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Old Freemen's Rugby Football Club Archive September 2004 - May 2005

Surrey 1 RFU Final League Table Page
1st XV Results
2nd XV Results
3rd XV Results
1st XV Match Reports
2nd XV Match Reports
3rd XV Match Reports
Gentlemen's XV Match Reports

Surrey 1 Final League Table as at May 2005
1	Old Wellingtonians	26
2	Old Tiffinians	24
3	London Cornish	24
4	Warlingham	20
5	Cranleigh	19
6	Old Caterhamians	18
7	Kingston	16
8	Law Society	14
9	London Exiles 1st XV	12
10	Battersea Ironsides	11
11	Old Whitgiftians	10
12	Old Freemens	9
13	Old Haileyburians	6
14	Old Rutlishians	6
15	Old Cranleighans	5
16	Streatham-Croydon	2

1st XV Results

Date	L/F/C	Other	Arranged Fixture	Fixture Played	Ground	W/L/D	For	Against	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Points Difference
2004/2005	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sep 4	Trial	Hog Roast	Old Wandsworthians	-	H	-	32	5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sep 11	L	-	Old Whitgiftians	-	H	W	48	0	1	0	0	48	0	48
Sep 18	C	-	Old Reigatians	-	A	L	0	6	1	0	1	48	6	42
Sep 25	L	-	London Cornish	-	A	L	11	12	1	0	2	59	18	41
Oct 2	L	-	Old Wellingtonians	-	H	L	10	42	1	0	3	69	60	9
Oct 9	L	-	Battersea Ironsides	-	A	L	9	15	1	0	4	78	75	3
Oct 16	C	-	Old Wandsworthians	-	H	C	-	-	1	0	4	78	75	3
Oct 23	L	Cocktail Night	Reeds Weybridge	-	H	W	36	0	2	0	4	114	75	39
Oct 30	L	-	Old Caterhamians	-	A	L	3	8	3	0	5	117	83	34
Nov 6	F	-	Dorking 2nd	-	H	W	29	7	4	0	5	146	90	56
Nov 13	L	Int'l	Kingston	-	H	W	16	10	5	0	5	162	100	62
Nov 20	F	Int'l	Chiswick 2nd	-	A	C	-	-	5	0	5	162	100	62
Nov 27	F	Int'l	Stoke Park	Rutlishians (Shield)	A	W	20	19	6	0	5	182	119	63
Dec 4	L	-	Law Society	-	A	L	13	15	6	0	6	195	134	61
Dec 11	L	-	Old Haileyburians	-	H	W	20	8	7	0	6	215	142	73
Dec 18	F	-	Old Isleworthians	Streatham/ Croydon	H	W	48	0	8	0	6	263	142	121
Dec 25	-	-	MERRY XMAS!!	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Jan 1	-	-	HAPPY NEW YEAR!!	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Jan 8	L	-	London Exiles	-	A	L	20	27	8	0	7	283	169	114
Jan 15	F	-	Old Reigatian 2nd	Bec.O.B. (Shield)	H	W	17	14	9	0	7	300	183	117
Jan 22	L	-	Old Cranleighans	-	H	W	20	8	10	0	7	320	191	129
Jan 29	L	-	Metropolitan Police	No game	H	C	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Feb 6	F	Int'l	Old Walcountians	Old Wellingtonians (Shield)	H	W	W/O	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Feb 12	F	Int'l	Old Paulines	-	H	C	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Feb 19	L	-	Streatham/ Croydon	-	A	L	10	31	10	0	8	330	222	108
Feb 26	L	Int'l	Warlingham	-	H	P	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Mar 5	F	-	Merton	Warlingham (League)	H	P	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Mar 12	L	Int'l	Old Tiffinians	-	A	L	12	20	10	0	9	342	242	100
Mar 19	F	Int'l	Stoke Park	Warlingham (League)	A	W	24	22	11	0	9	366	264	102
Mar 26	-	-	EASTER TOUR	-	A	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Apr 2	L	-	Cranleigh	League/ Shield semi (extratime)	H	D W	13 10	13 0	11 12	1 1	9 9	379 389	277 277	102 112
Apr 9	L	-	Old Rutlishians	-	A	L	12	24	12	1	10	401	301	100
Apr 16/17	-	-	Chipstead	Shield Final	H	W	23	13	13	1	10	424	314	110
Apr 23	F	-	Old Isleworthians	-	A	C	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

2nd XV Results

Date	L/F/C	Other	Arranged Fixture	Fixture Played	Ground	W/L/D	For	Against	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Points Difference
2004/2005	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sep 4	Trial	Hog Roast	Old Wandsworthians	-	H	-	32	5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sep 11	M	-	Lightwater 2nd	Raynes Park 2	A	W	38	27	1	0	0	38	27	11
Sep 18	M	-	Old Blues A XV	-	A	W	39	14	2	0	0	77	41	36
Sep 25	M	-	Old Cliftonians	Dorking 3rd	H	W	12	5	3	0	0	89	46	43
Oct 2	F	-	Merton 2nd	-	A	W	23	0	4	0	0	112	46	66
Oct 9	M	-	Stoke Park	-	H	W	40	10	5	0	0	152	56	96
Oct 16	F	-	Old Isleworthians	-	A	C			5	0	0	152	56	96
Oct 23	M	Cocktail Night	Old Wellingtonians	-	A	L	0	21	5	0	1	152	77	75
Oct 30	M	-	Old Hamptonians	-	H	L	10	24	5	0	2	162	101	61
Nov 6	F	-	Old Paulines 4th	-	H	L	10	36	5	0	3	172	137	35
Nov 13	M	Int'l	Kingston	-	A	C			5	0	3	172	137	35
Nov 20	F	Int'l	Old Hurstjohnians	Merton 2nd	A	W	63	0	6	0	3	235	137	98
Nov 27	-	Int'l	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Dec 4	M	-	Law Society	-	H	C	-	-	6	0	3	235	137	98
Dec 11	M	-	Old Amplefordians	-	A	L	0	20	6	0	4	235	157	78
Dec 18	-	-	-	Streatham/Croydon	A	L	7	27	6	0	5	242	184	58
Dec 25	-	-	Merry Xmas!!	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Jan 1	-	-	Happy New Year!!	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Jan 8	M	-	London Exiles	Reeds, Weybridge 1st	H	L	0	25	6	0	6	242	209	33
Jan 15	-	-	-	Pelhamians	H	L	17	52	6	0	7	259	261	-2
Jan 22	M	-	Old Cranleighans	-	H	L	0	29	6	0	8	259	290	-31
Jan 29	M	-	Reeds Weybridge	-	H	L	0	29	6	0	9	259	319	-60
Feb 5	-	Int'l	-	Racal - Decca	A	W	22	21	7	0	9	281	340	-59
Feb 12	F	Int'l	Lightwater	-	H	W	38	10	8	0	9	319	350	-31
Feb 19	M	-	Old Tiffinians	-	H	W	W/O		9	0	9	319	350	-31
Feb 26	F	Int'l & Play-offs	Economicals 1st	Wellingtonians (Merit play-off)	H	P	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Mar 5	F	-	Warlingham	Wellingtonians (Merit play-off)	A	P	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Mar 12	F	P/Os QF	Old Pelhamians	Wellingtonians (Merit play-off)	H	L	3	22	9	0	10	322	372	-50
Mar 19	F	-	Old Suttonians	-	H	C	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Mar 26	-	-	EASTER TOUR	-	A	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Apr 2	F	P/Os SF	Old Reigatian 2nd	-	A	C	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Apr 9	F	P/Os Final	Mitcham 2nd	-	H	W	27	17	10	0	10	349	389	-40
Apr 16	F	-	-	Sutton & Epsom	A	W	47	7	11	0	10	396	396	0
Apr 23	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

3rd XV Results

Old Freemens did not get three teams out in 2004-2005

1st XV Match Reports

1st XV Match Reports 2004 - 2005

Sunday, 17th April - Chipstead - WON 23 - 13 (SURREY SHIELD FINAL)

by James Hutchison

Volkspeed helps Old Freemen's motor to Surrey Shield Victory

Local sponsor Volkspeed congratulated Old Freemen's on Sunday after their triumphant win in the Final of the Surrey Shield against Chipstead.

In sunny Ashtead Park, it was a magnificent occasion, with hundreds of supporters cheering on both sides in a closely fought match. The Home side claimed a well-deserved victory though, scoring three tries to two, much to the jubilation of Club Chairman David Harn and Club Captain Roger Seymour.

The game began at a frantic pace, with both sides eager to perform in front of the large crowd. Each made a number of mistakes in the opening period, but the competing sides made it clear that running rugby was the order of the day.

Fly-half Nick Proctor combined effectively with centres Steve Winslet and Duncan Billane to frequently create space for the flying back three of Neil Brent, Youssef El-Dada and James Williams. From turnover possession, the backs were unleashed early on, using their skillful handling to offload possession in contact several times and allow scrum-half Dom Smith to dive over in the corner for the first try.

Chipstead were stirred to life, and roused by their buoyant crowd of supporters, they began to implement their game plan that has reaped them so much success this season: catch and drive from the lineout and use the backs if required. They responded to the opening score promptly with this very tactic. Old Freemen's were unable to disrupt the catch, and the pack was somewhat naive in its defence of the rolling maul that ensued - Chipstead rumbled over to bring themselves back into the game.

With the skilled kicking game of Proctor and Winslet, Old Freemen's were able to dominate territory in the first half and were inevitably awarded a number of penalties. One or two attempts at goal were missed before the Freemen's forwards executed a training-ground move to produce the first try. Second-row James Hutchison crashed the ball up after a quick tapped penalty, creating space for Number 8 Chas March to power his way over under the posts.

Other first-half chances were missed however, notably Billane's sprint for the line, displaying his customary turn of pace, but denied by a pass deemed forward. As it was, Chipstead had the last say of the first half, with another familiar rolling maul from a lineout drawing in defenders to allow their winger enough space to dive over in the corner. Freemen's maintained the lead though as the conversion was missed and turned around at half-time 12-10 up.

The second-half continued in much the same way, with Freemen's still unable to secure lineout ball, but defending passionately. The back row of Ben Telford, Tom Fair and March were omnipresent in defence, frequently frustrating Chipstead's attack.

However, Chipstead took the lead for the first time in the match with a penalty in front of the posts. Suddenly, it occurred to Freemen's that they could in fact lose this tie. The experienced front row of Coyle, Beebe and Winch did not want to see the game slip away and found an extra gear. With a secure platform, Freemen's began to enjoy slightly more possession and territory, with Winslet able to respond with a penalty to regain the lead before scoring a try of his own in the last quarter to put the game out of reach. The Home side were able to hold on for victory as Chipstead made a number of mistakes in their panic.

Special mention must go to Man of the Match March, and captain and his deputy Jon Stainer and Richard Butterfield, returning from injury to make significant contributions in the second half.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle, Beebe (Stainer, capt), Winch, Hutchison, Beech, Fair (Tyrrell), Telford (Butterfield), March, Smith, Proctor, El-Dada, Winslet, Billane, Brent (Haywood), Williams. Subs not used: Shipp, Holmes.

Saturday, 9th April - Old Rutlishians - Lost 12 - 24 (League)

by James Hutchison

The last league match of the season brought the threat of relegation, while coveted 1st team places for next Sunday's Surrey Shield final were up for grabs. Unfortunately that was not enough incentive for Old Freemen's to produce a respectable performance against a side currently at the bottom of the league. With no direction, and seemingly no ambition, Freemen's always looked like second best.

The match began with Freemen's battling up the hill, but gaining the territorial advantage nevertheless. They had the better of possession, with some good set piece work from the front five, and Jem Davies kicked two penalties to establish a 6-point lead.

Scrum-half Dom Smith provided the greatest hope of a Freemen's try, and looked certain to score under the posts. An opposition defender, however, came from nowhere to stop the ball being touched down. This buoyed the Home side and they begun to find some momentum.

They smartly used the steep slope to kick deep into Freemen's territory. They managed to play to their strengths effectively: one or two heavy straight-running forwards to establish a couple of phases, then spin wide to the quickest man on the pitch. Their winger scored a well-deserved hat-trick, beating his man on three different occasions.

They executed this pattern near the end of the second-half, to send their flying winger over in the corner. Freemen's still turned around 1 point clear, relishing the potential of the slope to drill home the advantage. Unfortunately, this didn't materialise into points, as Rutlishians' best player seemed just as fast up the hill as he was down. The problem stemmed from Freemen's inability to maintain possession, as they frequently turned the ball over in contact. Their rucking was painfully like a woman shopping: very slow and lacking conviction.

Rutlishians scored their second try from turnover ball, as Freemen's were found wanting in defence. They exposed the gaps in the backline, and allowed their winger to speed over for another try. Freemen's still did not play sensibly - even Andy Robinson could see that a sensible strategy would be to kick deep down the slope. Instead, Freemen's thought it would be a good idea to kick the ball straight to the fastest player on the pitch on a number of occasions. He grabbed this opportunity appreciatively, as he once again skimmed past his marker to score. Jem Davies kept Freemen's in the hunt, but only numerically, with two further penalties, but Rutlish scored a fourth try in the dying moments to gain an unassailable lead.

Old Freemen's will play Chipstead on Sunday in the final of the Surrey Shield, and everyone is hoping for a more committed performance. Noone played well enough to warrant a place in next week's side. Nevertheless, with a Home crowd and a history of rising to the occasion, Freemen's are still confident of victory on what is sure to be a memorable day.

Meanwhile, the second XV enjoyed victory over Mitcham, with Jon Wilson scoring a hat-trick and James Crow making a significant contribution.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Mills (Winch), Telford, Acton, Tyrrell, Beech, Tremaine, Hutchison, Holmes, Smith, Davies, Hodges, Billane, Williams, Tribick (Shipp), El-Dada.

Saturday, 2nd April - Cranleigh - Drew 13 -13 (League); WON 23 -13 (Shield Semi-Final)

by James Hutchison

Old Freemen's claimed their place in the Final of the Surrey Shield by beating Cranleigh after almost 2 hours of breathtaking rugby. At stake for this titanic showdown were both the league points and the Shield final place, and the quality of rugby lived up to the promise of the mouthwatering clash.

The match finished 13 points apiece, which meant that in terms of the league, the points were shared. However, the Shield draw had still not been decided and extra time was required to settle the matter. With an injury-time try, Cranleigh levelled the score to force another 20 minutes play, during which Freemen's were ruthless and rampant to ensure a deserved victory. They scored 10 unanswered points in this period to put the game beyond any further doubt, ending the game in much the same way as they had begun.

The opening quarter of the match had seen Freemen's continue where they finished against Warlingham, playing dominant 15-man rugby, with attritious rucking and sweeping back play. The territorial advantage was inevitable with such lengthy periods of possession, and fly-half Nick Proctor jinked over from close range to open their account with a try under the posts.

This seemed to wake the opposition up somewhat, as Cranleigh began to implement their predictable gameplan of 8-man rugby, crashing the ball up with their large pack of forwards. From a lineout deep in the Freemen's 22, Cranleigh secured clean lineout ball and drove towards the line. The juggernaut was unstoppable, but the ball looked to be held up over the line; the referee thought otherwise and gave the attacking side the benefit of the doubt.

With the conversion missed, Freemen's maintained a narrow advantage and were determined to increase their lead, having been dominant for so long. They did so with a well-deserved penalty after Cranleigh killed the ball during a promising Freemen's attack, as well as a sweetly struck Winslet dropped goal. This gave them a 13-5 lead at half-time.

Cranleigh must have found some stirring words at half-time as they came at Freemen's with everything they had. The Home side were constantly on the back foot, with Proctor and Steve Winslet frequently kicking to clear the line. The back row of Chas March, Steven Beebe and Tom Fair tackled well, but were denied several turnovers by the referee who regularly awarded penalties to the attacking side. Cranleigh managed to score a penalty, but were still 5 points down approaching full-time. The rumbling pack continued to run at the fringes of the breakdown, gradually making their way closer to the line and in a Manchester United-esque play-until-they-score period of injury time, lasting nearly 8 minutes, Cranleigh finally crashed over from close range - another ugly try.

Thankfully the conversion was missed and extra-time ensued. Determined not to let the advantage slip, Freemen's returned to the gameplan of the opening period, forcing their elegant running gameplan. Within 5 minutes, this had reaped rewards, with Winslet scoring a penalty, and then storming over for a try beneath the posts. This 10-point advantage was not going to be surrendered, and Freemen's played out the remaining time with superb heart in defence, cheered on by the buoyant crowd.

Freemen's now look forward to the Shield Final in two weeks' time, where Chipstead stand between them and the silverware.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle, Beebe, Winch, Hutchison, Beech, Fair (Tyrrell), Beebe, March (Holmes), Smith, Proctor, Brent, Winslet, Billane, Hodges, El-Dada.

Saturday, 19th March - Warlingham - WON 24 - 22 (League)

by James Hutchison

At last, Old Freemen's played themselves onto the winning side of another extremely tight game in Surrey League One. A penalty kick in the final five minutes was enough to see off Warlingham, a top-five side in Surrey after a magnificent game on a beautiful day for running rugby.

For the first half-hour, the Old Freemen's outplayed their opponents in every aspect of the game. They dominated the scrums and lineouts, frequently stealing opposition possession, and securing several turnovers at the breakdown. With the large amount of possession, the backs were finally able to string a few moves together and the whole team looked like a fearful attacking unit. Once again, fly-half Nick Proctor expertly marshalled the backs, while stand-in captain Chas March led the forwards with typical aggression.

Centre Steve Winslet had kicked two penalties in the opening period, before the Home side were able to touch down for the first time. Despite one disallowed try, the attack was undeterred, and a scrum close to the line provided an excellent platform for backs' possession. In a whirlwind of dummy runs and passes, the defence parted like the Red Sea to allow Youssef El-Dada to charge through from full-back and dive under the posts, clinging to the ball like a barnacle to the bottom of a boat. With the conversion successful, Freemen's were 13-0 up and looking comfortable.

In typical fashion, however, the team and the supporters began to relax and enjoy the sunshine. Warlingham were not ready to roll over yet though, and were able to capitalise on Freemen's sudden lack of concentration. With pace and guile, they caught the defence on the back foot to create an overlap and run the length of the field to score. Not 5 minutes later, after an almost identical try, Freemen's were back under the posts kicking themselves for the silly mistakes. They were still in the lead though, and added a penalty before half-time to go into the break four points clear.

The second-half began well for the Home side, with Winslet and Proctor kicking deep into opposition territory. Second rows Malcolm Beech and Man of the Match James Hutchison were having a field day in the line out, and Warlingham began to run out of ideas. A long kick from Winslet led to a Warlingham line out 10 metres from their own line. Hutchison rose in front of his opposite man to claim possession, which was then fed to Proctor who finished magnificently with a superb turn of pace. With the conversion somehow missed from under the posts, Freemen's were now 9 points clear.

Once again, Warlingham were not disheartened. They responded soon after with a penalty to narrow the gap, which meant they needed only one converted try to take the lead. They scored one two minutes later with a break from their fly-half and good support play from the centre.

There was still plenty of time remaining though, and Freemen's returned to the dominant rugby they had showed in the opening period. They were awarded three kickable penalties, and thankfully the third attempt was successful, and Freemen's were able to play out the last five minutes to hold on for the two league points.

The fact that these sides were so evenly matched, despite currently residing at opposite ends of the league, is testament to the competitive nature of Surrey rugby, thus calling into question the decision by the RFU to completely change the league structure to a Home and Away format with fewer teams.

Old Freemen's now look forward to a huge fixture against Cranleigh after Easter to decide which team takes both the League points and a place in the Final of the Surrey Cup.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle, Beebe, Winch, Hutchison, Beech, Fair, Beebe, March (c), Owens, Proctor, Brent, Winslet, Billane, Hodges, El-Dada (Haywood)

Saturday, 12th March - Old Tiffinians - Lost 12 - 20 (League)

by James Hutchison

After an enforced break from action due to the recent arctic climate, Old Freemen's faced a top-three side away from and home lacking match practice. In the end though, it was just two brief lapses in concentration that caused their downfall after weathering the storm for most of the match. Tiffs scored two tries within 5 minutes in the second half that eventually put the game out of reach.

Still without captain Jon Stainer due to a knee injury, Freemen's were once again skippered by Richard Butterfield. After some stirring words before kick off, Butterfield led his team passionately, with some ferocious tackling and Neil Back-like snaffling of possession. His attitude was also reflected in the rest of the players as they battled vehemently against the opposition's ongoing onslaught.

Malcolm Beech and Rob Tyrrell in the second row fought tirelessly to stop the Tiff's runners around the fringes of the ruck, and neither side could enforce their dominance in the first half. The Home side kicked a long range penalty, with a strong wind in their favour, but Jeffery Haywood could not return the favour, missing his chance in the face of the swirling gusts. The half-time scoreline of 3-0 was a fair reflection of a very evenly fought match.

In the second half, Freemen's did not use the wind to their advantage, choosing to run the ball rather than kick downfield. When Tiffs had the ball, however, they started to use their pacey, talented back line to great effect, bamboozling the Freemen's backline with some excellent passing and lines of running. It was only a matter of time before the pressure told and Tiffs snuck over in the corner despite the best efforts of Richard Turk's dogged defence. The conversion was slotted from out wide with an emphatic kick that could see the Tiffs fly-half selected for the final weekend of the RBS Six Nations, given England's current shortage!

In the next few minutes, the referee sent two players to the sin bin - a Tiffs forward for consistent professional fouls, and flanker Chas March for speaking to his captain, presumably dismissed to even up the numbers. Four minutes after their first try, Old Tiffinians were using their predictable tactic of running from the base of the ruck, but two defensive lapses allowed them to breach the line and score under the posts.

Now 17 points behind, Freemen's felt the game had slipped away, but refused to yield another try. Instead, they launched a series of attacks, with fly-half Nick Proctor orchestrating a more consolidated effort. With the wind at their backs, Freemen's were able to gain ground and after a number of effective yard-making phases, Tyrrell was able to stampede over the line in the corner. Old Tiffinians responded with another penalty, but the Freemen's attack was sustained as Nick Proctor was put through a gap to run the length of the field, pausing briefly for a cunning sidestep that left the Tiffs full-back completely flummoxed.

With a strong finish to the match, Old Freemen's look forward to next week's rearranged fixture against Warlingham at Ashtead Park - a must-win fixture at this critical stage of the season.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle, Telford, Winch, Tyrrell, Beech, Fair (Hutchison), March, Butterfield (c), Smith, Proctor, Hodges, Shipp (Turk), Billane, Haywood, El-Dada.

Saturday, 19th February - Streatham- Croydon - Lost 10 - 31 (League)

by James Hutchison

The Old Freemen's were starved of possession in a largely one-sided contest against Streatham and Croydon on Saturday. The Home side dictated the play in a comfortable victory scoring 5 tries to Freemen's 1. Both the line outs and scrums were dominated by a large and surprisingly mobile pack, ensuring that Freemen's could not sustain any attacking force; and the referee did not help either.

Early penalties were exchanged within ten minutes with both sides beginning forcefully in this important league fixture. However, Streatham took first blood after winning a scrum against the head. They swept the ball wide, with their backs linking up well to force the overlap and allow their winger to glide over in the corner.

A few minutes later, after some tactical kicking, Freemen's were in a strong attacking position deep in Streatham's territory. As they approached the line, a professional foul was blatantly committed at the base of a ruck to prevent a score. The referee awarded a penalty, but did not produce the yellow card, leaving Freemen's slightly downhearted. This was arguably a turning point, as Streatham were enlivened having survived the early scare.

They went on to produce a fine display of controlling rugby, stealing possession back at every opportunity. Freemen's defence held firm in the first half however, conceding only another penalty to go into the break 11-3 down.

In the second half, Streatham began to convert their dominance into points, scoring another three tries before Freemen's could respond. From a Streatham line out in their own half, Freemen's managed to steal possession and launch an unexpected attack in midfield. Alex Shipp crashed the ball up in the centres to cross the gain line, and was chased into the tackle by a stampeding Freemen's pack. Despite rucking badly all afternoon, this was not one they were going to lose. The ball came back quickly and was spun out to Jon Hobbs at fly-half who fed Shipp's partner Duncan Billane to slide over the line, demonstrating how easy it could be.

With a superb conversion from out wide, Freemen's clutched a glimmer of hope at 26-10 down. However, the enormous pitch meant that the Away side were tiring and could not stop a final try from Streatham in the closing minutes. Considering the lack of possession, the skill of the Home side at the ruck and the seemingly random refereeing decisions, the margin of defeat could have been greater.

Next week, Old Freemen's return to Ashtead Park to face Warlingham in the hunt for two more league points.

Old Freemen's: Acton (Coyle), Beebe (Hutchison), Winch, Beech, Tyrrell, Telford, Pearmain, Butterfield (capt), Smith, Hobbs, Brent, Shipp, Billane, Haywood, El-Dada

Sunday, 6th February - Old Wellingtonians (Surrey Shield Quarter Final) - WON on a walk-over

by Roger Seymour

Old Freemen’s are through to the semi-finals of the Surrey Shield and they didn’t even have to get changed! Old Wellingtonians, the hitherto unbeaten Surrey 1 leaders, were forced to play a re-arranged crunch League game against London Cornish on Saturday, causing them to withdraw from the Shield fixture due for last Sunday. Despite this focus, OWs suffered their first defeat in the League, going down 8 –13 to Cornish.

Racal- Decca 21 Old Freemen’s 2^nd XV 22 Played at Tolworth on Saturday, 5^thFebruary 2005.

So it was Freemen’s second team who took centre stage, producing an entertaining 22 – 21 victory at Racal – Decca. Skipper Andrew Barnard’s return to action after injury lasted all of 10 minutes before the unfortunate lock turned an ankle, allowing Malcolm Beech a chance to blow away the cobwebs at number 8.

Decca came out with all guns blazing and Freemen’s were hard pressed to restrain their speedy runners and fiery forwards in the early stages. Full-back Simon Parish and wing Mike Bailey needed their vast experience on several occasions to snuff out the attacks. Chris Linsell’s try converted by Jeremy Davies, and a penalty, kept them in the game.

James Crow, Grant Holmes and Bill Smith had stepped up a gear on Beech’s arrival and in the second half they kept it tight, pounding the midfield and making good in-roads. Mike Von Speyr at scrum-half had an outstanding game alongside the dependable Davies.

Decca began to buckle when they went behind to a Beech score from another forward drive, Davies again converting. The try that clinched it for Freemen’s was a gem. Neil Morrison secured the heel from a tight scrum on the Decca 10 metre line, Beech off-loaded to the attentive Von Speyr who went alone, haring through the defence before sending James Burns scurrying into the corner for the score.

Vice-captain Richard Turk showed compassion for the home side with a beautifully floated pass straight to Decca’s centre who was not seen for dust, and despite a late Decca score, Freemen’s hung on for a much-needed win.

Freemen’s 2nd: Parish, Burns, Linsell, Bailey (Miers), Turk, Davies, Von Speyr, Mills, Morrison, Winch, Crow, Smith W, Holmes, Barnard (capt) (Beech), Paget.

Saturday, 22nd January 2005, Old Cranleighans - WON 20 - 8 (League)

by James Hutchison

Following last week's oustanding Cup victory, Freemen's played with enough confidence to see off a talented Cranleigh side by 20 points to 8. Brilliantly led by stand-in captain Richard Butterfield, the Home side showed a passion and hunger that has occasionally been lacking this season.

Both sides were very strong at the set-piece, with scrums and lineouts tightly contested for 80 minutes. One such scrambling lineout led to the first try within ten minutes, with the throw-in unclaimed by each jumper. Butterfield was the grateful receiver at the back of the line who powered through several defenders to cross the line. Full-back Duncan Billane was the second tryscorer, after a sweepeing move involving forwards and backs. Malcolm Beech and Rob Tyrrell worked hard to secure ruck ball and maintain continuity, whilst the back row linked effectively with the backs to create space and send the full-back in to score.

The game continued to be a very close-fought affair, with the ball ferociously contested in the tight and the loose. Old Cranleighans could only manage a penalty to get themselves on the scoresheet and trailed 10-3 at half-time.

Steve Winslet turned in another solid performance at fly-half, with a notable run in the second period knocking defenders over left, right and centre. He controlled possession and ensured the game was played in Cranleigh territory. With their defence holding out well, wing Rob Nicol slyly positioned himself behind the pack and struck a left-footed dropped goal, reminiscent of the previous week's clincher.

The game hung in the balance for some time, with Freemen's frequently frustrated at the line-out by some strong oppostion jumpers. However, the sustained pressure forced a number of holes in the tiring Cranleigh defence and Billane was able to touch down in the corner after a jinking step to beat his opposite man. Winslet converted impressively from the touchline to extend the lead.

The OCs managed to score an unconverted try in the last quarter, but faced an uphill struggle against a dogged Freemen's defence. Superb tackling from John Winch and Paul Coyle in the front row, combined with the power of Winslet and Alex Shipp in midfield ensured the line was impenetrable.

The club's New Year's resolution (to win more matches) looks set to continue, as there is still room for improvement in the side. Several players were not at their characterstic best, and with captain Jon Stainer set to return from illness, the first fifteen once again look like a fearsome outfit.

Old Freemen's: Coyle, Telford, Winch, Tyrrell, Beech, Fair, March, Butterfield (C), Smith, Winslet, Brent, Shipp, Haywood, Nicol, Billane.

Saturday, 15th January 2005, Bec Old Boys - WON 17 - 14 (a.e.t.) (Surrey Shield)

by James Hutchison

Old Freemen's emerged triumphant in a pulsating Cup match which was eventually clinched by a last-minute-of-extra-time dropped goal from fly-half Steve Winslet. After 99 minutes of play, a delightful strike from his golden boot sent the ball sailing through the posts to leave the Home crowd jubilant, and somewhat relieved.

In truth, the match should never have required extra-time, with the Old Freemen's a technically superior outfit. Thankfully, however, after another very tense match the result was in their favour having suffered a number of close defeats in the League this season. Old Becs proved very game opponents and overcame an 11-point margin at half-time to bring themselves back into contention.

The match began in a nervous frenzy of errors, with both sides regularly being turned over in possession, neither able to produce any sequence of phases. Winslet kicked wisely to keep the opposition in their own half, and it was a matter of time before the pressure began to tell. Two penalties were yielded in kickable positions and full-back Jeff Haywood stepped up to give the Home side a 6-point advantage.

Haywood then produced a moment of brilliance to score Freemen's only try of the match. After collecting a long kick, he launched a high kick of his own to put his opposite number under pressure. He was joined in the chase by a number of his team, who managed to reclaim the ball after it was caught by Becs' full-back. Somehow, Haywood emerged from the melee to sprint over the line unchallenged.

Leading 11 points to nil at half-time, the crowd began to relax, sensing a convincing Cup victory. However, two defensive lapses allowed the opposition to score two tries, both brilliantly converted from out wide. The Home team suddenly found themselves facing a 3-point deficit with time running out.

Captain Jon Stainer rallied his team, with several players showing excellent strength of character. Prop Gary Mills, Number 8 Richard Butterfield and scrum-half Dom Smith stood-out in particular, battling doggedly to save the game. With seconds remaining on the clock, Freemen's were awarded a penalty in the opposition's half. Haywood stepped up coolly to take the kick and level the points. Extra-time beckoned.

With a further 10 minutes each way to decide the game, both sides returned to their nervous mistakes characterstic of the opening period. Freemen's defence held firm in the face of some attritious attacking, and finally, with one minute to go, the opportunity arose for Winslet to win the match. The excitement and relief could be seen on the faces of the players and supporters alike, who now look forward to the next round.

Old Freemen's: Mills, Stainer (capt), Winch, Fair, Beech, Telford, March, Butterfield, Smith, Winslet, Turk, Shipp, Billane, Brent, Haywood.

Saturday, 8th January 2005, London Exiles - Lost 20 - 27 (League)

by Roger Seymour

Old Freemen’s came within a whisper of a crucial equalising score when the final whistle ended a rousing second half recovery in Surrey One at London Exiles on Saturday.

A classic story of ‘a game of two halves’ saw Freemen’s take time to organise their midfield defence from the start. Using the gale to good effect, the speedy Exiles backs broke tackles on several occasions and the visitors were made to pay the price. By half time Exiles had run in three tries and a penalty to lead 0 –20, whilst Freemen’s had only once looked like troubling the scoreboard.

The Old Boys’ forwards had held their own in a tough battle, with Malcolm Beech and Richard Butterfield following Chas March’s lead but, once Exiles started running they were unstoppable.

After half-time, Jeff Haywood steadied the slide with two early penalties from the pressure exerted as Freemen’s probed for gaps and camped in Exiles’ half. Skipper Jon Stainer thought he had scored but the eagle-eyed referee had spotted an offence. Against the tide, Exiles then broke upfield for a spectacular try, leaving Freemen’s with a mountain to climb, needing at least 21 points in the last quarter.

Freemen’s kept cool and worked the options through the forwards, before Rob Tyrrell stormed away from a maul and cruised in from 15 metres to score and give Haywood an easy conversion. The recipe was repeated by the powerful Tyrrell five minutes later. Freemen’s were closing in and sensed salvation but they had left it too late to complete the recovery before the final whistle.

Freemen’s: El-Dada; Haywood, Van Dort (Shipp), Billane, Brent; Winslet, Smith; Winch (Mills), Stainer (captain), Coyle, Beech, Tyrrell, Fair, Butterfield, March. Sub. Telford.

On Saturday, Freemen’s entertain Bec Old Boys in the 3^rd Round of the Surrey Shield (kick-off 2 p.m.).

Saturday, 11th December 2004, Old Haileyburians - WON 20 - 8 (League)

by James Hutchison

A thoroughly convincing first-half performance was enough to secure a vital win for Old Freemen's in the last league match before Christmas. Rob Tyrell was monumental in the forwards, whilst Duncan Billane was the star man behind the pack in a first period in which Old Haileyburyians rarely touched the ball.

The Freemen's attack looked more dynamic than in previous games, with the pack combining well to produce quick ruck ball for the backs, blitzing their opponents out of the game from the very beginning. Within ten minutes, the Home side had enforced their superiority, effectively recycling possession to string together large numbers of phases, the likes of which Billane has been crying out for all season. The opposition defence was torn to shreds by a number of powerful runs from the forwards, allowing Tyrell to power over the line from short range for the first score, which was duly converted.

The same man was the key influence in the second try, after claiming a high ball and charging forward well past the gain line. Billane was on hand for the offload and he delivered an unselfish pass to Jeff Haywood who glided over unchallenged. Despite a missed conversion, a Haywood penalty put Freemen's fifteen points clear and threatening to build a score.

The back row of Richard Butterfield, Chas March and Tom Fair were omnipresent and continued to provide an excellent platform for attacking rugby. A sweeping move that saw the ball passed through a number of backs and forwards culminated in a pacey 40-yard sprint for Butterfield and a theatrical finish as he dived over in the corner. A Haileyburians penalty was their only score as they thankfully greeted half-time 20 points to 3 down.

As the crowd began to relax expecting a comfortable win, so did the players. The opposition began to enjoy more possession than in the first half and were able to produce some more threatening play. However, the defence was superb once more, led by the talismanic captain Jon Stainer, and the cunningly wise Malcolm Beech. The result was something of a stalemate, with neither side producing many significant chances. Only one lapse in concentration allowed an unconverted try for the visitors, but the Home side held out for the win.

Special mentions must go to Paul Coyle, who turned in another rock-solid scrummaging performance, and to Dom Smith, who organised the forwards into a fine collective unit from scrum-half.

The second XV came up against a strong Old Amplefordian side and were defeated by 20 points to nil, despite a spirited performance. The club now looks forward to the Christmas break, eager to come out fighting in the new year and move towards the top of their respective leagues.

Old Freemen's: Coyle, Telford (MIlls), Stainer (capt), Tyrell, Beech, Butterfield, March, Fair, Smith, Winslet, Brent, Billane, van Dort, Haywood, El-Dada.

Saturday, 4th December 2004, Law Society - Lost 13 - 15 (League)

by James Hutchison

A lacklustre performance from the Old Freemen's gifted the Law Society the valuable league points at this crucial midway stage of the season. The lawyers came from behind to snatch victory and while they should be credited for their fully committed approach, Freemen's should not have been defeated.

The game was played out largely in the midfield area, with Freemen's unable to capitalise on their superior skills, frequently turning the ball over in contact. Both the teams' defences held firm with some tough tackling forcing a number of errors, but at the same time, neither side could find the cutting edge in attack to regularly breach the opposition wall.

The Home side made a strong start to the match, punishing Freemen's lack of awareness from the very beginning, driving their forward pack towards the line. The defence was not organised in time to prevent an early score, which was unconverted to give the lawyers a 5-0 lead after a matter of minutes.

This finally roused the Away side into action, as Chas March and captain Jon Stainer led the charge with some tireless work in the forwards, whilst fly-half Jem Davies strategically kicked deep into opposition territory. Frequently finding themselves deep in their own half, the Law Society were forced to concede a number of penalties, which Jeffery Haywood converted into points with some outstanding goalkicking. Two scores put Freemen's 6-5 up after a relatively uneventful first period.

The second half began in much the same vein as the majority of the first half, with neither side able to string together a significant number of phases. Although Davies continued to apply the territorial pressure, the Freemen's lineout did not seem to be capable of stealing the opponents' throw. What was required was a moment of individual skill to break the deadlock.

Centre Duncan Billane duly obliged, as is often the case, with a wily show of the ball combined with a strong hand-off to beat his opposite man, allowing him to speed past the full-back and touchdown in a kickable position. With Haywood's conversion, the 13-5 lead should not have been forfeited as the visitors began to look more comfortable in their play.

However, the Law Society refused to lie down, and a frantic final 10 minutes saw them score two unanswered tries to steal the league points. Another narrow defeat leaves Freemen's several points shy of mid-table. With one more league fixture to come before Christmas, a big effort will be required in the New Year to ensure a top 6 finish of which they know they are capable.

Old Freemen's: Stainer (Capt), Morrison (Gummer), Winch, Tyrell, Beech, Butterfield, Telford, March, Smith, Davies, Brent, Billane, Haywood, Brown, El-Dada.

Saturday, 13th November 2004, Kingston - WON 16 - 10 (League)

by Roger Seymour

Wing Jeff Haywood scored all Freemen’s points as the Ashtead Park side beat off a tough challenge in Surrey One against Kingston on Saturday. Three penalties and a converted try were the tangible evidence of the Old Boys’ inspired efforts under the untiring leadership of Chas March.

Freemen’s started strongly and Tom Fair had an early try disallowed. Kingston drove back downfield and opened the scoring with some relentless attacking rugby as Freemen’s ran out of defenders.

Two sweetly-struck Haywood penalties put Freemen’s ahead, a knock-on then denied him a self-styled try from a beautifully weighted chip. Both sides battled hard in some fierce exchanges to gain the upper hand. Line-outs were evenly contested with Malcolm Beech and Beebe working well for the home side but it was Kingston who regained the lead with a try round the front of a line-out just before half-time. A Haywood penalty made it 9 – 10 to Kingston at the turn.

And that is how it stayed for the first half hour of the second half; Kingston hanging on to their slender lead and Freemen’s desperately trying to get into scoring positions. Freemen’s backs were looking sharp with Dom Smith and Duncan Billane in unison, but some of the moves were a little too intricate.

From an attack started by the pack, Haywood had the Freemen’s faithful grumbling as he cut inside, away from a team-mate in space on the wing. The groans instantly turned to cheers when he immediately seized on to a spilled Kingston pass as they astoundingly ran from their own 22. The Kingston backs could only stand open-mouthed as Haywood latched on to the loose ball and sprinted in from 20 metres. He converted his try and Freemen’s dug in for victory.

Unsurprisingly, Haywood was Freeman of the Match, with special mention for Beebe’s inspired game at hooker.

Freemen’s: El-Dada; Telford, Shipp (Butterfield), Nicol, Haywood; Billane, Smith; Coyle, Beebe, Winch, Beech, Tyrrell, Pearmain, Fair, March (capt). Subs (not used) Gummer, Tribick.

Saturday, 6th November 2004, Dorking 2nd - WON 29 - 7 (Friendly)

by James Hutchison

Freemen's were in rampant mood to destroy a game Dorking side by five tries to one. A brace from Alex Shipp sealed a convincing win on a cold wet day at Ashtead Park. The home side began brightly with powerful running from the forwards, driving into opposition territory. After several attacking phases, hooker, Beebe crept over the line from short distance to begin proceedings within 3 minutes.

The lineout was functioning beautifully, with Malcolm Beech and Tom Fair securing quality ball in combining with the brutal force of Paul Coyle and Rob Tyrrell to keep the pack on the front foot. One such drive allowed Beech to peel from the back of the maul and crash over for the second try.

Dorking found it difficult to compete against the pace, power and fitness of the Freemen's pack and where never a threat. The backs were marshalled authoritatively by the wiley No. 10, Billane, who kicked superbly out of hand and deflated Dorking's hopes everytime they made some ground by kicking them back into their own half. Shipp turned in another outstanding performance with his handling and maturity growing as a centre. He scored the third try with an opposite man-flattening surge as well as grabbing a second later in the game.

The second half continued in much of the same vain, with captain, Jon Stainer passionately leading by example with some fearsome tackling and barnstorming runs. Billane created space to send Shipp in for his second try and then majestically created a score for Telford with a cunningly angled low kick to the corner.

This convincing win sets Freemen's up well for next week's league encounter with Kingston. The 2nd XV meanwhile were defeated by a strong Old Paulines side by 36-10.

Coyle, Beebe, Stainer (c), Beech, Tyrrell, Butterfield, Pearmain, Fair, Smith, Billane, Telford, Shipp, Nicol, Brown, El-Dada

Saturday, 30th October 2004, Old Caterhamians - Lost 3 - 8 (League)

by Roger Seymour

Freemen’s came within inches of stalling Cats’ flying start to the season in a low-scoring but nonetheless very entertaining Surrey One clash at Caterham on Saturday. Deep into the second half, a rampant forward rush led by Rob Tyrrell ended with him being held up just short of the whitewash as Freemen’s drove for the winning score.

On a beautiful Autumn afternoon, it was an anomaly that most of the game was played at the foot of a huge and sloping pitch. Cats used the slope well in the first half, Freemen’s defending resolutely but finding it hard to break out into their opponents’ half of the field. Richard Butterfield, Mike Pearmain and Tom Fair made their presence felt as two evenly-matched sides slugged it out in front of a good crowd. Honours were even in the tight scrums with skipper Jon Stainer trying his hand at tight-head and the returning Malcolm Beech and Beebe ensuring that Freemen’s had fair shares at the line-outs.

Cats eventually broke the deadlock on the half hour but needed the luck of the bounce from a controversially charged-down clearance kick as they got to the touch-down first. A penalty in injury time at the end of the first half gave the home side an 8 – 0 lead, which was on balance a fair reflection of the play.

Freemen’s stormed into the second half and a Jeff Haywood penalty brought Cats within range. Opting to run at the defence rather than go for goal, the visitors found the impressive Cats defence impossible to penetrate despite half-backs Rob Nicol and Duncan Billane’s tireless efforts to find a gap. Youssef el-Dada probed from full-back linking well with Alex Shipp, Ben Telford and Haywood but Tyrrell’s effort was as close as it got for the visitors.

Caterhamians thus held on to maintain second place in the League behind Old Wellingtonians. Results have not always gone Freemen’s way this season, but spirit is good, scorelines have been close and an improvement in their fortunes cannot be far away.

Freemen’s seconds lost 10 –24 at home to Old Hamptonians, Freeman of the match being scrum-half John Dickenson.

Freemen’s: El-Dada; Telford, Shipp, Van Dort, Haywood; Billane, Nicol; Coyle, Beebe, Stainer (capt), Beech, Tyrrell, Pearmain, Fair, Butterfield. Sub. (not used) Brent.

Saturday, 23rd October 2004, Reeds Weybridge - WON 36 - 0 (League)

by James Hutchison

Old Freemen's overcame their recent inability to score tries with a fine performance over the old enemy in the wind and rain. A dominant display by the forwards allowed the backs to execute their moves with more success, but there was still room for improvement in an error-ridden performance that began to resemble scrummaging practice.

An early lineout allowed Freemen's to impose their domination on the set-piece, and fly-half Andy Holder cleverly used the possession and the wind to play the game in the opponent's half. It was not long before Freemen's all-round superiority began to tell, with a forceful drive from another lineout ensuring additional space for the backs - centre Duncan Billane did not need a second invitation to burst through a gap and over the line.

Holder controlled the game expertly, with some astute tactical decisions to keep Freemen's on the front foot. He was rewarded shortly after the first try with a score of his own beneath the posts, and went on to produce a man of the match performance.

Captain Jon Stainer ensured that the momentum continued as Freemen's enjoyed virtually all of the possession, continuing his pinpoint accuracy in difficult conditions at the lineout and winning several scrums against the head. The remainder of the pack followed his lead, with Mike Pearmain producing a physical display in his first start at openside flanker, complemented by the experience of Chas March and Richard Butterfield.

Billane's centre partner, Alex Shipp, did not want to miss out on the action having seen the players either side of him crashing over already. After more tireless driving work from the forwards at a lineout, Shipp steamrolled his opposite number to provide kicker Jeffery Haywood with another simple conversion. The half-time score was 21-0, with Freemen's very much the dominant force.

After the change of ends, the Home side were facing the elements, and with the persistent heavy rain, the ball was frequently spilled inevitably leading to a large number of scrums. Nevertheless, the front row of John Winch, Stainer and Gary Mills relished the challenge and continued to provide ball for the backs. With the adverse conditions, however, Stainer sensibly decided to press home the advantage and Haywood added another three points with a penalty.

The Freemen's defence held firm, with its customary brutal tackling and the Reeds side never looked like crossing the line. With renewed confidence, Tom Fair, at second row for the day, instigated some outstanding running rugby, with Mills the mobile prop finding himself in support and heading for the line in a Vickery-like stampede. Unfortunately, he was scuppered by the scrambling defence and once again the ball was eventually turned over.

However, another unforgiving forwards' surge from the lineout allowed Pearmain to touch down for the fourth try, and it was not long before Holder scored his second and the team's fifth. The final score was testament to Freemen's hunger for victory, but there is still potential for improvement as the season continues.

While this week saw a reversal of fortunes for the 1st XV, so it did for the 2nds, as their winning streak came to an end at Old Wellingtonians going down 21-0. James Turk and Ben Jones helped to absorb some of the relentless Wellingtonians' attack, but it was not enough to halt the team with a distinctly Southern Hemispherical look.

Old Freemen's: Winch, Stainer (capt), Mills, Hutchison, Fair, Butterfield, Pearmain (Tyrell), March, Smith, Holder, Haywood, Shipp, Billane, Telford (van Dort), El Dada.

Saturday, 9th October 2004, Battersea Ironsides - Lost 9 - 15 (League)

by James Hutchison

The third league defeat in succession assumed a familiar pattern as Old Freemen's were again beaten by one score after throwing away a half-time lead.

Fly-half Jon Hobbs kicked three points for Freemen's after early pressure from the forwards forced the home side to concede a penalty in front of their posts. Shortly after the restart however, Ironsides retained possession in a similar way to approach the Freemen's line where a questionable penalty was awarded and converted to level the scores at three apiece.

Nevertheless, Freemen's returned with steely determination, with Malcolm Beech working hard to keep the forward pack moving. In the centre, Alex Shipp made some powerful runs into the opposition's midfield, drawing defenders to create space out wide. However, Freemen's seemed to have forgotten how to score tries, having to make do with two further penalties after a number of cynical offences from the Battersea back row.

Nine points to three up at half-time, and unquestionably the dominant side, Freemen's began to assume that the points would eventually come their way to end the current losing streak. After the break, the Freemen's forwards lacked conviction in attack, driving forward as individuals rather than as a collective unit, allowing a number of turnovers against a physical Ironsides pack.

With the wind now against them, the leading side frequently found themselves pinned in their half, having to defend ferociously to protect their line. This they did for significant periods of the game, with some brutal tackling from skipper Jon Stainer allowing them to clear their lines temporarily. However, the pressure finally told when the Home side moved the ball wide to use their pace to skirt around the defenders and over in the corner. This took the score to 8-9, still in Freemen's favour.

With enough time left on the clock, the Battersea side were galvanised in attack, despite having a flanker sin-binned for continuous disregard for the laws at the tackle situation. Freemen's were unable to press home the numerical advantage, continuing to lose the ball in contact, and again found themselves defending deep in their own half. The pressure eventually told, with one missed tackle conceding a try under the posts after some excellent ball retention from Ironsides. With the conversion, the score was 15-9 to the Home side.

Old Freemen's dug in and used some effective set-piece moves to set up one final scoring opportunity which could have saved the game, but the ball was fumbled near the line. This failed last-ditch effort was symbolic of the entire Freemen's performance, with several missed opportunites resulting from the lacklustre attack.

In what is becoming a familiar pattern, the 2nd XV enjoyed another resounding victory, this time winning 40-10 against Stoke Park in a Merit Table clash. Strong performances from Mike Pearmain, who scored two tries, and Man of the Match Nick Brown ensured that this team's fine run continues.

Old Freemen's: Coyle (Haywood), Stainer (capt), Winch, Hutchison, Beech, Butterfield, March, Fair, Smith, Hobbs, Brent (Hesketh), Shipp, Billane, Telford, El-Dada.

Saturday, 2nd October 2004 , Old Wellingtonians - Lost 10 - 42 (League)

by James Hutchison

Old Freemen's came up against a quality Wellington side, and whilst they fought hard until the final whistle, they were beaten by a final score that does not reflect the close nature of the contest.

With a strong band of support on the touchline, the Home side attacked the league leaders from the kick off, initiating their possession-based gameplan in the opponent's half. Using their full array of set-piece moves, the forwards built phase after phase, but lacked the finishing touch once again. Outstanding skipper Jon Stainer led his team with passion and hunger, making some astute tactical decisions to sustain the attack on Wellington's line.

Full-back Steve Winslet used the wind effectively to pin the Away side behind their 22-metre line, but Freemen's forfeited a number of scoring opportunities and could not capitalise on their advantage. Wellington looked dangerous in attack, but Freemen's strong defence held firm for a time with strong tackling from flankers Richard Butterfield and Chas March.

However, one defensive error led to a try under the posts for Wellington as they took the lead against the run of play. Freemen's were not downhearted, and continued to play their attacking rugby. A moment of magic from elusive centre Duncan Billane was required to cross the line; he powered through the opposition backs and used his pace to burst past the full-back and under the posts. Fly-half Jon Hobbs then levelled the score at 7-7 with the conversion.

Wellington came back hard and used their speed in the backs to score another try out wide, and with the kickers exchanging penalties before half-time, the game was very much in the balance.

Faced with a strong wind in the second half, Freemen's were forced to run the ball from their own territory, and Wellington capitalised on any mistakes, punishing the Home side for small errors to score several unanswered tries and built a score to suggest that Freemen's were well beaten.

Man of the match Stainer was effective in motivating his side in their relentless defence, whilst Butterfield also had a superb game. Scrum-half Dom Smith was vociferous behind the pack as he continues an excellent run of form, and Rob Tyrell made a powerful impression when he was introduced in the seconds half. Next week, Freemen's travel to Battersea Ironsides hungry for a league victory.

Meanwhile, the 2nd XV enjoyed another impressive win over Merton by 23-0. Their power in defence ensured that no points were scored against them, and their ruthless attack was unlucky not to score more points. Jem Davies and Barney Hesketh deserve special mentions for their excellent contributions.

Old Freemen's: Coyle, Stainer (capt), Barnard (Plumpton), Hutchison, Beech, Butterfield, March, Fair (Tyrell), Smith, Hobbs, Hodges (Telford), Shipp, Billane, Pearmain, Winslet

Saturday 25th September 2004 v London Cornish - Lost 11 - 12 (League)

by James Hutchison

For the second match in as many weeks, Old Freemen's failed to capitalise on the larger share of possession and territory, losing narrowly to a passionate London Cornish side.

With a strong start to the match, Freemen's reclaimed the ball from their kick off and began to assault the opposition with powerful forward running, using several phases to set up strong field positions in the Home side's half. Under relentless forward pressure, London Cornish stepped onto the wrong side of the law and were penalised by the strict referee.

Freemen's centre Jon Hobbs did not hesitate to kick for goal, and his pinpoint accuracy ensured that the dominant side were six points up after 20 minutes. However, with powerful Number 8 Chas March sidelined temporarily with a large gash on his head, London Cornish began to enjoy greater possession and used their pace out wide to make great inroads into Freemen's half. With quick ball sent to the backs, the Home side's left wing sped around the defence to score.

Slightly disheartened about conceding the first try of the season, captain Jon Stainer and vice-captain Richard Butterfield found some inspirational words to motivate the team once again. The forward pack were buoyed by the return of March, head bandaged in an inimitable style and sporting shiny new boots. However, one mistake after a scrum allowed Cornish to cross the line again, taking the score to 12-6 at half time.

A tactical change in midfield, bringing Alex Shipp into the centres to utilise his forceful, direct running, provided an extra dimension to Freemen's attack. The forwards continued to fight with an evenly matched pack in the scrums and lineouts, making their way into the opposition's half. However, several needless penalties were given away, allowing Cornish a much-needed respite from the desperate Freemen's onslaught.

Man of the match Ben Telford at openside flanker was wily and ruthless in turning over possession in defence, complemented by the fearsome power of second row Rob Tyrell. Indeed, the contrast in styles worked well to provide a platform deep in Cornish territory from which scrum-half Dom Smith could snipe over the line for a try. With plenty of time left on the clock, Freemen's were confident of claiming the victory, but were frustrated in attack by loose passes, knock-ons and further minor penalty offences.

Overall, the forwards combined as an effective unit to provide a strong platform, but the backs were lacking the penetration required to breach the opposition defence. Nevertheless, Freemen's look forward to next week's Home fixture against Old Wellingtonians.

The Old Freemen's 2nd XV enjoyed another spirited performance to beat a Dorking 3rd side in a friendly match by 12 points to 5. Under the fine leadership of Captain Andrew Barnard and vice-captain Tom Acton, the team has gelled into a fearsome attacking force to be reckoned with.

Old Freemen's: Winch, Stainer (capt), Coyle, Hutchison, Tyrell, Telford, Butterfield, March (Beebe), Smith, El-Dada (Shipp), Pearmain, Hobbs, Nicol, Hodges, Holder. Subs not used: Gummer

Saturday 18th September 2004 v Old Reigatians - Lost 0 - 6 (Powergen Vase)

by James Hutchison

Freemen's were in confident mood coming into this match after last week's outstanding all-round performance against Old Whitgiftians, but the side from Reigate in a higher league were fortunate to cling onto a narrow victory. Two early penalties were enough to send Old Reigatians into the next round of the Powergen Vase, whilst Freemen's were very unlucky not to score.

A tense and frantic first period saw Freemen's on the back foot, with Reigatians' backs stretching the defence and cutting deep into the Away side's territory. The pressure told, with a number of penalties given away which the Home side did not hesitate to convert into points.

After regrouping and finding themselves six points down, Freemen's began to settle into their gameplan and recycled possession more effectively at the ruck area. Scrum-half Dom Smith organised the forwards into a more dynamic unit and ensured that the game was played in the opposing half. Paul Coyle played a stong role in the front row, contributing well to the physical forwards battle and making some bullocking runs from the base of the ruck.

It was now Old Reigatians' turn to feel the pressure in defence, and they too succumbed by giving away several penalties. As the rain and wind swirled around the pitch, fly-half Jon Hobbs was unable to score with a number of difficult attempts at goal. Hobbs did not let his head drop, however, and kicked exceptionally well out of hand to keep Freemen's in the opposition half.

After half-time, Freemen's continued to dominate territory and possession, but simply could not convert these into all-important points on the scoreboard. From a well-worked lineout move, Freemen's charged towards the tryline, but the wet ball was spilled just as a try looked imminent. As the clock ticked away, the effective centre partnership of Alex Shipp and Duncan Billane was not given the space to play its attacking running rugby, and Freemen's could not cross the line, despite the incessant efforts of the back row of Chas March, Tom Fair and Richard Butterfield in winning possession.

In a vociferous performance, Smith enjoyed Man of the Match status with some sniping runs from the base of the pack. The unrelenting spirit of the Freemen's side should be credited as they return to the league competition next week still without a try scored against them.

The 2nd XV continued their winning streak with another fine victory over Old Blues in Wimbledon. Jon Bird capped a Man of the Match performance with two tries in a 38-19 win. With excellent strength in depth this season, there are a significant number of contenders for the first team wollen jerseys including Bird, Tom Acton, Bambos Charalambous and the Reece brothers Jon and James.

1st XV: Coyle, Stainer (captain), Winch (Mills) Hutchison, Beech, Buttyfingers (Telford), March, Fair, Smith, Hobbs, von Speyr, Shipp, Emerton, Brent (Turk), Hodges. Subs not used: Youseff

Saturday 11th September 2004 vs Old Whitgiftians - WON 48 - 0 (League)

by James Hutchison

The opening game of Freemen's league campaign saw a seven try feast against a team they had not beaten in several recent contests.

With domination in the set pieces, the forward pack provided an excellent platform for the back line on a lovely day for running rugby. Their superiority in the lineouts and scrums were testimony to the hard work put in over the summer months. In the backs, debutant Duncan Billane and Alex Shipp made a sensational centre partnership and combined well to send Tom Fair in under the posts for the first try.

After a period of heavy pressure by Freemen's, some fine driving play by Malcolm Beech and John Winch provided the territorial advantage from which Dom Smith sneaked over the line for the second try.

The opposition were starved of possession for significant periods of the match, and on the occasions that they did have the ball, Freemen's defense held firm with some fearsome tackling from the back row of Richard Butterfield, Chas March and Fair. After regaining the ball and another spell deep inside the opposition's half, fly-half Jon Hobbs produced a moment of Wilkinson-esque magic to chip the advancing Whitgiftian defence and collect the ball as he dived over the line.

After the break, Freemen's were in confident mood, cheered on by a rampant crowd of spectators crying out for more. Freemen's did not disappoint. Billane's clever running arcs scythed through the defence to score the fourth try under the posts.

Some astute tactical substitutions from inspirational captain Jon Stainer saw the other debutant, Mike Pearmain score with his first touch of the ball with a dazzling run from 50 metres out. Stainer then capped a superb performance with his second try of the season after a training park move from a penalty.

Outstanding attacking contributions from March and Man of the Match Beech as well as some ruthless defensive work ensured a clean sheet for the home side. A total of 5 conversions and 1 penalty from Hobbs led to a convincing win to put Freemen's in confident mood for next week's Cup showdown with Old Reigatians.

Old Freemen's: Coyle, Stainer (capt), Winch (Mills), Hutchison, Beech, Butterfield, March (Bird), Fair, Smith, Hobbs, Brent (Pearmain), Shipp, Billane, Hodges, Holder

Saturday 4th September 2004 - Trial XV vs Old Wandsworthians (Trial)

Pre-Season Friendly by James Hutchison

Old Freemen's 32 Old Wandsworthians 5

Played on Saturday 4th September 2004 at Old Freemen's

In the afternoon heat, Freemen's welcomed Old Wandsworthians to open the season with a friendly match at Ashtead Park. The game was used as a trial match, with the home side rotating the 1st and 2nd XVs to allow everybody a chance to impress the enthusiastic crowd.

Old Freemen's enjoyed the greater possession from the beginning, dominating the set pieces and frequently invading the opposition's territory in the opening quarter. Jon Stainer, the new 1st XV Captain, led his side with passion and aggression and was the driving force in the pack. A period of sustained pressure with some fine rucking allowed Stainer to charge over the line for the first try of the season.

After an illegal restart, Freemen's used the scrum in the centre of the field to great effect. Number 8 Tom Fair showed a good turn of pace to break away from the scrum, but was tackled short of the try line. Strong support from the pack recycled the ball and sent Dom Smith over in the corner.

Two tries down, Old Wandsworthians began to use their possession more effectively, with some strong running from their back line. However, this was met by a ferocious defence, with Alex Shipp and Rob Nichol in the centre making some powerful hits. Richard Turk also showed his commitment with some fine tackling.

In the second quarter, Old Freemen's 2nd XV continued to pressure the opposition. Tom Acton, Vice-Captain, led by example with some forceful runs, and Andy Catling was an imposing presence in midfield. At the end of an evenly matched period, Jem Davies turned the proverbial screw with a penalty kick to provide a return on their continued territorial advantage.

The second half was a scrappy affair with both teams making mistakes that suggested neither had played for several months. Jon Bird managed to score under the posts, taking a pass from an unfeasibly deep position that brought a smile to coach Jon Bower's face. Marcus Hodges was unlucky not to make the score sheet as Freemen's had two tries disallowed, and special mentions must go to debutants Jon Broome and Rob Nichol who both made a strong case for selection next week.

In the final quarter, the 2nd team continued to apply the pressure to a tiring and very hot Wandsworth side. Mark Beebe capped a fine, terrier-like performance with a try, and Jon Reece marked his return from injury with a score of his own.

Credit must go to Old Wandsworthians as they gave a spirited performance for 80 minutes in the searing heat. Old Freemen's showed that they have the desire and the potential for a very successful season, with their league campaign beginning next week at Home to Old Whitgiftian.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle, Stainer (capt), Winch, Hutchison, Beech, Butterfield, Bird (Barnett), Fair, Smith, Hobbs, Brent, Shipp, Nichol, Turk, Hodges (Broome)

Old Freemen's 2nd XV: Mills, Morrison, Pepper, Wilson, Barnard (capt), Acton, Beebe, Seely, Burns, Davies, Charalambous, Catling, Reynolds, Brown, Aussie Tom, Reece, Tyrell, Crow, Tribbick.

2nd XV Reports

2nd XV Match Reports 2004 - 2005

Saturday, 5th February - Racal-Decca - WON 22- 21 (Friendly)

by Roger Seymour

Racal- Decca 21 Old Freemen’s 2^nd XV 22

Freemen’s: Parish, Burns, Linsell, Bailey (Miers), Turk, Davies, Von Speyr, Mills, Morrison, Winch, Crow, Smith W, Holmes, Barnard (capt) (Beech), Paget.

Saturday, 20th November 2004 - vs Merton 2nd - WON 63 - 0

by David Harn

The two Clubs fielded combination sides at Merton on a bitterly cold and wet Saturday lunch time to play a rearranged fixture prior to the home international at Twickenham, in front of several hardy souls determined to watch.

The spectators were frozen but not disappointed because both sides attempted to play attractive open rugby which lead to the fitter OF eventually running away with the match.

The regular training by Freemen’s was soon evident in their support play across the pitch and although Merton never gave up, their defence was regularly stretched to breaking point, which is reflected in the fact that eight Freemen’s players scored tries.

Freemen’s team and scorers:

El-Dada (2); Brent (1), Smith, Haywood(1 and 4conv), Burns(1): J. Davies, Dickenson; Pepper, Stainer (2), Gummer (1); Tyrrell, Tribick(1), Miers, Butterfield, Hesketh(2).

On Saturday, Old Freemen’s visit Old Rutlishians in the Surrey Shield.

Saturday, 25th September 2004 - vs Dorking 3rds - WON 12 - 5

by Neil Brent

A typical late summers afternoon in Ashtead Park, of rain and wind, ensured that a fabulous game of exceptional handing and running rugby lay ahead between Old Freemen's and Dorking 3rd XV.

Initial probing by both sets of flankers and centres troubled neither side, and the handling errors were already well into double figures before Dorking opened the scoring with a creative attack involving all 15 players, several spectators and some heavy lifting equipment. The ensuing rolling maul travelled at breakneck speed from inside Freeman's 22, and was only overtaken by an asthmatic ant carrying some heavy shopping.

Freeman's responded with some excellent tactical kicking from Jem and Ali, which resulted in an opportunity for flying winger Turk to score in the corner, but desperate defending saved the day for Dorking. Further kicking allowed Freemen's put pressure on the Dorking Lineout which was already showing more cracks than a copy of Playboy, and it seemed only a matter of time before the unbalanced scoreline would be redressed.Some expansive play by the backs allowed Brent to size up his opposite number and sidestep the hapless old fart, only to find half of Dorkings overweight pack still on his side of the field from a previous scrum some five minutes earlier.

By Half time Old freemen's trailed 5-0, but with the wind at their backs, they prepared to lay siege to the Dorking XV. The breakthrough came early on, when a kick towards the right wing was chased down by Brent, who had the sense to anticipated the bounce, unlike Dorking, whose defence decided to put on an impromptu impression of the Keystone cops. With the ball bouncing into his hands and only 10 meters to the try line, Brent unleashed his trusted side step, briefly stepped on the gas, and rounded the three remaining players to score in the corner. Jem Davis finding himself out on the touchline, with an impossible angle, managed to convert the try exquisitely.

Now heads were up and Old Freeman's continued to secure ball from the lineout, rucks and mauls. Dogged work from the front five and the continued presence of Tribick, Hesketh and Acton, forced yet more handling errors along Dorkings back line, until a fatal error was made. Dorking presented the ball on the ground at the feet of Brent, who "nut-megged", (see dictionary of football for translation), the first player and danced around the second and third like Stanley Matthews, (more akin to Bernard Matthews commented Tribick), only to be stopped in his tracks by a big cheating brute who for some reason thought this was a rugby match, and not an exhibition of Brent's footballing abilities. However, Charalambous took up the charge and deftly scooped the ball up into his hands, applied the required acceleration to outstrip any danger and crossed the line to score a magnificent counter-try.

Freeman's now had a platform from which to apply a finale of tries, as seen in previous matches, but it was not to be, and some late substitutions disrupted any patterns of play that had been established.

Some late scrum pressure applied by Dorking momentarily threatened to cause an upset but the Freeman's resolve was strong and the pack was as likely to move as a Frenchman living next door to a brothel.

With their 100% winning record still intact Freeman's 2 XV go marching on.

Saturday 18th September 2004 - vs Old Blues 2 - WON 38 - 14

by Theo Van Dort

Old Freemen’s 2^nd XV found themselves with a full compliment of 15 players and 5 substitutes on Saturday afternoon for their merit table clash. The ground Old Blues share with KCS in Motspur Park was teaming with teams with several rugby games going on at once.

Arriving in plenty of time for the 3pm kick off, the team even had time to run some training drills and moves. The energy in the changing room was positive and the team were desperate not to repeat the first half efforts of the previous week. And while we are on the subject of the previous week, we were surprised to see that we had exactly the same ref as for our clash against Raynes Park 2. The team talk included a strong word against “back-chatting” the referee.

Old Blues are two leagues above us and OF’s knew they had a game on there hands from the kick off. They were well drilled and looked strong up front, but Freemen’s front row of Ronnie Gummer, Neil Morrison and Steve Jenkins set a stable platform for Dave Grimshaw and Paul Wilson in the engine room.

The game was even stevens for the first ten minutes or so until Jeff Haywood slotted a penalty to give Freemen’s a three point lead. Some wonderful play down the right side of the pitch saw the ball pass through several sets of hands before John Reece unselfishly pass the ball back inside to release his brother James off to set the ball down under the uprights. Haywood converted taking the score-line to 10 – 0. Bambos Charalambos showed great pace and was unlucky not to capitalise on a dropped ball by the Old Blues full back.

Old Blues were angered at being tested by a lower league side and lurched forward again and again testing Freemen’s defence which stood magnificently strong including some relentless tackling my man of the match Jon Bird flanked by fellow back rowers Tom Acton and James Reece. Mark Beebe at inside centre made some devastating runs out of our half, cutting their back line in two and was almost guaranteed a try under the posts until he ran out of steam and couldn’t quite decide which of the three waiting backs to pass the ball to. So he passed to the floor and Old Blues kicked the ball into touch. Neil Morrison also took the ball over the line before dropping it spurring-on several cries of “Jug Avoidance” from the sideline. Freemen’s ended the half with a 10 – 0 lead but Old Blues weren’t going to go down without a contest.

The second half saw John Hess replace Haywood at Full Back and Ali for Andy Owen at scrum half. Freemen’s came out of the turn-around hungry for more and it wasn’t long before Rob Reynolds fitness and speed from a summer of training paid of as he was awarded the first of two tries one on the right wing and one under the posts. Simon Gibbs replaced Beebe in the centre and Barnaby Hesketh took Dave Grimshaw’s place up front. James Reece was awarded a penalty try after he chipped through beautifully and was obstructed getting to the ball. He suffered a twisted ankle an left the field. Theo van Dort came on to the right wing and Rob Reynolds moved to flanker. The changes didn’t upset the balance of the side and it wasn’t long before were capitalising on any loose ball and absolutely loving it! van Dort hacked the ball upfield from the opposition full back’s feet and D’Alex Charalambos picked up cleanly to score under the posts. Hesketh kicked another loose ball shortly after and showed great pace, falling on the perfectly placed ball which settled just over the line.

One of the final moves of the game saw Davies feed Charalambos with quick hands to Reynolds who found van Dort up the right wing outpacing Old Blues wing and full back to place the ball down on the ground with two hands before being knocked over by the opposition. The referee who was a long way behind the players declared that there was no downward pressure. I’m sure he doesn’t like me. That’s two of my tires he’s disallowed in two weeks. Rant over.

The final try should have taken us clear by 40 points but as it was disallowed we settled at 38 – 0, and settled is the right word. Complacency set in and OF’s let OB’s over the line twice in the last six minutes making the final score 38 – 14 according to the ref.

Old Freemens 2^nd XV are on a roll Lets hope they can keep it going!

Team: Gummer, Morrison, Jenkins, Wilson, Grimshaw (Hesketh), Acton, Reece J (Charalambos A), Bird, Owen (Ali), Davies, Charalambos B, Beebe M (Gibbs), Reynolds R, Reece J (van Dort), Haywood (Hess).

Saturday 11h September 2004 - vs Raynes Park 2 - WON 38 - 27

by Theo van Dort

Old Freemen's 2nd XV's original fixture against Lightwater 2nd XV was called off at 11am on Friday morning when our friends worked out between them that they only had three players. After registering with the cricket exchange to find us an opposition Malcolm Beech realised that even an entire cricket team plus the Lightwater 2's added up to 14 players, and decided he better register with the rugby exchange instead. Several phone calls later and the away fixture at Lightwater had transformed itself into a home fixture against Raynes Park 2.

Our illustrious leader of men, Andrew "Farm" Barnard had set a great example to his team by not being there at the meet time. The young and wolf like Tom Acton, Farm's newly appointed right hand man, took to his new position admirably and sorted the leaderless rabble into a team. I realised that at the tender age of 29 I was by far the oldest of a young, fit and vibrant back line, when I remembered that Jeremy "Fagin" Davies should indeed have been putting on his trusty number 10 shirt. Alas, no-one had told Jeremy that the Lightwater fixture was cancelled and he was on his way back up the M3.

Farm finally turned up looking very proud of himself. Having spent Friday night painting Cardiff town red, he had thoroughly entertained his new girlfriend by managing to throw up in the door-well of his VW doing 60mph on the M4. This is turn made her heave. A beautiful image all round.

Farm made the tactical decision to play uphill and into the wind first half. Raynes Park kicked off and the first few minutes of play were fairly even. The oppo no.10 decided to try for an early drop goal which missed and the wind made it very hard to escape from the dreaded end near the long jump pit. In one inspirational moment early on in the first half, quick service from Andy Owen at Scrum half fed the ball to Davies, onto the centre partnership of Smiler Reynolds, and D'Alex Charalambos who drew the man and timed a perfect pass to van Dort who ran effortlessly-ish up the left wing outpacing their winger and full back to score - only for the ref to decide ten seconds later that it had been a forward pass. Lateral surely, sir.

Neil Morrisons throwing in was accurate and the forwards battled hard including solid play by Farm, Ronnie Duracell Gummer, and locks Dave Grimshaw and James Crow. The back row of Ben Telford, Paul Wilson and Acton seemed to be everywhere, right wing John Reece was hunting too and there were several other inspired moments in the first 40 minutes, including a lovely passage of play that saw about fifteen phases take us from our 22 to their 22 - but nothing could seem to help us out. Jeff Haywood's restarts tried to get us further up the pitch but the oppo used the wind to take each kick back into our 22 and Raynes Park scored 24 points to Old Freemen's Big Fat Zero. OF's didn't help themselves by back-chatting the ref on several occasions. A referee has never changed a decision once he's made it (except in Fulham vs Arsenal matches) and I still fail to understand the point in giving away valuable yards to make a point. It only serves to turn the ref's bias towards the opposition.

Tactical substitutions at half time saw Haywood changed for Oli Gotto, James Crow for last years school 1st XV captain James Reece and van Dort for the welcome return of Simon Gibbs from Hong Kong. The inspirational addition of young James Reece seemed to be the catalyst required to turn things around for Old Freemen's. Having the wind and the hill to their advantage, things started to go their way. Reece Jnr single handedly scored from the half way line skipping through at least five tackles and this saw the team newly motivated. Oli Gotto went over the line shortly afterwards before Reece Jnr scored his second.

There was a slight interlude while Reece Jnr emptied his freshly digesting curry over the side line observed by a very proud Bill Deighton, admiring the sterling example being set by his recently left protégé. The ref asking "What did Reece think the problem was?" was an amusing moment. Gastroenteritis? No; probably had something to do with the fact that Reece Jnr had no idea he was playing until elder brother John Reece rang him up twenty minutes before kick off, just after he'd finished the aforementioned curry.

Mrs Reece was on the touch line, very proud that her two boys were on the pitch together but worried that John was going to be upset by his younger brother's two tries. She needn't have worried. John latched onto the ball three times and managed to score himself a hatrick. James Tremaine was strong as ever when he replaced Acton for the last twenty minutes. Jeremy Davies converted four out of six leaving Raynes Park 2 stunned that their 24-0 lead at half time had crumbled to a 38 - 27 final score line.

Old Freemen's 2's take on Old Blue's next Saturday and hope to repeat this weeks 2nd half performance for 80 minutes.

Barnard, Morrison, Gummer, Grimshaw, Crow (Reece Jnr), Acton (Tremaine), Wilson, Telford, Owen, Davies, van Dort (Gibbs), Reynolds, Charalambos, Reece Snr, Haywood (Gotto) - Subs Unused: Irish Mike

Saturday 4th September 2004 - Trial XV vs Old Wandsworthians (Trial)

Pre-Season Friendly by James Hutchison

Old Freemen's 32 Old Wandsworthians 5

Played on Saturday 4th September 2004 at Old Freemen's

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle, Stainer (capt), Winch, Hutchison, Beech, Butterfield, Bird (Barnett), Fair, Smith, Hobbs, Brent, Shipp, Nichol, Turk, Hodges (Broome)

Old Freemen's 2nd XV: Mills, Morrison, Pepper, Wilson, Barnard (capt), Acton, Beebe, Seely, Burns, Davies, Charalambous, Catling, Reynolds, Brown, Aussie Tom, Reece, Tyrell, Crow, Tribbick.

Date

L/F/C

Other

Arranged Fixture

Fixture Played

Ground

W/L/D

For

Against

Won

Drawn

Lost

For

Against

Points Difference

2004/2005

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Trial

Hog Roast

Old Wandsworthians

-

H

-

32

5

0

0

0

0

0

0

Sep 11

L

-

Old Whitgiftians

-

H

W

48

0

1

0

0

48

0

48

Sep 18

C

-

Old Reigatians

-

A

L

0

6

1

0

1

48

6

42

Sep 25

L

-

London Cornish

-

A