OAs vs Old Caterhamians
(9th February 2008)

Old Caterhamians RFC 0 (0)

Old Alleynians FC 11 (6) [T: Mahoney; P: Docherty (2)]

Old Alleynians bounced back from their previous weekend’s defeat with a solid performance away at Old Cats on Saturday to complete the season double. Opting to play against the slight breeze and slope in the first half, in otherwise perfect conditions, Old Alleynians controlled much of the half with the set piece functioning well and their defence on top.

The indiscipline of the Old Caterhamians side, a consistent feature of the match, meant penalties were regularly awarded in Old Alleynians favour. The set piece performed well throughout the half and provided the platform for a number of half breaks. Old Alleynians came away with points on their visits into the Old Caterhamians half with two penalties allowing them to establish a 6-0 interval lead.

Old Caterhamians spurned their only kick at goal when an ambitious long range attempt was both wide and well short. Their only try scoring chance was prevented by strong defence from Ayres and Foster who prevented the try and then the resulting scrum was turned over allowing Old Alleynians to escape

The second half was a tight affair on the scoreboard with Old Alleynians struggling to make their possession and territorial domination count. A number of half chances went amiss but the defence was resolute. Mahoney extended the lead to 11-0 when he picked up a loose ball from a retreating Old Caterhamians scrum and sprinted in from 25m evading the covering defence.

A number of dominant rolling mauls kept Old Cats on the back foot but no further points were able to be added. Old Cats missed a further penalty to reduce the arrears on one of their only visits to the Old Alleynian half before the game petered out.

Old Alleynians look forward to the visit of Kingston this Saturday, 2.30pm kick off, in what promises to be a great match up against the top two teams in the league and a must-win game for Old Alleynians if they are to catch the league leaders.

Team: Woodford, Franklin, Wisson, Juuko, Hood, Mahoney, Hartley, Wright, Kent, Docherty, Mead, Rutteman, Sandars, Foster, Ayres.

Subs: Jaanimagi, Beaumont.