A Win Is A Win, Regardless Of How You Look At it

After a week off for the London 1 South protagonists, this week’s visitors were Battersea Ironsides who made the short trip from Earlsfield to face the Old Boys in a 1XV league match for the first time since the opening weekend of the 2002-03 Surrey 1 season when the hosts were to prevail 25-17, the first of 13 victories as King’s won the league and gained promotion to the London 4SW. Since that time the clubs have remained apart with Battersea having competed in Surrey 1 (aside from a stint in Surrey 2 (2010-13)) until promotion to L3SW in 2015 followed by a double-jump, going up to L2SW as runners-up in 2019 before winning that league in 2019-20. So aside from a handful of pre-season friendlies, and innumerable Surrey merit league fixtures, there was little for either side to go on heading into the clash.

More firsts than a stick may be shaken at for King’s including: starting XV debuts for former U21s Felix Griffin and Matt Buxton-Smith; first appearances of 2021-22 for Pete Januszewski and Will Slater; a debut as captain for Nick Gardner; a first appearance since GW1 for George Jones; and a club debut for Exeter University graduate Callum Young. Holding the whistle was Andrew Gaynor and it sounded at 1458.

To say that the opening 20+ minutes made for difficult watching would be an understatement as neither side had much to cheer. Ironsides did at least manage to kick a penalty but although King’s pinned the visitors in their 22 for much of the time an incessant stream of penalties allied with a couple of wayward long passes when short ones would have done meant the first quarter couldn’t end soon enough; 0-3. If home supporters thought their luck must soon change, they were to be disappointed as an overthrown lineout landed squarely in the arms of the visitors’ openside Ed Prentice who could hardly believe his luck as he galloped home for a converted try; 0-10.

From the restart King’s immediately upped the intensity, a shuddering hit from Felix Griffin setting the tone for what was to come with a penalty flowing from it, this one kicked to the corner. The lineout was secured and the hosts set about bludgeoning their way to the line first through Will Kibblewhite, then Theo Alexis before Funmi Oduniyi crossed for a try George Jones converted; 7-10. As yet more penalties for both sides peppered the game, King’s followers might have hoped for more when three times a scrum was either re-set or penalised on the visitors’ line, but in a microcosm of the frustration that personified the first forty somehow the Battersea scrum-half Jack Moates contrived to pinch the ball as his forwards marched back and with that the chance was gone.

HT: 7-10

The interval did little if anything to change the tone of the game, King’s by and large in the ascendancy but incapable of turning pressure into points as the defence held firm. The home side’s exasperation was only to swell as the game went on – marched ten for chat after the inexplicable award of a penalty for hands in a ruck which even Battersea looked embarrassed to have won with their man having played the ball whilst prone on the floor in a clearly offside position. Just as it seemed like the pendulum may be swinging away from King’s, they were to return to what had served them well in the first period, eschewing their preference for expansive rugby and instead opting to go route-one, Matt Young the beneficiary as successive close phases saw him burrow over; 14-10.

With the game firmly in its death throws the margin was perilously slender and it was not wasted on Battersea who now were once more getting the thin end of the wedge when it came to the marginal decisions. With the forty minutes now up, a penalty awarded 5m out under the posts saw the away side opt for a scrum with potential options both sides, but little guile was needed as centre Jake Banton instead charged on a hard line with commendable force to the whitewash; 14-17. Mr Gaynor was heard to say three minutes remained and it was to be a busy time. King’s needed a penalty to have any possibility of more than a losing BP and a chance soon came as with a 2-on-1 engineered 10m out winger Charlie Craig made a vain and ill-fated attempt to intercept. His reward the inevitable yellow card with a penalty awarded. Not happy to share the honours King’s elected to tap and go, their reward a try in the last play with Funmi Oduniyi (Battersea’s MOM) claiming the crucial touchdown; converted George Jones.

FT: 21-17

Whilst not an encounter likely to linger long in anyone’s memory, it didn’t lack for commitment. Battersea may have been behind in terms of possession and territory but they tackled indefatigably and showed moments of sparkle, not least through their attacking full-back Lewis Waters – King’s MOM, and will be understandably disappointed not to have clung on for a 4pt win. Having leapfrogged the visitors in the table, they’ll no doubt be keen to even the score come January 29th when the teams will meet again and we wish them well in the meantime.

For King’s the next challenge is a significant one as undefeated league leaders London Welsh, fresh from a 19-27 win at Camberley, loom into view. With 3 promotions in as many seasons since they re-entered the leagues as LW Amateur following the liquidation of the professional side in December 2016 and a cumulative record of P62 W58 D1 L3, to win King’s will need to do what no side has managed since 2017 – the only defeats having come away from Old Deer Park, as indeed was an extraordinary 0-0 draw. Kick-off is a 3pm for those interested to see whether King’s can be record-breakers.