Played under floodlights on the Keyham pitch, this game turned out to be a really good one, fast and with lots of enthusiasm from both teams.
When I arrived things did not look good for us, the Navy seemed to have a huge number of players and officials all smartly kitted out, there were lots of players vigorously and noisily warming up, officials on the sidelines organising water bottles, physio, match balls, checking stop watches, clip boards and sharpening pencils.
I jest somewhat but they did look very efficient compared with our normal scene where one person is doing everything even if you have a one person.
At the other end our players were warming up in an assortment of colours and looking slightly more casual about it.
Being the Navy’s home game they came with a equally smart looking team of three all of them ‘Commed up’. I have to say having two wired up linesmen, or may be I should say lines-persons, may be not, linesmen really does help the referee run a smooth game.

The game started and my worst fears surfaced, the Navy put over a penalty while some of our players were still making sure their boot laces were tied in a double knot. 3~0.
Before we had time to get our breath back from the restart the Navy attacked and inside the first five minuted had run in an easy try close to the posts on the Bijou club house end. The conversion confidently sailed over and we were 10 ~ 0 down.
“This is going to be a long evening for us” I thought.
Not a bit of it, we sparked in to life and started to play really well both defending stoutly and when we got the ball taking it to them in a purposeful way.
On eleven minutes we got on the scoreboard with a chip and chase with winger Louis Ogilvie showing great pace and outstripping the defence to score under the crossbar to give Dino Bôsić an easy conversion. 10~7.
Four minutes later the Navy scored their second try, a kick through that I thought, from the far side, we had fielded ok over the try line, apparently not because the Navy won a scrum five meters out. Their forwards attacked our line maybe four times but were held them at bay so they zipped the ball along the line for the left wing to score on the roadside corner. 15-7.
The next quarter of an hour was even with both teams attacking and defending with equal vigour but on the half hour the Navy broke the deadlock with a try. We were attacking and made a rather loose kick high and forward, it shot more sideways than forward only gaining about five feet, we caught it under pressure and were robbed on the ball and their right wing raced down the sideline to score in the corner. The conversion from out wide went over. 22~7.
At this point the Navy looked like running amok with the scoreboard but on thirty-six minutes we won a penalty right in front of the posts and halfway in from their twenty-two. I though we might have gone for the three points but no they went for the lineout, the throw in was good and we took it, came down and the maul was formed and it sped off towards the Navy try line as fast as any I have seen this season and over for Bryan Milford to claim the try. The conversion was missed. 22~12.
So it remained till half time.
So far the Navy pack was just on top in the set piece but not enough to make any real difference, in the few mauls that had taken place we looked to be the better. The lineouts were even.

The second half started with a Navy try on six minutes. We had two scrums about fifteen feet out from our line at which they were pushing us quite seriously, the first one was reset and from the second Mark Friend came off the back and made good ground away, in someway they got hold off the ball and ran it up and down the three quarters a few times looking for gaps in the defence, not finding one the forwards had a crack at it and after four attempts to score eventually squeezing over under the cross bar. The conversion was a forgone conclusion. 29~12.
On twelve minutes we had a repeat of our earlier success at a catch and drive from a penalty and a lineout. Same speed, same result this time Simon Jones was the scorer. Dino added the conversion. 29~19.
On twenty-five minutes we seemed to get on top of the scrums and pushed them around somewhat. But from a scrum on twenty nine minutes in their twenty-two where they were under pressure again they managed to get the ball away, one of the players saw a gap and shot through it like a cat with his tail on fire and made it all the way down the pitch, he was half tackled just outside our twenty-two but broke free and ran in to score. The conversion was a simple one. 36 ~19.
Shortly afterwards they scored their last try from a scrum about ten feet out, they attacked a couple of times then went for the line, one player slid over as he was tackled, the ball was lost forward but then ended up going back over the line for one of their players to pick up and go a couple of feet to score, to be fair to the ref I think he was unsighted but there we are, the conversion went over. 43~19.
Right at the end we put in a real effort and got down in to their twenty-two but were unable to capitalise on our position before they got hold of the ball and kicked it into touch.
The referee blew for full time.

Scorers. Tries. Louis Ogilvie, Bryan Milford, Simon Jones.
Conversions. Dino Bôsić (2).

The Team.
Bryan Milford.
Finn Salter.
Struan Main.
Sean Pearson.
Simon Jones.
Joe Castle.
Jack Parker.
Mark Friend.
Dino Bôsić.
Tim Weale.
Louis Ogilvie.
Tommy Pullinger.
Joe Martin.
Keane Whittaker.
Oli Dymond.
Herbie Owen.
Sam Carr.
Tony Polo.
Aiden Finch.
Jonjo Kelly.
Alex Hanson.