You simply cannot account for London 2 South-West this season! The team at the bottom of the league, with 1 win all season, confound the form by holding the runaway league leaders to a draw; and on the same day here in Bushy Park, in form Cornish are blown away by as good a backs performance as you can wish to see from a side who have won 1 of their last 10 league games on the pitch. However, an explanation as to why this league is so difficult to call can be revealed purely by reviewing the make up of the clubs within it – virtually all are totally amateur, and rely on their best players being available all of the time to perform well. Since by their nature, amateur players have outside interests, this means that from time to time even the top sides have to select weaker sides than they would like to as their best players are not always available. Factor in the occasional injury crisis, and hey presto, a recipe for week on week unpredictability. Such was the case with Cornish, forced into 4 changes in the back line from that successful in recent weeks, and this coupled with a very poor return from their lineouts on the day, gave the hosts the platform they needed to release their talented back division. If you could be dispassionate about it, Teddington’s backs must have been great to watch, but for seasoned Cornish supporters the promise of the last few league performances must have seemed a distant memory – just try being part of the coaching team!

Arriving in good time at their hosts Bushy Park HQ, it was clear that plenty of work would be required for the match to go ahead, a number of large and deep puddles at the clubhouse end of the pitch requiring draining, an odd contrast to the firm surface down each flank. This meant that the centre of the pitch was something of a bog, and the home side used the difference far better than their visitors.

Playing up the slope in the opening half, Cornish were forced into a temporary change on 2 minutes when loosehead Mike Bond suffered a knock that required 15 minutes treatment, Oli Low on in his place. Both sides had lineout problems in these opening minutes, and though Cornish edged the territory, they didn’t come close to scoring. Finally gaining some territory, Teddington won a penalty on 16 minutes but in tough kicking conditions with no sure footing, the central kick slipped well wide. Cornish were the architects of their own downfall 5 minutes later, failing to make touch with a penalty down the right flank, and then not chasing it up allowing the T’s left wing plenty of time to counter. Working the ball into midfield on the Cornish 22, a simple show and go found the retreating visiting d wanting and the home 12 sauntered over under the posts for a converted try. Quickly winning the ball back at the restart, Cornish responded, lock Pete Calvert driving into T’s territory for Conor O’Daly to send Phil Francis away down the right wing, him bundled into touch 5 out. Knocking the ball on at the lineout, T’s then lost the scrum and saw Cornish player coach Tom Sincock send no 8 Simon Brading into space to hand off a tackle and force his way over for an unconverted try. With the game now opening up, T’s were next on the attack and Cornish saw a man binned as a quick tap saw them retreating at pace. Keeping up the pace with a series of quick phases and tap penalties, Teddington worked room wide right for their wing to score, this try also not converted. Hammering away in the closing minutes of the half, the hosts converted a penalty and were worth their 15-5 half time lead.

The exiles were forced into a change at the break, Skipper Dave Theobald suffering from a chest problem that will require further investigation during the week. Low now came on at tight head. His side began the second period at pace, Brading to the fore driving into the home half and winning a penalty, which was kicked to the corner. Though the lineout was again knocked on, the ever powerful Cornish front row of Bond, Tim Homan and Low elicited a penalty. This too was kicked to the corner and after Sincock and O’Daly worked the home d this way and that, the referee finally lost patience with the home d for O’Daly to land a penalty. Frustratingly, Cornish quickly gave back these points and more when they again switched off again as the referee allowed two tap penalties in succession to foster a T’s forward over close to the posts for a converted try, the home side now 22-8 up. The exiles brought on Tim Oakes for Mark Osei-Tutu at this stage, and the former quickly made an impression on the game, bursting away from a scrum taken against the head inside his own half to sprint to the shadows of the posts. Gaining an advantage and producing a series of phases of play inside the T’s 22, the visitors finally fashioned a 1 on 1 for full back Nick Harlock to break the tackle and scorch over for his 8th try in his 9 league appearances to date this season. Though not converted, this was a critical period of play. With an hour gone, Ben Ievers won a lineout just outside his own 22 and with his fellow forwards produced a monster rolling maul that drove play to the T’s 22, whereupon it was felled illegally, but electing to play on Cornish spread the ball wide for Harlock to exchange passes with Tom Dorse and be bundled into touch, but play was called back for offside. Kicking for the corner, the coaching team was aghast to see the T’s 2 jumper win the ball cleanly for the ball to be cleared. On 64 this inability to win lineout ball cost Cornish dear once more, the T’s backs spreading the ball wide and finding no-one home to scoot over wide right for an unconverted bonus point try, effectively settling the match. Cornish withdrew Stefan Duda, bringing on Dave Soar at full back and moving Harlock to the wing. With 10 minutes remaining and the lineout now failing constantly, T’s again pinched one on the exiles 22, and worked a mismatch in midfield for a lumpy forward to bash through two poor tackles to cross under the posts for another converted try. Calvert had suffered a knock earlier in the match and couldn’t shake it off, so back came Osei-Tutu at 6 with Oakes moving in to the row. In the remaining minutes, try as Cornish did, with Brading and Low driving play into the 22 and O’Daly using Iain Short as a battering ram, the visitors worked their way close but the ball was knocked on and the final whistle sounded shortly afterward.

Teddington were rightly ecstatic with their win, and they can be proud of the way they played. They have way too many guns to be embroiled in any type of relegation battle this year and this performance proved the point. Expect these two clubs to face off again next season.

Cornish have a couple of key areas that require surgery. This work can be carried out at training, with numbers increasing as more and more players return from injury. A number of those coming back have played in the last 2 2s matches, and are now pressing for selection. However, for Cornish to really progress in this league, players need to be available for at least 20 of the 22 league games in the season – on current availability, only 1 will make it and he is the one whose commitments outside rugby are probably greater than any, since Mark Osei-Tutu often works til the early hours on match days. Some would do well to learn from that - winning takes sacrifice.