Due to injuries and availability the Dragons were down to the bare 13 and no subs. Heavy rain all morning and a mini festival being played on the pitch meant it was a very boggy affair. With it still raining at kick off, the wind getting stronger and the pitch conditions it was going to be tough going for both sides.
 
Elmbridge caught the Dragons napping at the start of the game regaining possession from the short kick off and testing the Dragons defence right from the start. The Dragons bravely held out for the first ten minutes and turned over the ball on a number of occasions but never really gained the yards to put Elmbridge under any real pressure themselves. A series of quick plays followed by quick hands to the wing saw Elmbridge open the scoring with an uncoverted try in the corner. A second try mirroring the first followed just before half time gave the home side an 8 – 0 lead.
 
Up the slope in the second half and with the harsh conditions sapping energy the worry was Elmbridge would run away with the game, but the Dragons dug in and had a much better half. A good kick off chase followed by a great defensive set saw the Dragons attacking the Elmbridge goal line and but the good defence and a poor final pass the Dragons would have scored. Both sides cancelled each other out for a period before an unfortunate slip from the Dragons winger following a kick on the 5th tackle from Elmbridge, allowed the chasing player to pick up the loose ball and sprint away to score under the posts for a converted try. The final score for the home side came right at the end of the match scored out wide after great hands but only after the Dragons had defended bravely on their goal line for a complete set. The final score being 18 – 0 win for Elmbridge.
 
The Dragons battled well but were convincingly beaten by a side that played the elements better and were just that bit quicker in defence and attack. On the plus side all the Dragons players got plenty of game time and showed real heart. Their work will be cut out next week when the sides meet again at the Eagles home ground in the semi-final of the cup.
 
The Dragons Squad was:
 
Props:                            Anthony Parish and Warren Banfield.
Second Rows:               Oliver Rees and Joe Fox
Loose Forward:             Oscar Wells
 
Stand Off:                      Jack Bloomfield
Scrum Half:                    Lewis Hollidge
Hooker:                          Sam Crean
 
Centres:                         Tom Narborough and Jason Cragg
Wings:                           James Turner and James Batey
Full Back:                      Josh Lamb.
 
 Try scorers:                                      ​
 
 Conversions: