A mystifying second half performance saw London Cornish leave Old Reigatians Park Lane HQ pointless on Saturday, their hosts deserving their win for having taken their chances when they had them and making the better key decisions on the day. Reigatians apparently count Cornish as one of their bogey sides, so will have been delighted to have landed this match by a goal, a try and 4 penalties to a try and two penalties. Of further concern to Cornish will be the two season ending injuries that befell 2 key players during the match, hooker Will Carew-Gibbs and centre Ian Keith both requiring hospital treatment for possible broken bones in an ankle and an arm respectively.

The exiles were forced into only one change from the previous weeks win, but it was a significant one with that games MoM Mark Osei-Tutu working abroad. Charlie Wapshott was the beneficiary and he came in at 7 so George Johnson could move to 6. The bench saw recalls for Phil Ridsdale and Tom Burns after illness and injury, and the first sight of back row Chris Alder after 4 months out with a shoulder injury. The torrential recent rain had forced the postponement of the exiles home matches and floods on the A3 right by the REMPF, so it was little surprise to find the Reigatians home pitch holding plenty of standing water down the building site side. With both coaches and teams keen to play, the referee was happy to start and see how the game progressed. As it turned out, the pitch played perfectly well, though not one on which the quick exiles back 3 of Robin Heymann, Tom Dorse and Nick Harlock were likely to get much joy.

Cornish played away from the car park in the opening period, rain continuing to fall in the early part of the game. It ill behoves a side to set the tone of the match so badly in the opening minute, but Cornish did exactly that with the very first play, first body checking a clearing kicker, and then giving backchat to the referee, resulting in the penalty being marched to within kickable distance. The home 10 needed no second invitation, and he gave his side the lead. When the players headed back for the restart, the prostrate body of Carew-Gibbs was visible in the home half, clearing in agony after his studs had caught in the ground as his weight moved forward in a tackle. Within one play it was clear he could not continue, Ridsdale on at 6 and Johnson moving to his preferred position as hooker. Cornish used the rolling maul expertly at the first lineout, but in a match littered with far too many penalties and with far too many stoppages for any kind of fluency or pattern to emerge, the home side were pinged for going off their feet. With territorial advantage in the opening exchanges, the visitors levelled the match on 10 minutes with a penalty of their own by Rich McKeown. 8 minutes later and the same player gave Cornish the lead after the home 10 was pinged for holding just outside the 10 metre line, this kick a fine one from the left hand side. In the next attack, Keith was injured an required treatment to his arm, but he continued to the end of the match, a brave move if it proves indeed that his arm was broken at that point. His centre partner Graeme Smeaton also did some damage at this stage, but this was to a Reigatians player after a trademark hammering tackle took the man as he received the ball, him too requiring treatment. On 20 minutes the home side were back level after another penalty was punished from the 10 metre line. Though at first the exiles front row of Mike Bond, Johnson and Skipper Dave Theobald were able to put pressure on their opposite numbers, the game in the tight became more even, especially once if became clear that both sides could wheel with impunity. The game became increasingly scrappy, punctuated by far too many breaks as both sides struggled to adapt to the referees interpretations of the laws. Though Johnson and Wapshott were winning a series of turnovers on the floor, so were their opposite numbers as neither side could gain a foothold in their oppo’s 22 for long. On 34 minutes Reigatians won another kickable penalty and this too was converted to give them a lead they did not lose in the match again. It was to some relief that when a further kickable pen was won on 38 minutes, the home side kicked to the corner, but few sides have managed to march Cornish over their line from a maul this season, and when repelled Ors went wide and then knocked on for the ball to be cleared from the resultant scrum. Though 3 points down at the break, the visitors were happy enough that they could turn the game around.

Once again, the exiles gave up a kickable penalty early on at the start of half, and once again the home side kicked to the corner. This time their hooker threw in crookedly and once again the effort came to nought. ORs now had a 5 minute spell of domination but could not break through round the fringes as Andrew McEwen, Johnson and Wapshott repeatedly held them at bay. On 47 minutes Nick Harlock joined an exiles attack down the right flank and weaved infield into the home 22. At the ruck ORs were pinged but the referee spotted retaliation and reversed the call, deciding that both players involved should spend 10 minutes in the bin., a move that would result in uncontested scrums since the visitors player was a front row. With 57 on the clock a pivotal moment in the match saw Cornish switch off as they conceded yet another penalty inside the home 22 for going off their feet at a ruck. A quick tap, a kick and two fly hacks later and they were under their posts, a passage of play so predictable in wet weather, the conversion good and the score now 6-16. Gradually, and with Harlock and scrum half Dave Madigan to the fore, Cornish began to find some daylight down the right flank. A series of attacks were repelled until McKeown linked with McEwen to drive to the shadow of the posts. Johnson drove on but to intense frustration the pop pass was knocked on right by the uprights. With just 10 minutes left Cornish replaced Dorse with Burns and gained instant reward. Controlling a scrum on half way, McEwen sent Madigan on his way. His arcing run gave Harlock a chance to weave inside his man and put Burns into a 1 on 1 with his opposite man. Electing to use the Samooan sidestep, Burns smashed through his man and crashed across the line for the try wide right. The conversion was driven low and dipped just underneath the bar, but the deficit was now down to 5 at 11-16. Once again Cornish shot themselves in the foot at the restart, a penalty immediately conceded for not rolling away. The home kicker is a decent all round footballer and again divided the uprights to put his side out of 1 scores reach at 11-19. A final change saw Alder on for Wapshott, and he quickly demonstrated that his shoulder is mended, smashing into a couple of tackles. However, the final nail in the exiles coffin saw them them take a quick throw in from deep inside their own half when they had the opportunity to have one just outside the OR 22, then get turned over to concede territory. Repeated phases of play saw the home left wing get a free run to the line to score, the conversion drifting wide. The whistle went on a disappointing match two minutes later.

Reigatians are a young side with a few steady heads at the helm. Another in a string of capable sides at this level, their return to the division has only enhanced it. Cornish will need to take stock of the medical bulletins during the week before continuing on a season with plenty still in it for them – never placed higher than 5th in the division and still with the Cup on which to focus, it is up to the players to decide how far they want to take it from here.

LCRFC – Nick Harlock, Tom Dorse (Tom Burns), Graeme Smeaton, Ian Keith, Robin Heymann, Rich McKeown, Dave Madigan, Andrew McEwen, Charlie Wapshott (Chris Alder), George Johnson, Ed Nimmons, Pete Calvert, Dave Theobald, Will Carew-Gibbs (Phil Ridsdale), Mike Bond.