SCRFC Serpents vs Warlingham

“Enjoyment is the name of the game.” Abdul Chowdry - Serpent's Coach

Streatham-Croydon 3s ( the Serpents) played against Warlingham on Saturday 27th January, missing out on the win with a full time score of 15-24.

With many teams across the country cancelling games due to waterlogged pitches and atrocious January weather, the Serpents persisted. Predictably, the conditions were muddy but ideally suited to a classic old school game of rugby. Streatham started with 11 players, but fortunately the opposition kindly lent us two. We had a few old heads from years gone by - Alun Steptoe Brack, Paul the Welsh Wizard Tutton, Neil Stickey Crammond who all complemented the old gits already in the 3s. Our average age must have been 48. We also had two debutants who performed well, demonstrating the pipeline talent coming through SCRFC.

The banter and jovial mood started before kick off and continued well after the game.
This was a game of two halves - the first won by Warlingham and the second dominated by us. It was a close game in the first half but Warlingham zoomed ahead by a few breakthrough tries. The second half belonged to us and the Serpents were superb in their comeback. The set piece was excellent, and Streatham controlled the scrums and the lineouts and got stuck into the strength-sapping mudfest. There was some lovely vintage play and we stormed back to within a try.

We had a number of opportunities to score and take the lead as well but unfortunately it didn't quite happen. The game was characterised by a team ethos, trust of each other and willingness to battle with your mates. Warlingham played their part in a terrific game and even they commented on the spirit of the match.

The 3s will always welcome new faces, old faces, and anyone who wishes to lace up their boots for a one off or regular fixture. Do get in touch if that's you.

Updated 18:25 - 31 Aug 2019 by Millie Ross