Seasoned supporters of LCRFC (both of them), will know that in every season the club has been promoted in this steady and as yet unbroken climb from the depths of the Surrey leagues, the team has been handed a bit of thumping or two to stop them getting ahead of themselves in the next level up. So it proved on this occasion, though perhaps not by as many as some may have predicted, as visitors Havant set about putting right last seasons last gasp displacement from a possible promotion spot against a Cornish team bereft of many regulars, and key men in last terms unbeaten season. The Hampshire side were well worth their win, and time will probably tell that this was a tough assignment first up for the exiles in this first ever season at Level 6, whatever side they had fielded.
On a great surface and with the best match day programme in the league on show (putting it out there on day 1 is a bit ballsy - ed), both sides played in their change strips in a vain attempt to catch the referee out (if he's reading this and wants his travel expenses, please contact the DoR, as it took us so long to work the wretched online result reporting thing, he had gone by the time we had finished, and so had the bloody pasties (not connected!)). Havant dominated early territory, and deserved their converted score on 8 minutes after Cornish had coughed up the ball. Gradually finding their feet in the game, and helped by a dominant display in the tight that earned tight head Dave Theobald an MoM award from Havant post match (sterling work here too from the stand in lock pairing of Steve Wood and veteran Pete Calvert), the exiles chipped away at the lead with 2 penalties from new Skip George Kimmins on 15 and 18 minutes. However, early warnings about loose kicks and forwards caught out wide weren't heeded, and with their dimunitive fly half seemingly happy to run everything from everywhere, the Hants side scored a further converted try wide right on 23 minutes, though the scorer clearly ran a good foot over the dead ball line before planting the ball down! Despite playing with decent tempo at times with scrummie Rich Stephens a constant threat, errors crept into the Cornish play, betraying a lack of match sharpness in some players, and seeing good field position lost too easily with good ball kicked away. The profligacy was punished again on the stroke of half time as a Havant forward crashed over near the posts, the visitors good value for their 21-6 half-time lead.
Replacing Matt Hakes at 6 with Nick Goss, Cornish began the 2nd period with far more purpose, and a great passage of play saw Kimmins link with debutant Dan Phoenix to send wing Chris Kolapo-Ajala over for an unconverted try. Havant nudged over a penalty 3 minutes later to extend his sides lead to 13 points, but Cornish now enjoyed their best passage of play, runs by another debutant Andy Hill, prop Mark O'Leary and stand in no 8 James La Broy driving play to the Havant 22. Winning a series of penalties in the shadow of the posts, Cornish elected for scrums on each occasion, until finally one of the home front row was binned for repeated infringements. With the lingering threat of a penalty try looming large on 52 minutes, La Broy took matters into his own hands to pick up, twist out of a tackle and crash over under the posts for a try converted by Kimmins. Crucially, the home side gifted a penalty straight back to Havant, the 6 point arrears now out to 9, and worse was to follow a few minutes later. Cornish fought their way down to the same spot in the shadow of the visitors posts, hooker Jake Slade twice involved (and despite the new laws, he still managed to pinch ball against the head!), and once again won a penalty at which they elected for the scrum. As they drove the 7 man oppo pack back, they somehow managed to kick the ball to the feet of the Havant no 8 - needing no second invitation, he charged upfield, and with the rearguard not having anticipated the outcome at the scrum, it only took a couple of phases for Havant to cross for the crucial converted score. This seemed to take the wind out of the exiles sails, and the Hants side added a fifth try on 65 minutes, following another turnover, this one unconverted. With 5 minutes remaining, Kolapo-Ajala did what he had threatened to do on a couple of occasions earlier in the match, fielding a relatively aimless clearing kick before running past the entire Havant side before scoring under the posts, Kimmins taking the score out to 25-39. With a chance of not 1 but 2 bonus points, the exiles can be forgiven conceding the final score, as they passed the ball this way and that in their own 22 to try and make space, only to cough the ball up and see the Chewy-like oppo lock given the opportunity to fall across the line wide right for the last open play action of the match, the conversion attempt going wide.
Havant are very open about their ambition this season - they want to win the league. They were clinical in their win, brought the most support any side has ever done in a regular league game at LCRFC, and were gracious and decent company post match - Cornish hope to bring their 1s and 2s to Hooks Lane at the seasons end, which should be a good day out.
This time last season, Cornish edged to a nervy home win against Twickenham, and there were a few more close run things before they became the largest margin winners of London 2 South-West in its history. Training once a week means those that didnt play in the pre seasons looked understandably rusty, but with game time under their belts and a host of players to join and return to the fold in the coming weeks, the shape and balance of the team will come. This defeat will have only whetted the appetite!