Cobham edge Vets

Before we begin a review of this game a moment for the club as a whole to send their best wishes to Mark Greene who had a serious car accident abroad last week. We wish him the best for a speedy recovery and do please let us know if we can help as you begin rehabilitation. We will come and visit you soon!

Also a moment for Will Copley whose premature departure was remembered at the game with a minutes applause. I met Will at my first game for the club which was a tour of Tallin in Estonia in around 2001. He was an exceptional rugby player but my memories were clouded by being forced to wear a toilet seat around my neck for a day, two players who didn't get on being handcuffed to each other on tour and the very odd experience of playing a game of rugby which was in the middle of a horse racing track whilst a meet was happening with hundreds of locals paying no attention to us but lots to the local donkey derby that was going on around us.

So on to the game.....

The phrase "annus horribilis" was used by the Queen in November 1992 to describe a very difficult year in which windsor castle caught fire and a number of royal marriages disintegrated. It is also a phrase frequently used by PA to describe his performance against Cobham last year on a Friday night in which the opposition realising he (and others to be fair) could not see the high ball under floodlights used this tactic to devastating effect. In fact so traumatised was PA that he was unable to face the prospect of a rematch and declared himself unavailable this Saturday.

With a number of other absences including mawson and wally who were clearly worried about the prospect of having to drink a few pints at the team social a somewhat thinner squad (in numbers but not in mass) made themselves available to avenge last years defeat!

Unfortunately the headline Cobham Clobbered will have to wait until next year as they ran out fairly comfortable winners 26 - 17, which also makes a blow by blow account of the match tricky to write. There were a few points of mention however. Our scrum looked very good at times. Big Jim scored a fantastic try from two yards out. Ovy from our 22 put on the afterburners, side stepped the opposition and his own players before dropping the ball over the try line, which was a crucial turning point in the game. Hugh scored another excellent try after some great pressure from the forwards. Kirk was sin binned for fighting and also scored a great try. Matt Ferraby was sin binned for repeating to the referee Dylan Hartley's exact words to Wayne Barnes in the premiership final a few years ago hence the title to the match report. But the key moment belongs to Karl aka Shaquille O'Neal who from the kick off jumped to claim the ball and smacked it forward. Both sides stopped with some players laughing harder than others only for the referee who remained unsighted (this was a common problem during this game) waving play on and saying advantage Quinns. Man of match was Big Jim. Next week is Barnes and then Esher so declare yourselves available!