High flying: A win for Purley John-Fisher moved them up their league table this week
RUGBY ROUND-UP: All good things must come to an end, and after a sequence of six wins, Warlingham suffered a bitter defeat on Saturday, going down 20-13 at home against Aylesford Bulls in their London Div 2SW fixture.
“It was a very disappointing afternoon,” Warlingham captain Zac King said after his side had gone down by two converted tries and two penalties, to a try and two penalties.
“We’ve had a great run of success but just weren’t on the pace today and we must learn that consistency is the key if we want to be in contention later in the season.”
Warlingham travel to Heathfield and Waldron on Saturday in search of that consistency, hopeful that their player-coach, back-row forward Tom Street, will be back in the side.
In London and South-East Div 3W, Purley John Fisher had a comfortable enough 32-17 win over Wellingtonians on Saturday to go fifth in the table, but the Trinity old boys, Midwives, were on the wrong end of a 49-3 thrashing at home to high-flying Winchester. Both local sides are away this Saturday, PJF at Old Blues and Old MId-Whitgiftians at Wellingtonians.
In Surrey 1, with the first games for a couple of weeks Croydon host Old Tiffinians, while Old Whitgiftians are at home against Cranleigh.
Streatham-Croydon are back in action in Surrey 2 at Frant Road on Saturday afternoon, with the fixture that no referee relishes: they are playing the Law Society. Expect plenty of penalties and 10-metre walk-backs.
Game on – Fisher take on Whitgift
Pick of the schools fixtures this week is probably Wednesday’s clash at the Clock House, Woodmansterne (a 166 bus ride from Croydon), in the Daily Mail Vase between Wallington Boys and Caterham.
The visitors have been beaten only once this season, and that was when they came up against Whitgift in the second round of the Daily Mail Cup, which is why they are now in the repechage competition. Wally Boys, Vase quarter-finallists last season, have a young first XV squad this year including two promising Surrey under-16s forwards in Kieron Clarke and Eliot Walters.
But the side’s inexperience sometimes gets the better of them, and they only just hung on to a narrow win over a weak Latymer Upper side on Saturday – a final-kick-of-the-game penalty would have seen the north Londoners take the honours had their fly-half slotted it from the halfway line.
The really big schools game will be in south Croydon next Wednesday, November 28, when Whitgift host John Fisher in the Daily Mail Cup, as trailed here last week.
Whitgift won their Cup game last week, 35-10 against Ravens Wood. Fisher thumped Wimbledon College 34-5. The showdown next week should be a terrific contest, although judging by recent form, neither local side is likely to challenge for top honours after Christmas.
By a fluke of the school friendlies fixture schedule, Fisher and Whitgift have both played Daily Mail Cup-holders Dulwich College on the last two weekends. Fisher lost 14-33, and lost their discipline somewhat by all reports, while last Saturday, in the game between the two schools that have won the national title for the past three season, Dulwich beat Whitgift 32-15.
Over in Shirley, Trinity School is also making steady progress in the Daily Mail Cup, beating Reigate Grammar 54-24 last week. Next up next week is Langley Park.
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