The afternoon was the culmination of a season’s hard work by players, coaching staff, and volunteers. We faced Marlborough in the second-to-last game of the season. Win this one, and we will be promoted back to the National leagues.
Our opponents are sitting second from the bottom of the league, so even the most pessimistic of people could not make a decent case for us being beaten.
On a sunny but with a chill and stiff breeze at times, the referee blew to start the game.
Against all on the written script, they scored inside two minutes, they kicked off to us, we took it and long kicked for touch, they took the lineout and ran back at us, they did something wrong and the referee blew for a scrum to us, we won that and ran back at them, it was looking good but then they stole the ball and quickly put it to the right wing, he ran then chipped, luckily for him it bounced an inch or so from the side line and stayed in play he fly hacked it towards the post and won the race for it to touch down, the conversion was a wind assisted miss and we were 0~5 down.
On ten minutes, we won a lineout on the clubhouse side, took it and with a beautifully formed maul raced over the line for the score. I think hooker Rob Walsh scored it; the conversion attempt was just wide of the far post. 5~5.
On fourteen minutes, they had a player yellow-carded.
From that we went for a five-yard lineout and repeated the previous score, with Rob Walsh scoring again, but this time by the turnstiles; the Sam Brown conversion went over. 12~5 after sixteen minutes. Then from the restart, Mat Gregory took it on, then down the line and a Sam Brown kick for touch, Nathan Todd stole their lineout, and we mauled again for the line, with Ollie Symons, I think, the scorer, the Sam Brown conversion went over and we were 19~5 up.
From the restart, just about, George Pooley took it on, then Shaun Crawford took it on, then back again to left wing, where Nathan Todd took the final pass for a twenty-yard run on to score, George Pooley took exception to something a defender had done to Nathan, and a brief dust-up started. I think Sam Brown, when kicking, slipped at the vital moment because he cursed and the kick hardly rose above five feet as it crossed the line. 24~5.
Then a try to Tom Davies, George Pooley had a decent run down the left wing, tackled the ball, and went inside to Tom Davies via scrum half Ben Whysall who with two silky sidesteps slipped smoothly through the defenders to score. The Sam Brown conversion went over and we were 31~5 up after twenty-six minutes.
From the restart we ran at them, Shaun Crawford attacking down the middle, then to Nathan Todd, who gave it to Olli Symonds to run in, “Touch it down” came the cry, which he did out wide by the drive in entrance. The conversion missed. 36~5.
A couple of minutes later they won an easy penalty in front of the posts that was kicked with ease. 36~8.
Minutes later we attacked, George Pooley down the middle again, then Tom Davies, then to Liam Jarvis, who with the ball safely held in two hands to his chest and with a defender wrapped around him, flopped over the line. The Sam Brown conversion went over. 43~8.
Then a reversal in our fortunes, we were attacking from the restart, it was stopped, then started again and to the backs, then one of those passes where the moving ball is flipped one-handed to the next person fell short, their scrum half was on it and from the ten yard line ran in under the crossbar. The conversion went over. 43~15.
That was it at half-time,
They just had the edge in the scrums; sometimes we nudged the back and sometimes they pushed us badly.

The second half did not start well for us; we were clearly playing well and scoring with ease, their heads had been down, but their last score had lifted their spirits with the sniff of a bonus point. We had briefly relaxed and assumed it was going to be more of the same.
Again, they scored right at the start of the half. They attacked down the stand side, then into the middle. The final pass was a little ahead of the try scorer; he had to do three or four neat juggles with the ball on the tips of his fingers before taking it and scoring behind the posts. The conversion went over. 22~43.
A scrum in our half to them, they pushed us back seriously, and the No8, though he had twelve on his shirt came off, one defender was handed off, he got near to the corner flag with a defender trying to push him into touch, and another defender arrived to help, but he scored in a heap rolling over the corner flag. The referee was close enough to see it was a fair try.
“Thirty-five seconds” said the referee to their kicker, but it missed. 43~27.
Fortunately, we pulled ourselves together and scored. Minutes earlier, we nearly scored on the standees school end, then we did score, they kicked out, we ran back at them, they infringed, Ben Whysall did a quick tap and sent it to the stand side, where we ran it in with George Pooley on the end of the move, diving in at the corner flag. Richard Goldsby West’s conversion from out wide just missed. 48~27 after ten minutes of the half.
Then by the scoreboard, another catch and drive with James McFarlane, the scorer.
They can’t compete with our mauls. 53~27.
Then Tom Davies scored again, going through the middle after they box kicked away. Ben Whysall took a high ball really well, saw Tom on his side, a nicely weighted pass to Tom, who had to beat quite a few defenders to score. 58~27.
Then they scored from a tap penalty by the drive in entrance, their forwards went for the line a number of times and eventually the No8 went over, Tom Davies tried to stop him, and by the look on his face thought he had rolled him over the prevent to the score,
the conversion missed. 58~32.
Then the final score of the game, Richard Goldsby-West kicked for the line, two of their defenders went to save the ball but ran into each other, Nathan Todd, following up, followed the ball over the line and fell on it to score. Matt Gregory opted to take the kick, and over it went for two more points.
65~32.
Credit to Marlborough for sticking to it and taking their chances and collecting a bonus point for their efforts.
In the end, an easy enough win; we probably allowed them to get their bonus point by a lapse of attention at the start of the second half, and as a result, probably should have scored a couple more ourselves.
In the end it didn’t matter, great joy to the players and supporters who spilled on to he pitch, a garden trug with some bottles of something fizzy in it was soon emptied and sprayed all over each other, Pickles came with his usual red and blue smoke flares to add to the colour and moment, we had the promotion to the National leagues again, the last game, to Sidmouth, should be a relaxed and fun one.
Matt Gregory was the man of the match. A short speech told everyone that he was standing down from playing first team rugby next season after many years of service, from starting in the youth and moving up.
Kieran Leach was presented with a club shirt in a frame and warmly thanked for his work for the club. He is standing down from being first team manager after a number of years in the job and previously as a player.

Kieran below, many years ago.

We look forward to next season.

The Firsts.
1. Oli Symons. Greenlight Safety Consultants Ltd.
2. Rob Walsh. NESC Ltd.
3. James McFarlane. Armada Social Work Services
4. Matt Gregory (c). HSK Building Services.
5. Mike Rickard. Pon Nic properties.
6. Nathan Todd. We remember submariners.
7. Liam Jarvis. Steel Brew
8. Bertie Fordham. Accurocare, lifestyle choices.
9. Ben Whysall
10. Sam Brown. Eden Clinic.
11. George Pooley.
12. Dan Lilley. We remember submariners.
13. Shaun Crawford. Plym Pat Testing.
14. Tom Davies. Pantheon Plymouth
15. Charlie Groves. Journeaux accountancy
16. Henry Gascoyne.
17. Josh Martin. JML Bricklaying
18. Richard Goldsby-West (c). Smashland Burgers.

The Management
Ben Russell.
Aiden Taylor.