Bending over backwards: Warlingham lock forward David Thornton takes control of a difficult line-out

RUGBY ROUND-UP: Three games into the league season, and life in London 2SW looks like it could be far from straightforward for Warlingham, who are suffering from a bout of home-sickness, losing at Hamsey Green for the second time in a fortnight, 3-36 to a powerful Tottonians side.

The signs were ominous for the home side when the visitors, from Southampton, scored with a No8 move off the back of a five-metre scrum almost directly from the kick-off.

Warlingham full-back Joe McEvoy pulled back three points with a penalty but that was to be the only time Warlingham changed the scoreboard. Despite breaks from fly-half Harry Wrightson and lock David Thornton, the Warlingham attack, with limited possession, was unable to breach the visitors’ line. New prop Lewis Unsworth held firm in the tight and hooker Dan Street dented the Tottonians defence.

But all their endeavours were insufficient to control the waves of Tottonian attacks. Two further tries followed for the visitors before half-time and with Dan Street and Brad Saffery being given 10-minute breaks from the game by the referee, with the home side reduced to 13 men, Tottonians secured their bonus point with two further tries.

“Tottonians are a strong side – but we’ll find every game difficult in this league so we just have to dig deep and put the effort in on the training pitch,” said Ben Stobart, Warlingham’s head coach, who has a week’s break from league action.

Midwives’ Laurence Oliver (who’s handy with Henry V speeches before games, too, no doubt) takes the attack to Sandown and Shanklin last Saturday

Some of the club’s second XV might have hoped to be given an opportunity to show what they can do in an Intermediate Cup match this Saturday, after they enjoyed an emphatic 45-5 win over local rivals Chipstead last week.

But without adequate front-row options, Warlingham have had to cancel the cup tie, and take a fine and a ban from the competition for a couple of years.

The Surrey county league season got underway last weekend, with a mixed bag of results for the local sides.

Old Whitgiftians went straight to the top of Surrey 1 after despatching Old Cranleighians 32-7, while down in Surrey 3, Streatham and Croydon, having been relegated last season, had a comfortable opener, 59-20 against Bec Old Boys.

But there were defeats for the two sides in Surrey 2, Croydon unlucky to go down 13-15 at home against Guildfordians, while Old Walcountians appear to have another hard slog ahead of them after losing 29-14 at Old Emmanuel.

In the regional division above the Surrey divisions, Old Mid-Whitgiftians scored their third win from three in London 3SW, seeing off Sandown and Shanklin 39-29 to keep themselves in early contention for promotion, while Purley-John Fisher broke their 2014-2015 duck in emphatic style with a 40-7 win at Trojans.

Contact your local rugby clubs here:

• Croydon
• Old Mid-Whitgiftians
• Old Walcountians
• Old Whitgiftians
• Purley-John Fisher
• Streatham-Croydon
• Warlingham

Coming to Croydon

• Tree Sides, Spread Eagle Theatre, Oct 2-4
• Croydon Fun Palace, Whitgift Centre, Oct 4-5
• East Croydon community meeting, Oct 7
• The Goon Show, Spread Eagle Theatre, Oct 8-11
• David Lean Cinema: Boyhood, Oct 9
• David Lean Cinema: Grand Central, Oct 14
• Norwood Society Talk: From Fire Station to Theatre, Oct 16
• David Lean Cinema: Finding Vivian Maier, Oct 16
• Cinema Ruskin film show, Oct 18
• South Croydon business breakfast, Oct 18
• David Lean Cinema: Mood Indigo, Oct 23
• This Was The World and I Was King, Spread Eagle, Oct 23-25
• Upper Norwood Library Book Club, 2.30pm, Oct 25
• David Lean Cinema: Ilo Ilo, Oct 28
• CODA’s Wind In The Willows, Charles Cryer, Carshalton, Oct 29-Nov 1
• David Lean Cinema: Belle, Oct 30
• St Giles School opening morning, Nov 5
• Albert Einstein – Relativity Speaking, Spread Eagle, Nov 12-15
• South Croydon business breakfast, Nov 15
• Norwood Society Talk: Lambeth’s Archives, Nov 20
• Choose Your Own Documentary, Spread Eagle Theatre, Nov 21-22
• The Last Sense of Sudden, Spread Eagle Theatre, Nov 27-29
• Ghost Stories for Christmas, Spread Eagle Theatre, Dec 3
• Fog Horn Funnies, Spread Eagle Theatre, Dec 6
• South Croydon business breakfast, Dec 13
• South Croydon business breakfast, Jan 24

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