Not a classic but a win nevertheless.

The early morning snow, now thawed, on top of an already saturated pitch with a very strong wind blowing across the ground and a cold win, to boot, made this game between two Hertfordshire sides a lottery at times with players slipping and sliding all round and the ball being difficult to hold and pass. All in all, everything to make 80 minutes last a lifetime. Fortunately, the Hertfordshire Society referee avoided extra time, for injuries, etc., as well as refereeing the line-outs sensibly after both hookers could not throw the ball in straight during the fist half, let alone down the middle of the line.

The game started with aerial ping pong, by both teams, as the ball was kicked from one half to the other, without ever going to ground: had it done so, the defending player would have been left scrambling around in the wet and mud, faced by the onset of marauding opposition forwards and backs, but it was never so. Instead, BE took the ball forward and moved their way up-hill in the first half, only to lose possession through not straight passing and/or dropped balls/players. Royston were equally as guilty. After having most of the territory, in the half, Royston replied with a series of driving moves involving loose forwards and BE had to defend strongly to keep their line intact. All in all, each team nullified the other so it was no score at half time.....and for a long time afterwards, even with BE playing downhill. NIGEL ORAM and CHRIS BLOIMILEY were winning good line-out ball and the home pack managed some powerful loose scrums, with LLOYD MORGAN as ever in the driving seat at the back of the loose scrum.

Every now and then, there was a minor scuffle as players became frustrated with the conditions: from one, HARRY EADE spent ten minutes in the bin but this coincided with the "magic moment" that produced the solitary score: ROBBIE CAMERON-STAFF came off the bench, linked with SANJAY DEWAN on the blind-side and injected pace down the right wing and beat the away defence with ease to score under the posts for GLYN BAYLEY to convert. Instead of pushing on from this, BE kept trying, unsuccessfully, to score again whilst Royston had other sorties into the BE half without any success. With only seven points to defend, BE had to keep their line intact, which they did to gain the win points but there was no bonus to either team until they reached the changing rooms and the comfort of a hot bath/shower. There was one unusual "score" in the second half, when NIGEL EADE's dog pissed on the goal-posts, only the second BE "member" to cross the line after ROBBIE CAMERON-STAFF.

There is no 1st XV game on 28th November: their next League game is away at Old Streetonians on Hackney Mashes in East London at 2 pm on 5th December.

pgy