Dignity intact for injury- hit side

Neither the previous week’s hard-fought fixture against Tonbridge Juddians or that day’s subsequent entertainment, the Bavarian Christmas party, or perhaps a combination of both, had somehow taken a heavy toll on the Stags’ herd with six players who had started that game all now unavailable.
So it was that a somewhat more youthful and experimental CS side took the field at Duke’s Meadows in this National Division 3 game against the side that had for quite some time led the way before slipping down to third. It was asking a lot of a number of untried combinations, not least at half-back, and when the interval score showed the visitors already 3-24 to the good, with four tries scored, it was rather like old times for those who can recall the travails of what was then the Civil Service against these opponents in the pre-league days of the seventies and early eighties!
Fortunately, and credit to all involved, the second half was a much more even affair which started with Anthony Hitchcock finding another fine line and ended with hooker Josh Forrester being the man to touch the ball down after a driven line-out. That Combe themselves had been restricted to only the two tries in that second period speaks volumes for the all-round tackling and the determination of this scratch side to make sure they could leave the field with a score-line that was no disgrace. And some of those all too green combinations ( Lavea/ Killeen at 9/10 for example ) were now looking almost tried and tested and indeed both had good games. The CS line-out too has experienced far worse days on its own throw. The Stags had indeed been well beaten but had nothing to be ashamed of.
Next week the Stags travel to Chichester, their first visit ever for a league game there. Then the next home game is the eagerly awaited return derby fixture against Barnes. Kick off on 3rd January for that will be at 1400.

CS 1863 scorers:

Tries:
Hitchcock
Forrester
Con :
Killeen

Pen :
Killeen