You just can’t call this league this season – Camberley arrived at the REMPF having recorded a solitary win this season against KCS Old Boys, who last week toppled unbeaten league leaders Sutton & Epsom. With London Cornish apparently in dreadful form, and a very lumpy Cam outfit arriving at the ground in good time on a perfect day for rugby, there was hint that the visitors could back up their double over the exiles last season, but this was the most balanced side Cornish have fielded all season. That all 5 of home sides tries were scored by the backs, resulting in the exiles first try bonus point of the season, says much about the width that fly half Conor O’Daly brings to the game, but it was as much in his organizational ability and general game management that the former Clontarf man brought his influence to bare on this match, his first since returning from an 18 month injury absence. This win, landed by 4 goals, a try and a penalty to a goal, a try and a penalty was the first time Cornish have been able to field one of their 2 first choice 10s this season, Rich McKeown also currently unavailable, resulting in a number of different players sharing the shirt and playing out of position to do so. With the promise of more key players returning to fitness in the near future and the addition of a few new ones in the next week or two, things are finally looking up at LCRFC!

On a dry, blustery day Cornish played away from the scoreboard end in the opening half and O’Daly was straight into the action, launching a huge kick from deep inside his own half to halfway. Within a few minutes his side had a lead they were not to relinquish for the remainder of the match, hooker George Johnson delivering off the top ball won by Tim Oakes to see Tom Jacob feed O’Daly, him putting centre Dave Warwick through a gap on the Cam 22 to draw the full back and send Luke Spells over just to the right of the posts, the latter converting his own score. Camberley had arrived with 2 South-Sea island wings of contrasting size, and allied with a hard hitting 8 and 12 had some real ammo with which to punch holes, but their attack on 8 minutes was ended in the exiles 22 by a steal on the floor by no 8 Mark Osei-Tutu on the first occasion, and by a combination tackle by O’Daly and Osei-Tutu the next. On 18 minutes Cornish extended their lead, Jacob firing the ball to Player of the Year Nick Harlock to link with Robin Heymann wide left, the Cornishman stepping inside and then delivering an exquisite return pass inside to Harlock on his shoulder, sending the full back on a line away from the cover to score to the left of the posts, Spells again on target with the conversion. Cornish were pinged at the restart, and Cam were on the board with their 10 also demonstrating a prodigious boot. Buoyed by their first points, the visitors attacked down the right wing, their vast Tongan wing producing a South-Sea hand off then hammering into the 22 carrying the ball in one hand as if it were a cricket ball. As he hit the deck, his teammates were pinged for going off their feet in support and the chance was gone. Now the home side responded again, Phil Jones into space to link with Oakes to thump into the 22 where the visitors were penalized for not rolling away, Spells lifting his kick between the posts from point blank range. Jones had been injured in the action and was replaced at blind side by Andrew Dinwiddie. In direct contrast with recent weeks, Cornish had a lineout of some calibre in this match, and on 31 Cam were thwarted on their own throw by Cornish lock Pete Calvert, another back in action after some time out. The visiting 10 threaded a series of in behind the exiles backs and also launched a couple of bombs aimed at their huge wing, and though these did gain ground their passing out wide exposed a lack of fluency and a couple flew straight into touch. They were made to pay for their profligacy on 36 minutes, Jacob looping Harlock to send Phil Francis away from half way. A beautifully balanced runner, Francis straightened his line, drew the cover and would have been as surprised as anyone to find O’Daly on his shoulder, the returning 10 showing a clean pair of heals to the cover to cross on the right flank. Spells stepped up and launched a superb kick to stretch the lead out to 24-3. Unused to being so far ahead this season, Cornish nearly self destructed in the remaining minutes of the half, forgetting the tactics that had given them the lead and resorting to a poor form of 7s. The Camberley no 8 needed no second invitation and strode away from the first line defence seemingly all set to score before a withering Harlock tackle cut him down just 6 feet from the try line, the ball knocked on in the act, the whistle for the break going shortly afterward.

The visitors began the 2nd half as they ended the first, and 4 minutes in Cornish lost a man to the bin for a series of red zone offences. Electing to kick to the corner rather than take the points, Cam hammered away in the exiles 22, their 12 a particular handful. With a man down injured plus the man in the bin, the home side simply ran short of numbers for the visiting backs to finally plunge across the tryline for an unconverted score on 48. Prop Mike Bond had manfully struggled through the match with a couple of knocks, but he succumbed on 54 to be replaced by Tim Homan at hooker, Johnson moving to prop and the sin bin reversed. Gradually, as Cornish weathered the storm, O’Daly reasserted control drilling a fine angled grubber kick away from the cover to 5 out. Though winning their own lineout, Cam were pinged for holding on the floor as Chris Anstey once again demonstrated how tough he is to shake off the ball. Skip Dave Theobald electing to kick the ball to the corner. Calvert won the ball and Cornish worked a rolling maul up to and over the line for Osei-Tutu to touch down, only for the referee to be unsighted much to the amusement of a few of the chuckling visitors forwards who had suffered the reverse situation themselves on a few occasions in recent weeks. Not to be deterred, Jacob and Dinwiddie smashed away following the 5 metre scrum into midfield, and when O’Daly hit Spells the centres quick hands sent Harlock clear to score his 4th try in the last 2 matches, this one securing the bonus point though not converted. Once again losing their concentration on 66 minutes, two poor passes put the home side under pressure and when Cornish transgressed again in their 22, they lost another man to the bin. Dave Soar had come on at 10 for O’Daly and he had to defend from the off, but could do nothing on 68 when the Cam left wing wriggled free from a tackle to dive over for a try, which was converted from way out after the attempt slammed into the cross bar and dropped over, the score now 29-15. Any chance of a rest for O’Daly evaporated when it transpired that Haymann had been dazed in a tackle and had to be replaced. Pinching one against the head on 72 minutes, Cornish won a penalty and kicked to 5 out, but were frustrated to knock on at the base of a ruck. With time running out there was time for one last piece of action, a microcosm of the match with O’Daly arrowing a superb crossfield kick from left to right just inside the Camberley half. Unable to prevent it bouncing the visiting wing was horrified to see it bounce sideways straight into the arms of the onrushing Francis, who stepped off his left foot, handed off the cover and scorched over for a well deserved converted try. When the final whistle blew a short time after, Cornish could be well satisfied with their afternoons work.

There is only 1 seasons worth of rugby history between these two clubs who were 11 Levels apart some decade or so ago, but there are already good relationships building both on and of the pitch as there are a few familiar faces in the Camberley line up. They do have some ammo across their side and teams will be unwise to take their results to date at face value. Cornish take a step up on recent performances with this one, and now have a valuable week off to allow a few more players to return to their ranks, a frightening proposition given that all 4 sides fielded full strength squads on the day.