1st XV end in fifth place in the League table.

Although BE and OA had nothing but pride to play for in this final match of the season - both teams were guaranteed fifth and fourth places respectively - there was plenty of effort, especially by the BE players without the success some deserved. In the final reckoning, BE lost by four tries to one, a result which pushed OAs eleven points clear of the 1st XV whilst Hackney were twenty-nine points ahead of the 1st XV as Champions.

The game had been postponed from 25th January due to a waterlogged home pitch and twice rearranged: even Saturday's game was switched to London Wasps as the Ealing ground could not cope with rugby, football and cricket on one day. A strong wind blew down the pitch, into BE's faces, in the first half. BE started well but the hosts used the wind to their advantage. MATT HARRIS, MATT NICHOLAS and ALASTAIR MACFARLANE made strong runs, throughout, although all their efforts were lost as the forwards frequently could not retain possession at the breakdowns. In the scrums, MICHAEL MOORE had to play tight-head but performed well, and KIERAN PORTER took several scrums against the head.

After ten minutes, a BE lineout was not tidied up and OAs hacked on into the BE goal area: the ball bobbled and beat two players (one from each side) but a second OA forward dived to score a try. Ten minutes later, soft tackles allowed an OA centre to waltz through for a converted try. Had it remained at 12-0, BE would have been happy at their first half performance but that became 15-0 when a silly penalty was conceded when a forward tackled an opponent illegally.

The second half restart kick failed to go ten metres and this summed up BE's play afterwards, failing to carry out the basics although CHRIS BROMILEY won a lot of lineout ball and LLOYD MORGAN, who almost scored a try in the first half (he lost his shorts in the process), was his usual action man all round the pitch. However, OAs ran well and it looked as if they were on the point of scoring a third try before a scrambed effort pushed the home player into touch but they also lost GLYN BAYLEY with an arm injury. It did not stop OAs scoring from the lineout to effectively secure the win. However, BE gained their reward when another LLOYD MORGAN driven forward maul saw the BE player touch down, only for the conversion attempt to rebound off the posts. There was still time for OAs to score a fourth try.

Despite the result and their final position, Coach BOBBY GRAHAM was pleased with the player's performances and efforts, all season, and very optimistic for the 2014/2015 season. Bring it one !

PGY