With the final game of the calendar year at hand. Racal Decca were searching for the elusive “3 games on the bounce” win ratio. A plateau that has not been reached this season, nor the one before.

Decca welcomed back fullback George Cracknell to the starting line up, along with Gibbo, Lambie, and Perry “Pezzar” Coulsdon. Decca also played host to a heap of Kingston university qualified players. (All of which returning together at the same time).
Weather conditions today were perfect for rugby. Brisk, but with sunshine on the horizon, however the weather conditions didn’t compliment the playing field. Stoggy and rather heavy underfoot. With the analysis complete, a close, tight, dominant forward game was decided. (This however didn’t last too long).

For much of the first quarter S&E maintained a decent amount of pressure against Decca. Decca’s defence however was up to the task, and were able to kick the ball deep into the opposition territory with good chases.

Gibbo at fly half, had mixed fortunes with the kicking. Yes he was able to get the ball high, but the ball only went as far forward as a Granny’s long jump attempt. In fact there was one instance that saw the ball go backwards. Despite Gibbo’s misfortune kicking, he was actually first to score points for Decca – crashing over from close to the line after dominant forward play and the sniping architect that is Kerry. Woody converted.

Decca moved from a kicking game, to a running game – This was personified by Kingston University flanker Lewis. During a barnstorming run, Lewis beat off would be tacklers unrelentlessly to score a wonderful solo effort out wide. Woody went just wide with the conversion attempts.

George Cracknell received a verbal warning from the referee in reference to his suspect high tackles. He actually just infact missed a yellow card, when a last ditch tackle resembled a decapitation attempt rather than an attempt to tackle.

The second half started in much the same fashion with Decca in the ascendency in open play, but not so much in the scrum. Woody came off at half time for a University player to move to the wing. Lakka reverted to tight head prop alongside forwards Harri and Eduard. This unfortunately didn’t help the scrimmaging, with S&E asserting their dominance and winning Decca put ins – Lineouts were in very much in the same vain as the scrums, with Decca clearly missing Richard’s performance the week prior.

Where Decca were under par at the set piece, they remained far more dominant in open play. Personified by the aggressive tackling and rucking displayed by Simon Molloy, Harry Tull, Harri Lowther and Neal Jacob. Pressure began to tell when S&E’s threw an interception outwide to a replacement Kingston winger. The winger made a dart for glory in much the similar fashion of Lewis in the first half. However where running away from the opposition fullback might have sealed the bonus point try. The winger instead changed direction and ran towards the fullback, and was tackled a few metres out.

Kingston University’s Sam, did however make amends for his University compatriot and went over for the try – Gibbo missed the conversion.

It wasn’t all Decca throughout the game, S&E’s did manage to claim a solitary try from a lapse in Decca concentration. S&E’s battled extremely hard from close range, and the pressure told when the prop emerged with the ball over the line, or perhaps the referee felt sympathy. Decca’s Harri lowther had his hand under the ball each time the ball was grounded.

In any case, the conversion was missed, and Decca hit back for the final try of the match, again scored by a Kingston University student.
The final game of the year finished 29-5