A shorter report since it was cold and notes were few owing to wooden fingers…….
Presently enjoying their third season in London 1 South, having finished 3rd in ‘18-19 and ‘19-20, hosts Camberley are once more on the promotion trail and having won all but two of their games to date are well placed go to one better in ’21-22. Thus far the only team to have got the better of the hosts at Watchetts were league leaders London Welsh, so King’s knew it would need something special if they were to repeat the trick they had on their two previous visits and leave as winners.
The prospects of that happening were certainly not helped by an injury list which had swelled alarmingly in gameweeks 9 and 10. As a consequence opportunities were presented across the park – club debuts for Max Carroll and Tommy Evans, a first appearance this season for Jack Griffin and Level 6 bows for stalwarts Ed O’Callaghan and John Walton. In the middle was Pedro Diogo and at 1423 rugby began.
The opening salvo belonged exclusively to the hosts, their pack punching up to within 5m making space for right wing Oyoni Gbla to stroll over. Kicking the ball into the wind was a complete waste of time, son of Farnham Jonny Wilkinson wouldn’t have got the conversion and neither did Harry Faulkner; 5-0. With barely ten gone the home side were in again, this time the fatties didn’t bother passing the ball and instead barged over themselves, prop Greg Franzel with the touchdown; 10-0. An ominous start no doubt, but slowly and surely King’s began to gain traction, Ellis Hook catching the eye and he showed some deft footwork to confuse then elude two onrushing attackers with the odds stacked firmly in their favour.
Camberley pressed once more and having got into position 20m out inside centre Jaid Wiltshire sprinkled a little fairy dust on proceedings, a no-look pass round the back giving winger George Owen an easy run to the line; 15-0. Just as the game looked like it might slip away King’s began to assert themselves. Benoit Israel came close with a charge to 5m, George Taylor next to try and unlock the safe but ultimately it fell to Theo Alexis who simply ran too hard for his opposite man, falling off the tackle as the centre crossed by the posts. Leon Driscoll added the extras in the last meaningful action of the half.
HT: 15-7
In the second forty King’s notionally had the advantage of the slope, but this was negated in its entirety by the howling wind into which they would play. The visitors had to run everything and that they did, MOM Leon Driscoll steamrollering the hosts’ No.8 in one break which threatened much but came to naught. Camberley went back to what had served them well in the first forty with some hard yards done up front, Franzel over for his second to secure the try BP; 20-7.
As the game limped into the last quarter the injuries began to mount, King’s had already lost loosehead Israel to a knock and front-row sub Walton followed with 70mins played with an uncomfortable shoulder / neck injury forcing uncontested scrums. Hook went off around the same time which saw King’s knock a few more square pegs into round holes. Really all anyone wanted to do at this point was go home, but being good guests King’s allowed the hosts two more scores first through full-back Faulkner before centre Wiltshire benefitted from a charge-down as King’s threw caution to the biting wind. The last conversion of the day was successful.
FT: 32-7
It’s hard to imagine either side learned anything from the clash with the conditions playing a significant part in limiting ambition and execution. The hosts’ lumpy pack are match for any in the league and made life easy for their threequarters – King’s gave MOM to tighthead Nick Barry, but with him having left before awards were doled out loosehead Franzel took the accolade. Our congratulations go Camberley, it may be a while before we visit Watchetts again with promotion looking all but certain for the Surrey side, but we shall of course see them in Motspur Park in late March.
King’s final fixture of the ‘out-leg’ awaits next week, London Irish Amateur the opposition who haven’t been seen in league by the Old Boys since ’08-09 in London 3SW (now L2SW) when it was honours even with a win-a-piece. LIA would ordinarily have been relegated having finished 11th that year, but a league restructure meant this didn’t happen and indeed proved something of a catalyst as the ‘Wild Geese’ won L2SW in ’09-10 and were promoted as runners-up from London 1 South in ’10-11. A mid-table finish in Nat 3 L&SE (as it was) followed before a level transfer to Nat 3 SW which saw LIA finish as champions in ’12-13 and achieve National 2 status. 2013-2019 was spent in the main at Level 4, with 2 seasons back in Nat 3 L&SE (’14-16), before relegation at the end of ’18-19 to L&SEP and a second drop in ’19-20 to London 1 South for this campaign. Kick-off at Hazlewood is at the earlier time of 1400, support would be welcome as King’s strive to get back to winning ways.