Old Habs 1st XV vs Kilburn Cosmos II 1st XV

The mighty Blue White and Magenta turned out a third side on this gloomy damp November Saturday. Perhaps the thought of a soft pitch and slow ball enticed a few to put their hands up and make themselves available, but it worked. 19 OH duly assembled in the park along with our staunch supporter! Classic coarse rugby conditions.

With a high level London Society referee blowing the whistle ( his game had allegedly been cancelled but I like to think the lure of festival rugby was so great he insisted on officiating) the match commenced. Rather like England in the RWC final the ball was spilled from the kick off and Kilburn had immediate possession. Which is basically what they had for the next 20 minutes. However the outstanding defence and attitude prevailed ( younger members called it “Great D OH”) and they failed to cross the OH line
During this epic effort two Kilburn players went off with injuries. Fortunately nothing serious but a testament to the hard hits that had kept them from going over. The first set of replacements came on. The combined age of the front row went up to 170 a starting winger into the second row and Habs set about scoring points. Finally OH had possession passes were made and caught and the scores duly came. Johnson the younger in particular making a fine run down the wing to score. Half time OH in front 0-17.

With the light already fading, (metaphorical!) OH started the second half and camped in the Kilburn 22. Focussed forward play ( backs may have been involved) led to a 5 metre scrum. OH drive not controlled and Kilburn scrambled away. Within a minute another 5 metre scrum awarded to OH. The mighty Magenta machine rumbled into action and with a nod to some of the 1st XV performances proceeded to shunt the Kilburn pack into a slippery reverse. Outstanding balance control and poise from the OH front row guided the scrum over the line where Kilburn collapsed in a heap Penalty try OH.

With this Kilburn responded slung a couple of passes together and scored out wide. May have had something to do with a flanker on the wing After some more shuffling OH settled and proceeded to dominate once more. Backs got passes away, Mauls were driven and the line crossed several times. Final score 5-42 - a notable OH victory.

Apologies for not picking out individuals. Tight five, loose forwards, half backs, centres, wingers and full backs all combined to play a great game and above all have fun. Credit to Kilburn for not giving up. It was a great team effort and an age range spanning five decades. Debutants and many hundreds of OH caps were on the field together. It is a tribute to the health of the club that we were able to field a full squad and enjoy a decent game of rugby. This group will put pressure on players in the senior sides and improve our playing standards.

Nigel Alexander