37
12
Trojans
Careless Cam still Celebrate Championship with Seven Try Win

Careless Cam still Celebrate Championship with Seven Try Win

Roger Berry23 Apr 2016 - 19:12
Share via
FacebookTwitter
https://www.camberleyrugbyclub

With the League title already theirs Cam eventually subdue Trojans with a seven try win

So with more than 120 attending the pre match lunch, a bright but cool afternoon and a good pitch everything was set for a celebration of the black and ambers successful season. In the event the score would seem to suggest a glittering performance whereas the truth was that we were subjected to a rather more stuttering and error strewn performance and were only allowed to glimpse moments of the open, expansive rugby we have become used to over the season.
This can be put down to the fact that for the last 8 weeks the rugby diary has been more than a little stop start and attendance at training seems to have dropped off once the destiny of the title became clear and in addition the opposition, who started the game with the mathematical possibility of relegation, also provided serious resistance for the first 60 mins.
The opening skirmishes were quite scrappy with errors from both sides but Cam found themselves behind after conceding a pen on their 10m after just 4 mins.
However from the restart Cam regained possession and, following several good quick phases in the opposition 22, good hands by Mac eventually saw Joe Wood cross for the first try of the afternoon with just 7 mins played.
The next 10 mins saw Cam come close on several occasions but sloppy hands and good defence from the visitors prevented the black and ambers from scoring and on 17 mins yet another soft pen saw Trojans regain the lead.
Again from the restart Cam regained possession but a mix up at the base of the scrum saw play quickly move back to the Cam 22 and another soft pen saw the visitors extend their lead after just 20mins.
In truth the home side did not deserve to be ahead at this stage as they were simply making too many errors but they almost took the lead shortly after when good rugby by the backs saw TommyA put Ash away for a certain score only to be called back for a forward pass,
However they retook the lead on 35 mins when a great lineout take by Sam saw the black and ambers set up a powerful drive and when the ball was released to the backs a scorching break by Laz saw him dot down out wide.
The restart was collected by Hughsey whose kick from within his 22 saw the ball make touch within the visitors 22 from where the black and ambers launched a series of attacks and from one lineout we saw blindside winger Phil run a great line carving through the defence only to be brought down close to the opposition line but quick recycling saw Jono, back from his sabbatical, cross to make the score 15-9 at half time.
The second period started a little brighter and when Cam won a lineout in the opposition 22 Mac made valuable yards before feeding Ash who crossed for his second of the afternoon and a score of 20-9 and the try bonus point.
Trojans came straight back from the restart and converted a penalty but at this time the set piece dominance of the home side was very evident and the game began to slip away from the visitors.
Hughsey did 'his thing' at the restart by jumping clear and claiming Will's kick and only a lucky interception prevented a further score and this was the story for the next 15 mins as the home side continued to butcher chances by looseplay and over complication, however on 65 mins they began to work much harder at the breakdown and after about 8 phases and moving the Trojans defence around their 22 space was found for Phil to cross for a try extending the lead to 13 points.
Cam were playing with a lot more freedom at this time with the visitors beginning to wilt and their scrum retreating at a rate of knots and when the black and ambers were awarded a pen in front of the visitors posts they opted for a scrum and were only denied a score by another interception but the ref had spotted an infringement and from the quick tap Will O'M crossed for a try, the only one our Welsh Wizard could convert today, making the score 32-12.
The restart saw Cam again on the attack and a great charge by Dylan saw play move back into the visitors half and when his offload to Flyer Phil was successful everyone thought it was another score only to see him hauled down just short of the line but from the ensuing scrum Cam regained possession and some great phases saw Mac very generously give Phil the opportunity to double his try count.
So a good result if not one of their better performances of the season and so they will go to Esher on May 2nd to try to make it a hattrick of victories this season over 'The Irons' - ko 16.00

With just the game against Ironsides for the Surrey Trophy next week at Esher it is probably a good time for me to look back over the season.
So despite a couple of poor results towards the end when promotion had already been pretty much confirmed this has again proved to have been another very successful and exciting season.
Risey and his coaching team have continued last seasons promotion from Surrey 1 with an even better performance this time around against tougher opposition and much of this continued development of the squad must be down to Alun, JJ, Oddjob, for the first half of the season, and of course Gareth himself with the support and encouragement of the Clubs Chairman of Rugby Paddy O'Meara.
In my view one of the key factors in this success must be the consistency of selection as Gareth has used less than 30 players during the entire League campaign.

As a spectator it has been a joy to watch the side play with such pace, skill and ambition in all conditions – so much more satisfying than the majority of this seasons Six Nations – but for m e the keynote game was our game at Ironsides in January.
Last season Ironsides were our nemesis winning 3 of our 4 encounters, just pipping us to the League top spot and who also went on to claim the National Junior Vase at Twickenham. Having won the game earlier in the season at Watchetts the visit to SW3 was always going to be a test and on a wet pitch on a cold January afternoon Risaey's young squad put on the performance of the season. Not the free flowing expansive game they have become known for but a gutsy physical performance which frankly blew Ironsides away. When the black and ambers drove the first scrum back several metres it was clear that we were in for something special and we witnessed 80 mins of the most brutal and accurate defence I have seen at this level for years. The power of the 15 man defence was so great that in the end winning the ball was a disadvantage to the Irons – a really mature and outstanding performance by all 23 – perhaps the only time they have managed to stick to the script for the full 80.

The following is a brief of the players who have appeared more regularly during the season – apologies to anyone who I have omitted.

We can start with the back three of Dan Bright, Laz and Phil Cresswell – what a pacey trio – Dan with his mazy running and trademark hurdling of opponents, Laz whose pace and counter attacking skills were outstanding, he can kick a bit too, and Phil who scored a hatful of tries during the season and whose defensive work improved immeasurably during the season to support his blistering pace.
The midfield of Joe, Ash and TommyA all played with pace and aggression and were at the heart of much of the side's expansive rugby. Joe as last season provided much of the steadiness particularly in defence, Ash had more opportunities to use his pace and physical running than he did when playing in the back three and it was a welcome return to TommyA who always adds his own brand of magic to everything.
At half back TommyD spent much of the year carrying an injury and so didn't have quite the same impact on the park as the previous season and so he shared the 10 spot with Will who has improved dramatically this season with his confidence growing and his fitness levels much improved – still a work in progress but we are all looking for great things from him next season.
Skipper Woody again controlled things at the base of the scrum, barking orders at his forwards around the park, managing the officials which is often an extremely difficult task and he also proved himself an excellent post match 'games' organiser – every club should have one and Rog has filled the role admirably these last 2 seasons - our little Yorkshire Terrier is proving a real asset to the club .
The regular front row of Jack, Dylan and Dan performed really well during the season and the work of coach Alun could clearly be seen as they improved their technique during the season and their performances belied their experience with all of them under 22. But their other great contribution to the team was their play around the park with all three of them fit and quick and always looking to carry the ball at every opportunity. These three were ably supported by Chris whose move from flanker is already proving to be a smart move, Kyle who has always been there as the vital back up,Fidds and Jeff who have unfortunately only been available for a limited number of games this season and our favourite joker Magoo and together with hooker Greg and this strength in depth in the front row was certainly one of the key factors in the side being so successful.
The second row was the domain of Sam, Greg and Hoff and they all regularly were at the heart of the side – Sam as ever always led from the front, excelled at the lineout and was in his element when involved in tough forward tussles. Hoff started his season in the 2s having announced his 'semi retirement' but he was playing regularly for the 1s before Xmas and, with Sam, provided the dawg the side needed in certain games while Greg's athleticism in the lineout and his pace around the park was a real asset.
So we come to the backrow who have, to a man been outstanding this season.
Lets start with Mac, the young #8 who has matured this season beyond recognition and regularly puts in MoM performances both in attack and defence having started to combine his exceptional talent with real graft when it is needed. Openside Jono, despite his advancing years, has also developed this season and spectators were stunned on several occasions this season to see him generously creating tries for team mates as well, of course, as continuing his personal scoring feast and it was unfortunate that we missed him during the latter part of the season following an enforced layoff.
Then we have Hughsey who played half of the season in the backs and the rest in the back row – it seemed that wherever he was playing he always had a major influence on proceedings and his pace, fitness and keen rugby brain is a huge asset to the side.
Added to this quality group was young Academy star Ed Grosvenor who despite only celebrating his 18th birthday this month has looked real quality and is growing in confidence with every game.
Finally to my Player of the Season – Josh the Warrior our blindside who, with ball in hand, only knows one way and who was also devastating and physical in defence – not just now and again but for 80mins in every game until he picked up a nasty knee injury towards the end of the season.
There are others like Birdy, who covered the back three and veteran scrumhalf Benny who had several cameo appearances.
Joint 2s skipper and lock Ben Harrison had several runouts for the 1s until injury slowed him down and personally it was great to see club stalwart Andy Wreakes on the team sheet several times during the season helping out when we were struggling at 9. Andy has been a 1s player for more than 10 years – he is currently the player who has been registered for the 1s longest and he represents, to me, everything that a clubman should be – he will play anywhere for anyone – he just keeps doing the best for the club – and next season on most Thursday evenings despite the cold and wet I'm sure you will see him down at Watchetts training – a great example to many others.
The League title is truly a team award and to all of those who have contributed – congratulations.

Match details

Match date

Sat 23 Apr 2016

Kickoff

15:00

Competition

London 3 South West
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Ticket Sponsor - Oval Peak
Social Media - Maximus 1,2,3,4 Food Plan
Gold Sponsor - Sanjha