Cam Claim Honours in Excellent Top of the Table Clash

So the trip to Orpington was extra spicy to the Watchetts faithful as it brought together the only two sides left unbeaten in the League and on a damp October day the black and ambers, particularly their ever improving pack showed tremendous heart and courage to tame the home side eventually denying them any points.
In a game which, although lacking perhaps in the free flowing classy rugby to which we have become accustomed, was a demonstration of guts, commitment and belief, particularly from numbers 1-8, which proved simply too much for the Kentish high flyers.
Sitting on the home bench before kick off it was possible to enjoy the Autumn colours with trees of Green, orange, yellow and brown along the borders of the park but when the game started this very pleasant view was forgotten as the action during the entire 80 mins was so spellbinding, not necessarily always for its quality but in pure commitment and effort by both sides.
The game started with the home side knocking on the kick which allowed Cam to regain possession and they promptly set up a series of pick and goes which were saw great D by Park before the ball was swung wide and Dom crashed over in the corner and with Smarty, back from his concussion break, adding the extras with a superb kick the score was 7-0 after just 5 mins.
Cam did not handle the restart too well and we had a period with Park in possession, during which we had the sight of Oyoni being helped off with damaged calf to take no further part in the game. Having been awarded a pen on halfway the kick to touch by Smarty was just too long and the scrum back on halfway gave the home side some ball and some good running aided by some sloppy tackles by the Cam backs saw the home side equalise on 12 mins.
Again the home side managed to knock on the restart and this allowed Cam to build pressure again and they were awarded 2 penalties in the red zone, both of which they opted to kick to touch and this decision was justified when despite the brave defence of Park the pressure eventually told and Voighty crossed for a try on his first game following the end of his sabbatical. Again Smarty added the extras and so at the end of the first quarter the score was 7-14.
The Park restart saw TommyA charging back into the home sides half and again the Cam forwards took on the attack role and with 28 mins played they extended their lead with a penalty by Smarty following a scrum penalty where we saw the home 8 retreating at a rate of knots. The last 10 mins of the half saw a big arm wrestle in the Cam half which was eventually ended when Park kicked a penalty and they could have equalised when an exquisite kick/pass by their 10 was collected by the winger who seemed away until he was hauled down by a fantastic last ditch tackle by veteran TommyA and so at the break the score was 10-17.
Initially we saw the home side appear to be much more up for it and after just a couple of mins they had closed the gap with a penalty but a great scrum on halfway earned the Cam pack another pen which Jayde pushed just wide.
However Cam were soon back in control and as two more scrums saw the home props unable to take the pressure Cam extended their lead with another pen.
Then again Cam showed plenty of early Xmas spirit by not managing the restart yet again, gifting the home side possession, which eventually saw the them cross for an unconverted try making it a 2 point game after 20 mins.
This lack of discipline also cost Cam a yellow card and this truly lifted the home support but the battling seven, who were still clearly dominant at scrum time and also at lineouts, continued to dictate things and despite a few mishaps by their backs they maintained real control and fully deserved the points when yet another aggressive scrum saw Ryan at 8 touch down and with Smarty adding the extras the score moved to 18-27 on 75 mins and with Cam back to 15 while the home side had a player warming the bench the final minutes were played out with little or no strain on the blood pressure of the travelling supporters.
Overall an excellent win, full of guts and determination with the front row of Bazza, TJ and Greg gaining absolute dominance of their opposition while Lurch and Dom, who is improving every time he pulls on a black and amber shirt seemingly, were outstanding and with the backrow of Rich, Ryan and the returning Voighty covering every inch of the park in attack and defence this was an excellent performance by the pack
The backs performance was also a great improvement on the previous game but they still need to up their game further to better support the efforts of their mates in the pack but in truth these are minor comments when the squad have produced such a performance to claim the unbeaten record of the erstwhile league leaders.
As always plenty of work ons in the week but a really great performance which made myself and I'm sure many of the guys in pink very proud to be a member of Camberley RFC.
Next week, after 2 'long haul' away games , we entertain Belsize Park at Watchetts which I am sure will be another first for both clubs.
And Finally – well after such a long pre season we have the start of the Prem next weekend with the C&Ws off to Sale for what is always a difficult game as they start their bid to improve on past seasons 3rd place which is a big ask.