London Cornish maintained their challenge for a first ever top 4 finish in London 2 South-West by landing a bonus point win over Twickenham on a drama filled afternoon at the REMPF, and following a match that lasted over 2 ½ hours! The scoreline finally saw Cornish landing the spoils by 2 goals and 2 tries to a goal, 2 penalties and a drop goal, as the exiles rallied from a 5-6 half time deficit to move 5 points clear in 4th spot, the win founded on the juggernaut that is the exiles front V.

Cornish played the entire match with only 17 players, as for the first and I hope only time in your correspondents tenure, a player failed to appear and provided no explanation for his going awol. However, with the return of Simon Brading at no 8 in place of the injured Mark Osei-Tutu, a recall at loosehead for the ever reliable veteran Greg Quixley, the return of Iain Short at inside centre, and John Barker in at 10, the side had plenty of quality cover through the spine of the team as long as injuries didn’t play a part in exacerbating the lack of the extra man.

The visitors arrived having lost 7 or their last 8 league matches since Christmas, following a wretched run of injuries of their own, and they were further hindered by the news that they had just been docked 5 points for fielding an ineligible player, the upshot of which meant that the Middlesex side could yet be dragged into an unlikely late season relegation battle. With the ravages of the Rosslyn Park 7s still apparent on the outfield at the Richardson Evans, the pitch was firm but in remarkably good condition, the weather suddenly far cooler than in recent weeks.

Cornish played away from the clubhouse in the opening half, and in the opening minute provided a key microcosm of the entire match when, having knocked on the kick off, they drove their visitors clean off their own put in at the scrum and won a penalty to clear their lines. This penalty did not make touch however, and as Twickenham worked it to their right wing, he chipped and chased on halfway, only to find that he had launched the ball straight into the arms of the rampaging Surrey County lock Pete Calvert. Calvert, who was to go on to have his best ball carrying game of the season, stepped the lad who got his head in an awful position in the tackle, and then as he fell slammed his head into the rock hard pitch. With immediate concern in the gestures of all around him, the match was halted, ambulances called and the match delayed for just short of an hour as the player drifted in and out of consciousness. All at LCRFC wish him well, and hope that we will hear he has made a full recovery in the very near future. After such a long break, it was forgivable that both sides should be a little cold, as understandably no clarity could be given on when the game would restart, and neither side could be sure for how long to warm up again. When the game did restart, Brading and Calvert were straight into the action, driving their side into Ts territory where a couple of penalties were won, but on both occasions having kicked the ball deep into the visiting half, the ball was knocked on. Under huge pressure in the tight, the Twickenham back row performed admirably all afternoon, and on 10 minutes drove their side upfield from a retreating scrum to clear their lines after constant Cornish pressure. Two minutes later they had a precious lead, Cornish pinged for holding on smack in front of their posts after another knock on in midfield, the visiting 10 making his kick count. Neither side were able to dominate for a period now, Cornish dominant in the tight but taking a series of wrong options to make life harder for themselves. On 16 minutes, following another Brading break was worked to Alex Soskin and on to wing Stuart Bell, Twickenham were caught offside bang in front on their own 22, but a rash decision to take a quick kick to the corner saw the ball fly way over the dead ball line for the chance to be lost. This particular pitch at the REMPF has very small in goal areas and there is little room for error from such tactics! Within 4 minutes Ts compounded the felony by adding a penalty of their own as Cornish were caught offside in midfield on their 22. Twickenham sensed their chance to stretch clear, a clean line break on half way seeing them create a 3 on 1 only for the final pass to be knocked on with the line at their mercy. On 27 minutes Cornish won a penalty and full back Liam McConnell kicked it deep into the Ts 22 down the right hand side. Calvert claimed the lineout and the juggernaut was launched, driving the red and black shirts over their line so quickly hooker George Johnson took a moment to realize he was well over the line, slamming the ball down for the try, the conversion in a stiffening breeze drifting right of the posts. The momentum was now truly with Cornish, but following a great passage of play from Twickenham on 31, they offloaded straight into the grateful arms of Johnson, the ball worked to Tom Jacob to clear. With Barker working options off Short and fellow centre Luke Spells, Cornish tested the Ts d for fully 5 minutes but could not breach the gainline. Ts responded with another clean line break, but once again were foiled by the retreating Johnson, him demonstrating all of the attributes of the open side position in which he sometimes plays. In the last few remaining minutes of the half, Twickenham twice won penalties that they elected to kick from distance, once from wide right that missed left, and another effort from inside their own half into the wind that nearly failed to make the 22 and in doing so caused such havoc it nearly worked for them before being cleared for the whistle at the break, the home side a point down at 5-6.

From the off at the start of the second half, Cornish upped the tempo, Spells often the creator of the line breaks, but wrong options were taken when in good positions, criminally considering the respective scrums, this included a hurried penalty kick to touch 5 metres out for a lineout subsequently lost! What was required was a little inspiration, a moment of magic to crack open the visitors d again. On 47 minutes, the watching home VP’s got it. Soskin stole the ball on the floor from a retreating Ts scrum and worked the ball to left wing Phil Francis outside the Twickenham 22 left side. Stepping infield, the ex Syston man embarked on a coruscating run, powering his way through the first line defence, sprinting through a gap, and then reaching out to plant the ball over the line for a superb finish just as a last gasp despairing tackle had floored him just short. Spells stepped up to lift his conversion between the posts and now the exiles were 6 points ahead. Cornish once again butchered the restart, and following a couple of rucks play was again stopped for a period when open side Chris Turner badly injured an ankle and had to be carried from the field, Matt Pollard on at hooker and Johnson moving into the back row. This actually served to galvanise Cornish, for now Andrew Preston began pinching ball on the floor, a high tackle ending a promising foray on 52 when Spells and Bell had linked down the right wing. With Cornish now utterly dominant in the tight, it can only be that the referee thought it unfair when he awarded the visitors a penalty on 55 at a scrum, but when Ts kicked to the corner and twice tried to set a rolling maul, they were foiled by a great steal on the floor by Pollard, enjoying his recent promotion straight from the all conquering Choughs team. When Jacob cleared the ball some distance infield, few watching would have bet on the monster drop goal that followed, the 3 points reducing the arrears to 3. Spells however, was an increasing influence on the game, as he has been on all of the exiles recent matches, and on 61 he again pierced the Ts defence and chipped a beautifully weighted kick just short of the visitors try line, where their full back was scragged. Though winning the ruck, in the panic the ball was spun to a player standing behind the dead ball line for an exiles scrum V. Cornish have repeatedly demonstrated arguably the strongest scrummage in the division and with Skipper Dave Theobald a wrecking ball in these situations, they drove their visitors over their line only for the oppo front row to all stand up and pull away, the referee having little choice but to award the penalty try, converted by Spells. Francis was laboring from a knock at this point and was replaced by Devonian Tom Dorse. Twickenham too had suffered a couple of injuries and on 65 minutes they moved to the unsatisfactory uncontested scrums and went down to 14. The visitors were beginning to lose the battle on the floor, Preston and Johnson a constant thorn, stealing ball inside the home 22 when Ts had good field position on 69. When the home side changed tactics to try and use the wind at their backs on 70, they chipped the ball straight to McConnell arriving at pace in front of the home support. He drove a beautiful grubber down the left tramline, where the covering Ts defender had little option but to run it out. Twice Cornish set the maul, winning a penalty on the first occasion, and then Johnson hitting Preston on the second after the ball had been kicked back to the same corner. With the sweet smell of bonus point territory in the air, the exiles were not to be denied, inexorably taking the maul up to and then over the line, Quixley the ecstatic man at the bottom of the pile scoring his first try for the club for over 5 years just a short time after he and his wife had celebrated the birth of their first child! Suffering from blisters throughout the second half and unable to come off due to the lack of the third replacement, there was surprise and delight across the board for this popular Cornish stalwart, the conversion sliding wide but the score now out to 24-9. The remaining minutes of the match saw both sides beginning to struggle with the fact that they had been on the go for some time, and Ts began to play 7s in an effort to prevent Cornish being able to stifle their game at the breakdown. With the final play called, the visiting 9 managed to elude a tackle and arc his run just out of the grasps of the cover to cross for a converted try, the conversion the last act of the match.

Twickenham are understandably nervous about the points deduction bringing them within the clutches of their near neighbours Teddington. However, the latter will need to win their outstanding match against Guildford on Easter Saturday, and possibly with a bonus point, to ensure the relegation battle goes down to the last weekend, so a larger than normal crowd may be expected at that one! We wish Twickenham well because the two clubs have built up a strong relationship off the pitch.

Cornish have now won 3 on the bounce in the division for the first time this season to continue their gradual rise from the bottom place they occupied after a few matches of the season, 4th place the highest they have been. The side has never won 4 on the bounce in their 5 seasons at this level, but should they achieve it a coveted top 4 finish is theirs!

Many of the promotion and relegation issues have been settled now, and we must congratulate Gosport & Fareham on their title, though we will miss both the trip and their club next season. Wimbledon will surely follow, though their play-off opponents are as yet unknown, the two sides well clear of the rest in this tough division this season. Down into the division come Sutton & Epsom, and possibly one of Portsmouth or Trojans, though Haywards Heath and even Dover could yet cloud the issue as the former two sides are battling hard. If the Dons win the play off and Heath or Dover get sucked in, then whichever of the latter was relegated would head to 2 SE and Warlingham would transfer to 2 SW. If the Dons lose the play off and either Portsmouth or Trojans come down, 1 side will be level transferred to 2 SE. Portsmouth v Dover on April 21st could yet be vital, but Dons, please don’t lose the play off!! Coming up will be our pre season opponents Old Alleynians, who demonstrated then that they are a capable side, and possibly our great friends at KCS Old Boys, who have timed their run to perfection following a very strange capitulation by another of our great opponents Old Wellingtonians, the latter having appeared in the box seat until Saturday. We watch on with interest!