home-archive-05-06.htm

Surrey 2 Final League Table as at May 2006
1	Croydon	28
2	Old Alleynian	26
3	Old Freemens	26
4	Chipstead	24
5	Old Haileyburians	19
6	Streatham-Croydon	13
7	Mitcham	13
8	Old Whitgiftians	12
9	Old Rutlishians	10
10	Old Cranleighans	9

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Photos can be seen at www.scrumpix.co.uk - go to 'Picture Shop', and find the fixture.

Surrey Champions again! Old Freemen’s claimed the coveted Surrey Shield for the second year in a row on another wonderful day for the rugby club.

Five hundred spectators cheered as they held on for their thirteenth victory in a row in 2006, after tries from winger Marcus Hodges, captain and hooker Jon Stainer, and scrum-half and Man of the Match Sam Tomkins had given them the lead.

A feisty Old Haileyburians side fought well, and the match was still in the balance until the final whistle, which brought scenes of joy and celebration that continued until Monday afternoon.

Huge numbers of second half penalties nearly cost the Home side as they had two of their players sin binned, and found themselves on the back foot for long periods of play.

However, a convincing first-half performance had yielded a strong position for Old Freemen’s to defend. The forwards set their stall out at the first scrum, shoving the opposition backwards and immediately putting their backs under pressure. Props Jon Bower and Nicos Charalmbous both performed outstandingly at the set piece allowing Freemen’s to control the game.

In addition, Malcolm Beech, Rob Tyrrell and James Hutchison performed superbly in the lineout, securing quality possession on our throw and frequently spoiling the OH’s throw – with no clean ball, Old Haileyburians could not release their talented back line.

The opening try came from first phase ball after a scrum, with Number 8 Richard Butterfield charging down the blindside, before some deft handling saw Tomkins and Hodges link up to create an overlap allowing the winger to charge 30 yards for the corner.

With Steve Winslet kicking well out of hand, Old Freemen’s were not only controlling possession, but also claimed the territorial advantage. A lineout deep within the OH half saw a catch and drive towards the line. As the rolling maul collapsed, another surge by Bower set up position for Stainer to burrow over the line, and the second try was duly converted by Winslet.

Old Freemen’s continued to play the conditions well, using centres Alex Shipp and Duncan Billane to power into the Haileyburians’ midfield, keeping the ball tight in the slippery conditions. In contrast, the opposition tried to play a wide, expansive game, but regularly lost possession through dropped passes and knock-ons.

Unfortunately, a degree of complacency began to creep into the Freemen’s game, as they allowed the other team more space and time on the ball. Despite holding out until half-time with a 12-0 lead, this was a sign of things to come.

After the interval, Old Haileyburians began brightly, creating a number of good opportunities, but failing to convert at least two clear chances to let Freemen’s off the hook. However, with more possession, the pressure finally told as one missed tackle resulted in a try in the corner for OHs.

This brought Freemen’s back to life, and they began to regain control of the ball, as they had done in the first half. As the time ticked away, Freemen’s managed to extend their lead with the third try, providing a more comfortable margin for the last quarter. Winslet unleashed a long kick deep into their territory, which was followed up well by the back three of Hodges, Richard Hill and Matt Lister. Lister managed to regain possession and offload to Tomkins who sprinted over in the corner to make the score 17 points to 5.

Losing flanker Tim Barnett and then Stainer to the sin bin, and conceding numerous penalties at the breakdown, Freemen’s had to defend their line heroically until the very last minute. Old Haileyburians’ forwards crashed over the line in the final play of the game, but there was no time left for another score, and the Home side retained their title.

Whilst the Freemen’s 1st XV did their jobs on the pitch, there was a huge cast of workers led by Club Chairman David Harn making the day a fabulous occasion. Irene Gummer deserves huge thanks for organising the feeding of players and spectators, whilst sponsors Volkspeed Engineering have been generous supporters all season.

Old Freemen’s: Charalambous (Coyle), Stainer (c), Bower, Beech (Bird), Tyrrell, Hutchison, Barnett (March), Butterfield (Fair), Tomkins, Winslet, Hodges, Shipp, Billane, Lister, Hill. Subs not used: Hobbs, Owens, Coulston

Old Freemen’s rained on the champions’ parade at the weekend with a very satisfying victory over Croydon, who will be promoted to Surrey One next year. The win extended Old Freemen’s unbeaten run in 2006 to twelve, with just one more match to be played this season – the Tetley’s Bitter Surrey Shield Final.

It was vital that Old Freemen’s claimed this last League victory to maintain their momentum leading up to the Surrey Shield showdown with Old Haileyburians on 23rd April. They did so in emphatic style in front of a hostile crowd, and played with composure and confidence to shut Croydon out of the game.

Tries from second-row Malcolm Beech and substitute Jon Bird helped the Away side to build an eighteen point advantage from which there was simply no return for Croydon. Despite a lucky try in the last quarter, the league winners were never in the match.

Croydon began the first half strongly, with some fierce running from their forwards, but they were always met by the tireless Freemen’s defensive brick wall and they could not make any headway. During the first 15 minutes, they used every trick in their book to break down the defence, but soon ran out of ideas.

Fly-half Steve Winslet kicked well out of hand to keep Freemen’s in the opposition territory, and it was only a matter of time before they could secure enough possession to earn a score. From the back of a scrum, number eight Richard Butterfield seized the ball, rounded the defender and offloaded to winger Marcus Hodges. The ball then passed through several players’ hands before second row Malcolm Beech put his head down for the corner. He still had work to do, but was strong enough to carry the opposition winger over the line with him for the try.

Winslet penalties either side of the interval extended the lead to eleven points. Captain Jon Stainer left the field at the interval after an effective forty minutes, and was replaced by Bird, the rampaging open side flanker. He provided a strong link between forwards and backs, allowing centres Jon Wilson and Duncan Billane some space to show their class.

Bird also claimed the second try, after a strong drive from the pack led by man mountain Rob Tyrrell and the dynamic prop Paul Coyle. As the forwards rumbled towards the posts, Bird and Beech peeled off the side to score.

With a comfortable lead, Old Freemen’s began to demonstrate some outstanding rugby. Butterfield produced another majestic display from the base of the scrum, whilst the back three of Hodges, Reyno Norval and Matt Lister combined well to produce some beautiful flowing running. Hodges in particular had another superb game in the Freemen’s 1st team jersey.

The exciting rugby was quashed somewhat after an erratic bounce of the ball led to a try for Croydon, who suddenly thought they were back in the game with 15 minutes on the clock. They proceeded to tuck the ball away in the forwards and rumble into the opposition, which killed the game as any sort of spectacle. Old Freemen’s stood up well to these bullying tactics, and the front 8 were up to the fight, repelling a number of rolling mauls.

Scrum-half Andy Owens produced a fine performance and was vital in calling the defensive shots, marshalling the forwards into position to stop Croydon in their tracks. As it was, Croydon’s tight gameplan went unrewarded, and Freemen’s held on for another terrific win. The excited buzz around the Old Freemen’s Rugby Club continues as they prepare for their 45th annual tour to Mudeford at Easter, followed by the Surrey Shield final to be played at Ashtead Park.

The second team beat Old Walcountians with a last-minute try, with an excellent performance from Tom Fair, staking his claim for a place in the 1st team squad.

Old Freemen’s: Coyle (Charalambous), Stainer (Bird), Bower, Tyrrell, Beech, Hutchison, March, Butterfield, Owens, Winslet, Hodges, Wilson, Billane, Norval (Barnett), Lister

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Old Freemen’s made fools of their League One opposition at the weekend, with an outstanding performance that saw them reach their second Surrey Shield Final in as many years. The team extended their unbeaten run in 2006 to make it eleven wins in a row, and it is difficult to see how any team can get the better of them at the moment.

The Home side had the upper hand at the set piece, which forced Kingston onto the back foot whenever they had the ball, and strong pressure in defence from the Freemen’s midfield forced the errors. Half-backs Steve Winslet and Sam Tomkins scored all of the points, with three penalties, three conversions and a try for Winslet as well as another brace of tries for Tomkins. Winslet’s kicking out of hand was also superb, using the wind effectively in the first half to pin the opposition in their own territory.

Using the elements well, Freemen’s scored 23 points before the interval which turned out to be a comfortable enough margin to defend facing the wind in the second half. The first try came after a period of sustained pressure, with Freemen’s forwards driving and rucking well. Jon Bower picked up from the base of a ruck and held the defenders at bay with extraordinary strength, before offloading to Tomkins coming at pace through the gap and under the posts.

As Freemen’s maintained momentum, Kingston could not emerge from their half for any length of time. They resorted to running from deep in their own 22, but were met by the rock-like defence of Winslet, Alex Shipp and Duncan Billane in the centre of the park. One sublime tackle from Billane saw him knock over his opposite man, get to his feet to retrieve possession, and flick the ball behind his back to Tomkins. The scrum-half picked the ball from his boots with a great piece of handling, and had enough pace to skip past the defence to score.

Old Freemen’s conceded only one penalty all half, but Winslet knocked over three of his own to set up a healthy lead. Predictably, the second half saw the Home side defending for long periods of time, but with monstrous hits from the likes of Jon Stainer and Rob Tyrrell, Kingston could not make any inroads. The Away side had to make do with three penalties to narrow the gap to eleven, before Winslet ended any hope of a fightback with ten minutes to go.

Having worked their way up the field, kicking well and stealing lineout possession, Old Freemen’s began to encroach on the opposition 22. With a catch and drive from the lineout, the forwards crept closer to the line before Tomkins unleashed the backs. Winslet stepped past his opposite man with a deft shimmy and dived under the posts to a momentous cheer from the supporting crowd.

The Surrey Shield Final will take place on 22nd or 23rd April against Old Haileyburians at a venue to be decided.

Whilst the 2nd XV game was cancelled after London Exiles did not turn up, the 3rd XV had a satisfying win over Kingston’s thirds, winning by 22 points to 7.

Old Freemen’s 1st XV: Charalambous, Stainer (c), Bower, Beech, Tyrrell, Hutchison, Barnett (March), Butterfield, Tomkins, Winslet, Coulston, Shipp (Haywood), Billane, Hodges, Norval

The tenth victory in a row was one of the sweetest – three tries and a clean sheet against bitter rivals Chipstead. Having taught them a rugby lesson in last year’s cup final, Old Freemen’s were beaten in the away fixture before Christmas, but this emphatic win restored the appropriate order of superiority.

Tries from current captain Jon Stainer, and former captains Richard Butterfield and Chas March saw Chipstead satisfactorily defeated. Credit must also go to the brutal tackling of Steve Winslet, Alex Shipp and Duncan Billane in midfield, who stopped anything that ran at them and helped to ensure that the opposition left Ashtead Park without scoring a point.

The Home side survived an early scare, with Chipstead beginning the game very strongly. Old Freemen’s were firmly on the back foot and were spared only by a forward pass as the other team’s backs wasted a 3-man overlap. This stirred Old Freemen’s to life and after a shaky first 5 minutes, they never looked back.

Although they faced a strong wind in the first half, half-backs Sam Tomkins and Steve Winslet controlled the game expertly, with excellent kicking out of hand. With James Hutchison, Malcolm Beech and Rob Tyrrell disrupting the opposition lineouts, Chipstead could not secure any quality possession and were put under significant pressure by an outstanding defensive effort. Their frustrations began to show as they conceded large numbers of penalties, allowing Winslet to keep them pinned in their own half.

One such penalty resulted in a kick for the corner and a beautifully executed lineout produced the first try for Stainer in the corner. Winslet added the conversion to set up a 7-point lead that they kept for the majority of the half, with a further penalty added just before half-time.

After the interval, with the wind now behind them, Old Freemen’s began to assert their dominance, enjoying the better of both territory and possession. At the scrummage, Chipstead could not compete with the powerful front row of Stainer, Jon Bower and Nicos Charamlambous, who won several scrums against the head. One scrum in the opposition 22 saw Number 8 Butterfield scoop the ball from the base and set off like a greyhound out of the traps before a clever shimmy saw him round the Chipstead defence to score near the posts.

The third try came after a rampaging burst from man mountain Tyrrell who was brought down just short of the line for the third week in a row. With some powerful rucking by the supporting forwards, March was on hand to pick up and drive over.

A special mention must also go to Tim Barnett for his tireless foraging in the No. 7 shirt, and then for his clever kicking game when forced to play on the wing. His key contribution helped Old Freemen’s secure the League points that saw them move to third in the table and end Chipstead’s promotion prospects.

Meanwhile, the 2nd XV also recorded a well-deserved 31-0 win over Racal Decca, with tries from Mike von Speyr, Richard Turk, Grant Holmes and James Burns. Next week, they play London Exiles, whilst Old Freemen’s face Kingston in the semi-final of the Surrey Shield; both games at Ashtead Park.

Old Freemen’s 1st XV: Charalambous, Stainer (c), Bower, Tyrrell, Beech, Hutchison, Barnett, Butterfield, Tomkins, Winslet, Hodges, Shipp, Billane, Coulston, Haywood (March)

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Old Freemen’s continued their march to the final and the successful defence of their Tetley’s Bitter Surrey Shield title by overcoming Raynes Park on Saturday. The Home side played with confidence and conviction to score seven tries, secure their semi-final place and record their ninth straight victory in 2006.

Dominant in every facet of the game, Freemen’s were able to exert considerable pressure from the first whistle and ultimately scored the points they deserved. Scrum-half Sam Tomkins scored a brace of tries within the first quarter by pouncing on mistakes by Raynes Park. Both came after scrums in the opposition 22, where the front row of Paul Coyle, Jon Stainer and Jon Bower were too powerful and shunted their pack backwards resulting in inevitable errors by their scrum-half.

It was not long before Freemen’s added a third try, using the height of Rob Tyrell and Malcolm Beech to win good lineout ball. A set move in opposition territory saw a clean take at the front of the line, flanker James Hutchison taking the ball up the blindside and offloading to his captain Stainer to charge over from 10 metres.

The Freemen’s backs enjoyed playing behind a solid platform, with fly-half Duncan Billane calling the shots and regularly unleashing the power of centres Mark Coulston and Alex Shipp who made a number of line breaks and created space for the back three of Jeff Haywood, Marcus Hodges and James Williams. In fact, Hodges played one of his finest games for the 1st XV, frequently getting the better of his opposite man, and scored the fourth try after a beautifully timed pass by Tomkins used the overlap effectively.

Freemen’s were well in control at the interval with a comfortable 24-point lead, but took their eye off the ball slightly in the opening stages of the second half, and found themselves scrambling around in defence and performing with no cohesion. A number of injuries in the back line did not help, but the forwards regained control and re-established their strong platform.

Further tries came from a sprint to the corner from Williams, a fearsome rampage through midfield by Bower and a burrowing touchdown from Haywood. Unfortunately, Freemen’s could not maintain their clean sheet and conceded a soft try midway through the half, but by then the game was won.

Momentum continues to build at the Old Freemen’s Rugby Club, with a mouth-watering finale in prospect - League showdowns with Chipstead and Croydon to settle the promotion battle, a semi-final at Ashtead Park and potentially another Surrey Shield Final at the end of April.

Old Freemen’s 1st XV: Coyle, Stainer (c), Bower, Tyrrell, Beech, Hutchison, Barnett (N. Charalambous), Butterfield, Tomkins (Brent), Billane (Tremaine), J. Haywood, Shipp, Coulston, Hodges, Williams

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Old Freemen's maintained their unbeaten record in 2006 with a relatively straightforward win over Old Whitgiftians at Ashtead Park. Having enjoyed a 32-17 win in the reverse fixture in September, Old Freemen's were confident of victory, but the scoreline perhaps should have better reflected their superiority.

Despite never looking like losing, Freemen's did not exert their dominance satisfactorily. Against fairly mediocre opposition, the Home side should have been looking to score considerably more points.

Old Freemen's possess a wide variety of attacking options as part of their armoury and often insist on using as many as possible in one match. A wiser strategy, however, may be to identify the option that is working most successfully against a team and continue to press home the advantage in that area.

Against Old Whitgiftians on Saturday Freemen's dominated the lineout, with second-rows Malcolm Beech and Rob Tyrrell towering over their sub-6 foot opposite numbers. Supported by a strong front row of Paul Coyle, Jon Stainer and young Nicos Charalambous, the driving maul from the lineout was functioning beautifully. The opposition did not know how to respond and frequently resorted to dragging down the rumbling juggernaut and conceding a penalty.

This move did result in the third try for the Home side, with flanker Tim Barnett touching down in the second half, but on other occasions when the opportunity to kick for the corner arose, different options were taken, including a scrummage and a tapped penalty both 5 metres from the line, but neither resulting in a score.

So for all of Old Freemen's dominance, the pressure was not always converted into points. In fact, they fell behind to an early penalty and looked somewhat out of sorts in the first half, with the Whitgiftian backs enjoying considerable time on the ball. However, Freemen's responded through their forwards, with a number of drives into the heart of the defence allowing Barnett to thunder over from close range for his first try.

In the second period, the Freemen's backs looked more convincing, marshalled well by fly-half Duncan Billane, and featuring one or two searing breaks from powerful centre Mark Coulston. The Old Whitgiftians' tackling held reasonably firm, and it took a clever sniping break from scrum-half Sam Tomkins to spot the mismatch in defence and skip past the opposition prop before rounding the full-back to score under the posts.

With the final try scored with 25 minutes to go, it looked like Freemen's might open up and score more points. Instead, they conceded a late try after some lazy defending allowed Old Whits to chip the ball through and score in the corner.

Next week, Old Freemen's will be looking for a more clinical performance as they face Raynes Park in the twice rearranged Surrey Shield fixture, with a strong supporting crowd expected at Ashtead Park.

Old Freemen's: Charalambous, Stainer (C), Coyle, Tyrrell (Hutchison), Beech, Shipp, Barnett, Butterfield, Tomkins (Winslet), Billane, Haywood, Coulston, Wilson, Hodges, Haywood

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Freemen’s extended their 2006 unbeaten League run to six matches with a comfortable win over Streatham & Croydon at Thornton Heath on Saturday.

On a perfect afternoon for rugby, Freemen’s forwards soon got stuck-in against an experienced Streatham pack and the pressure yielded two penalties for Steve Winslet. With Chas March and Tim Barnett roaming hungrily, Rob Tyrrell and Richard Butterfield were rampant, and Malcolm Beech was never far from their sides.

Freemen’s first try came when a loose Streatham clearance kick was collected on half-way by scrum-half Sam Tomkins. He left the home side standing as he cruised into their 22 before unleashing Marcus Hodges on a 20 metre gallop to score.

Trailing 0 – 11 at half time, the home side’s frustrations spilled over and they fell victims of their own back-chat on several occasions, Winslet punishing them with a further penalty.

Streatham are traditionally a strong forwards unit, but Freemen’s matched and overhauled them, for which credit to the front-row of Paul Coyle, Nicos Charalambous and skipper Jon Stainer. Freemen’s defence successfully launched brilliant defensive blankets when required to repel some fierce Streatham drives.

A satisfying afternoon for Freemen’s ended with another long-range try involving superb handling by Winslet, Jeff Haywood, Hodges and Alex Shipp, before Duncan Billane re-entered the move with the scoring touchdown. The afternoon was topped and tailed by two notable incidents. Ian Nickoll sadly broke his shoulder in the warm-up, and Freemen’s were able to bring off the bench their promising new prop Lee Walstow and veteran flanker James Tremaine for a deserved run-out.

On Saturday Freemen’s hold a lunch at Ashtead Park for friends and former players, before facing Old Whitgiftians in a League clash (k.o. 3 p.m.).

Old Freemen’s: Haywood. Hodges, Shipp, Billane, Owen. Winslet, Tomkins. Charalambous, N. (Walstow), Stainer (capt), Coyle, Tyrrell, Beech, Barnett, (Tremaine), Butterfield.

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Whilst wishing a huge ‘bon chance’ to Dorking RFC as they pursue the dream of a Twickenham final, Old Freemen’s have themselves been quietly recovering from a minor pre-Christmas collapse.

Currently unbeaten in five Surrey Division 2 outings in 2006, the latest a convincing 38 – 10 romp over Old Rutlishians at Ashtead, they retain fourth place as the teams gather for the final rounds in an increasingly competitive table. Add-in a home quarter-final this weekend against Raynes Park in defence of their Surrey Shield and things look pretty rosy for skipper Jon Stainer and his Ashtead Park crew at the moment.

Freemen’s flew from the whistle on Saturday and it was tight-head prop Nicos Charalambous, in his first season in the senior team, who ignored the code of the front-row union and starred with tries in the opening seconds of each half.

The first try came from 30 metres as the Ruts’ defence parted in the path of the rampant prop. His second rewarded shrewd anticipation as scrum-half Sam Tomkins played soccer from half-way and Charalambous was perfectly placed to pick-up and plunge over to score. A jug was beckoning!

Scores for Freemen’s came regularly in a dominant the first half. With a plentiful supply of ball from the forwards, Steve Winslet sliced past waving arms for a try from 22 metres. Tom Fair was next on the list with some nifty poaching at a line-out before stretching his full length to touch down.

Just before half-time, Tomkins produced the ‘play of the day’ as he glided half the length of the pitch along the left-hand touchline, skipping past despairing defence to score. Turning round with a 24 –3 lead, Freemen’s supporters were expectant of a second half points feast, but a combination of some tenacious defence by Ruts and some over-cautious refereeing stilted the flow of the game.

Freemen’s back –row of the outstanding Tim Barnett, Chas March and Richard Butterfield became frustrated as their characteristic foraging to release the illegally trapped ball was constantly halted, but normal service resumed when a deft switch from Tomkins freed full-back Richard Hill on an arcing run before wing Marcus Hodges finished with a try under the posts.

Steve Winslet converted four of the six tries to further unsettle the visitors and give Freemen’s another win, but left them thinking that perhaps another 20 points would have been a fairer reflection of their efforts.

Old Freemen’s: Hill. Hodges, Coulston, Billane, Lister (Haywood,J.). Winslet, Tomkins. Charalambous, N., Stainer (capt), Coyle (Walstow), Fair, Beech, Barnett, March (Tyrrell), Butterfield. (www.oldfreemens.co.uk)

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On a sunny but cold afternoon Old Freemen's won a hard fought encounter with Old Haileyburians 13-8 for their third successive victory of 2006.

Haileyburians won the toss and elected to play with the strong wind that blew across Ashtead Park. With this in mind, Freemen's looked to gain territory through their powerful forward pack and the reliable boot of fly half Steve Winslet.

With both teams evenly matched, Freemen's were happy to come away with the points when an indiscretion from the opposition pack left Winslet the chance to open the scoring with a neatly struck penalty.

An outstanding defensive display in the Freemen's midfield left the opposition frustrated as every attack was met head on by the home side tacklers. With flankers Barnett and Shipp quick to the breakdown any attack from the visitors was quickly closed down.

With Freemen's stringing multiple phases together, they knew it wouldn't be too long before gaps would appear in the visitors defence. As the Freemen's pack rumbled the ball up the middle of the field, quick ball from scrum half Sam Tomkins put Reyno Norval in space and he was able to beat his man and off load to prop John Bower who powered over in the corner despite the attention of the Haileyburians full back.

The conversion was missed, but Freemen's went into half time in buoyant mood with the strong wind know in their favour.

Freemen's were able to pin the opposition back as Winslet cleverly kicked to the corners as the home side looked to build on their advantage. However, it was Haileyburians who were to strike next. Retaining the ball excellently, they stretched the home side defence and a neatly weighted kick saw the away side winger dive over in the corner. The conversion was missed, making a nail biting finish to the game.

A special effort was needed, and captain Jon Stainer provided the goods. A well-rehearsed line out saw Stainer burst deep into the Haileyburians twenty-two, and with the pack arriving quickly number 8 Richard Butterfield was driven over. The conversion was missed but Freemen's saw the match out for a fine victory.

Freemen's now look forward to returning to Cup action, hosting Raynes Park in the Surrey Shield Quarter Final on Saturday 4th February.
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Old Freemen’s enjoyed a clean sweep with all three sides victorious on Saturday.

The first team held on to fifth place in Surrey League 2 with a win at Mitcham. Freemen’s had exploded out of the blocks, and were looking good for a 50 pointer, but by the end of the game they were clinging on to a narrow victory. Mitcham defended stoutly in the first half restricting the Old Boys to a 15 – 3 lead, and so nearly gained the upper hand with the only try of a scrappy second half, as Freemen’s lost their shape.

A degree of over-eagerness meant that the visitors’ opening flowing moves had failed to produce a score, until skipper Jon Stainer resorted to Steve Winslet’s boot for the first penalty after 10 minutes. Freemen’s new half-back combination of Sam Tomkins and Winslet gelled quickly, making space for the backs to work the wide-open spaces. Jon Hobbs at centre enjoyed a splendid half, resulting in a converted try just before half time to add to Jimmy Williams’ earlier chip and chase try, compensating for some earlier show-boating that saw a certain try go begging!

The forwards enjoyed the expansive game and back rowers Chas March, Alex Shipp and Richard Butterfield linked well. Tom Fair and Malcolm Beech ensured that the line-outs were shored-up while prop Nikos Charalambous showed deft touches with the ball in hand.

Down but not out at half-time, Mitcham decided to stop kicking away loose ball and restricted Freemen’s scope, but the Old Boys’ defence ensured that they emerged victorious – just, by 15 - 8!

Freemen’s 2nd beat Weybridge Vandals 30 –15, with tries by skipper Alex Tribick, Neil Brent, Jeff Haywood and Duncan Emerton, and two conversions and two penalties by Jem Davies.

Freemen’s 3rd won 39 – 0 at Merton 3rd, with tries by Andrew Suttle, James Tremaine, Harry Jenkins (from the half-way line!), John Winch, Bambos Charalambous, Theo Van Dort and Simon Gibbs. David Duke converted 2.

Freemen’s meet Old Haileyburians on Saturday, and on 4th February host a Surrey Shield quarter final at Ashtead Park against Raynes Park.

Old Freemen’s: Hill. Hodges (Norval), Coulston, Hobbs, Williams. Winslet, Tomkins. Charalambous, N., Stainer (capt), Coyle, Fair, Beech, Shipp (Telford), Match (Barnett), Butterfield.

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Old Freemen's came out on top in a League thriller at Ashtead Park at the weekend. The Home side avenged a convincing defeat in the first leg of this tie to snatch the league points with a penalty kick three minutes from time.

The two evenly matched sides battled all afternoon in a physical contest, the result of which could have gone either way. There were some controversial refereeing decisions throughout the match, but the advantage to each side roughly evened itself out. One such decision, thirty seconds from full time, could have lost Freemen's the game when Alleynians were handed a penalty but missed the opportunity to steal the victory.

Exemplary kicking from full back Steve Winslet ensured Freemen's remained in contention, and it was fitting that his kick won the game. Fly-half Jon Hobbs scored the only try, but fifteen points from the Winslet boot were enough to put Freemen's season back on track after a poor run of form before Christmas.

Old Freemen's began ferociously, with a rumbling rolling maul in the first two minutes driving towards the posts. Despite going unpunished for collapsing the maul, the energy-sapping drive caused Alleynians to concede a penalty one or two phases later. Winslet stepped up and Freemen's were ahead within three minutes.

Although they squandered a number of good chances resulting from sustained pressure, two further penalties in the first half were sufficient to maintain Freemen's lead at half-time. A try and a penalty from Alleynians, meant that the half time score was 9-8.

The second half began in a similar vein to the first. Facing the wind, Freemen's forwards maintained the upper hand, winning the majority of lineouts, and exerting significant pressure at the scrum. Although Alleynians clearly had pace and skill out wide, they were often starved of possession due to the efforts of the Freemen's pack.

The Home side camped in the opposition half for long periods, but could not find a way through. The rolling maul was working effectively, but Alleynians were ale to drag it down without being penalised. A charging run from second row Rob Tyrrell nearly resulted in a try under the posts, but he was dragged down frustratingly short. However, continued pressure meant that mistakes were made, and Hobbs was able to captialise on a spilt pass when he hacked through and chased well to score in the corner.

Penalties were exchanged to take the score to 17-11 in Freemen's favour. The opposition responded well and when the Alleynians' backs did have the ball, they seemed to create chances out of nothing, and one missed tackle meant that a try was conceded. The conversion meant that Alleynians took the lead for the first time in the match with less than ten minutes on the clock.

Showing excellent courage and commitment, Freemen's strove on and were rewarded. A lineout on the halfway line presented the opportunity they needed. An excellent catch and subsequent drive towards the posts had the crowd roaring, and Alleynians crumbled under the force and gave away a penalty for Winslet to step up and win the game.

Outstanding performances from number eight Richard Butterfield and hooker Jon Stainer characterised the will to win of the whole team. The back row of Chas March, Alex Shipp and Butterfield won possession at the breakdown on several occasions, and centres Mark Coulston and Duncan Billane stood firm in the face of a dynamic opposition back line.

Old Freemen's: Charalambous, Stainer (c), Bower, Tyrrell (Fair), Hutchison, March, Shipp (Barnett), Butterfield, Owens, Hobbs, Hodges, Coulston, Billane, Haywood, Winslet.
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The Old Freemen's run of poor form continued at the weekend as they slumped to a 22-3 defeat at the hands of league leaders Chipstead. Although the performance was marginally better than in recent weeks, the ability to create scoring chances is still frustratingly missing.

Freemen's maintained enough possession to win a game of rugby, but struggled again to reach the third or fourth phase on a regular basis. They were faced with a physical forward pack that dominated the scrum contest, and Freemen's plight in this area was exacerbated by the loss of Jon Stainer, captain and front row leader. This meant that their usual power at the scrum and lineout was critically compromised and gave Chipstead the upper hand.

The first half was very much a stalemate, with both sides struggling to sustain any continuity on a dreadful pitch. The battle was played out mainly in midfield, with Freemen's having a slight edge in terms of possession. With some well-executed kicking out of hand from fly-half Duncan Billane and centre Jon Hobbs, Freemen's were able to keep out of their own danger area.

However, in attack, the forwards seemed to lack the power to make much impact on the gain line. This meant that the backs were rarely given quick ball on the front foot and could not create anything dynamic enough to breach the opposition defence. It should be noted that the referee did not help matters in terms of continuity, with little or no idea how to officiate at the breakdown, with Chipstead often guilty of killing the ball without being penalised.

As it was, Chipstead scored four unanswered tries, as their pack continued to assert their dominance, winning several scrums against the head. Freemen's still could not find the cutting edge in attack that saw them win the first seven games of the season.

Old Freemen's now look forward to the much-needed Christmas break after a busy Autumn schedule, with a chance to reinvigorate their season in January against Old Alleynians.

Old Freemen's: Coyle, Stainer (C) (Shipp), Acton, Hutchison, Tyrrell, Barnett, March, Butterfield, Walls, Billane, Hodges, Webb (Hill), Hobbs, Haywood (Williams), Kruger
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Old Freemen's could not shake off their winter blues when Croydon visited Ashtead Park at the weekend. Unfortunately, it was another game they could have won, but lost by a single score in a dismal display of rugby.

Croydon clearly did not arrive to entertain the crowd, instead keeping the ball tight and using their powerful pack to rumble forwards. When Freemen's had possession, their decision-making let them down frequently, choosing to run when they should have kicked for territory, or alternatively giving the ball away when they should have kept the ball in hand and strung together some phases.

The Home side did not have the know-how required to defend the rolling maul without pulling it down and conceding penalties. Croydon scored both of their tries through the catch-and-drive from a lineout as the crowd groaned at the ugliness of the performance.

Freemen's had enough possession with which to score, but seemed unable to create any opportunities. Without the intelligence to keep the ball tight, and lacking the cutting-edge in the backs, there was very little action within the opposition's 22-yard line.

An early penalty from fly-half Jon Hobbs had given them the lead, to which they held on for most of the first-half as a midfield stalemate unfolded. Croydon scored their two tries either side of half-time, but converted neither, leaving Freemen's within touching distance.

A number of wrong decisions were made, with penalties squandered by running the ball only to be turned over instead of kicking for the corner and driving for the line. Having said that, the kicking out of hand was also poor, so any attempt to kick for the corner probably would have missed touch.

Front row forwards Tom Acton and Jon Stainer worked hard all afternoon, while the back row of Alex Shipp, Richard Butterfield and Tim Barnett were tireless in their ball-scavenging attempts. Unfortunately though, the whole team were desperately short of ideas in attack, and work needs to be done on their decision-making in various situations.

Next week, Old Freemen's face top-of-the-table Chipstead in need of some Christmas cheer.

Old Freeemen's: Bower (Acton), Stainer (C), Emerton, Beech (Hutchison), Tyrrell, Barnett, Shipp, Butterfield, Walls, Hobbs, Brent (Williams), Coulston, Billane, Haywood, Kruger.
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Old Freemen's fell to a bitterly disappointing defeat against a poor side that should have easily been dealt with. Despite enjoying the majority of possession, the Home side could simply not string together enough phases to score tries.

The performance was riddled with errors, with too many knock-ons and turnovers to allow any sort of continuity in attack. Freemen's gameplan did not suit the wet, cold conditions, with regular attempts at ambitious passes and offloads in the tackle missing their intended targets. As the Home side attempted to emulate the All Blacks in their attacking creativity and keeping the ball alive, Streatham played much more sensibly, kicking for the corners and using the driving maul.

Nevertheless, Freemen's began brightly, with efficient rucking and a number of breaks from fly-half Jon Hobbs, and although Streatham's defence was generally strong, they regularly had to resort to cheating to prevent Freemen's from scoring. Although a number of penalties were awarded, the referee declined the use of the sin bin until 2 minutes from time, and so if Freemen's were not thwarted by their own inability to pass and catch, they were stopped by Streatham's ability to kill the ball illegally. It is telling that all of Freemen's points came through penalties.

Hobbs kicked the Home side into the lead early on, but Streatham were allowed to score a simple try through a defensive error. Five metres from the line, the scrum wheeled and allowed Streatham's Number Eight to pick up from the base, with Freemen's back row out of position, and run at the line where the tackling was not strong enough to prevent the score. Frustratingly, their second score was also from first phase and also resulted from sub-standard defensive efforts.

Freemen's were always in contention, and levelled the score at 12-12 with 10 minutes to go, but the Away side regained their lead through a penalty of their own. Despite some useful attacking opportunities in the last few minutes, including a squandered 2 on 1 overlap in the last play of the game, Freemen's could not find the winning try.

Work must be done on the training pitch to regain the confidence and cohesiveness displayed during the 6-game winning streak at the start of the season. No player performed well enough to warrant a mention, but captain Jon Stainer's efforts should be recognised as he tirelessly led his men through a very unrewarding 80 minutes. Freemen's have a difficult run in to Christmas, but are desperate to return to winning ways - next week they face Croydon and will be looking for a much improved performance.

Old Freemen's: Acton, Stainer (c), Coyle, Tyrrell, Beech, March, Barnett (Hutchison), Butterfield, Walls, Hobbs, Hodges (Lister), Shipp, Billane, Brent, Kruger.
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Old Freemen's went into this match with high hopes of rising to the top of the table but fell short as the home side raced to a three try lead in the first quarter. Freemen's were under pressure right from the kick off, and with some incisive running from the Alleynian backs it did not take long for the first score.

With Freemen's struggling to get into the game as they were starved of possession, the quick rucking game Alleynians employed meant their fly half was able to dictate the game. Some intelligent kicking saw a further two tries as Freemen's failed to gain the luck of the bounce.

Action was needed and the Freemen's pack began to assert their mark on the game pushing for their first score. Powerful drives from Beech and some excellent scavenging by March and Barnett were finally rewarded as the home side conceded a penalty in their own 22. A well worked set move saw Stainer set up good clean ball and Kruger was able to feed Butterfield to crash over. Hobbs successfully added the two points and Freemen's went into the second half in confident mood despite trailing 28-7.

The second half saw some strong defending by both teams. Freemen's were camped in the Alleynians half and were unlucky to be denied a score when Billane was adjudged to have knocked the ball on as he slid over the line and a try scoring pass was deemed to have floated forwards by the referee.

And that's how it ended, despite controlling the majority of the play Freemen's were unable to turn the pressure into points and the second half remained scoreless. With significant matches before Christmas, Freemen's know they have to recapture their early season form that saw some notable victories.
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There were no fireworks at Ashtead Park on Saturday afternoon as Freemen's
were convincingly beaten by an efficient Petersfield side. Despite having the
larger share of possession, the Home side were repeatedly punished for any
mistakes they made.

The Freemen's forwards were faced with a large, physical Petersfield pack and
so implemented a gameplan to use the pace and skill of the backs in attack,
moving the ball away from the tackle area as fast as possible. This plan
worked well in the opening period, with forceful rucking from back-rowers
Chas March and Alex Shipp. Their speed around the park enabled a number of
turnovers, and Freemen's regularly found themselves on the front foot.

Moreover, the lineouts worked efficiently at first, with Tom Fair jumping
well and securing quality possession. Captain Jon Hobbs enjoyed controlling
the back line, regularly releasing the likes of centre Mark Coulston and
wing Marcus Hodges. The pressure on Petersfield was telling early on, but
Freemen's did not convert this into points, with a penalty missed in the
opening ten minutes.

Petersfield were not so wasteful with their scoring opportunities. One
defensive lapse led to their first try, with a poor tackle attempt allowing
the opposition backs to waltz through the gap and under the posts.

Freemen's responded with a penalty, but Petersfield pounced again after only
their second attacking sequence. Another Freemen's penalty took the score to
6-14 at half-time, with the Home side feeling rather hard done by after
having the better of play. Nevertheless, turning around with the wind behind
them, they were confident of a comeback.

Petersfield, who play in the same league as London Cornish, the side that
Freemen's overcame in the previous round, had other ideas. An injury to Tom
Fair reduced the strength of the lineout, and Petersfield's attack began to
gather momentum. The Home side's defence was not strong enough to keep out
the attack, as they conceded a number of tries from broken play.

Strong performances from Paul Coyle and Duncan Emerton in the tight five
were not enough to stem the tide. The final score did not fairly reflect the
balance of the game, and Freemen's left the field downhearted, with their
National Cup campaign finished.

However, this leaves them to concentrate on the League, where they are
battling for promotion back to Surrey League One. Next week, Freemen's face
Old Alleynians in a top-of-the-table clash.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle, Acton, Winch, Fair, Tyrrell, Shipp, Hutchison,
March, Walls, Hodges, Hobbs, Coulston, Kruger, Williams, Winslet

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Old Freemen's were back to winning ways on Saturday with a determined win over Mitcham at Ashtead Park. After last week's disappointment, several key members of the back line returned to secure another two league points.

Mitcham is always a difficult team to play, but the scoreline flattered the Away team somewhat. As expected Mitcham played very one-dimensional rugby, with powerful driving play from a strong forward pack with little use of their back line. With absolute dominance from numbers 9 to 15, Freemen's should have scored more points.

Mitcham had the better of the opening 20 minutes, effectively using lineout ball to rumble the pack forwards and dominated territory. The Freemen's front eight were on the back foot, but strong tackling from the likes of Alex Shipp and Malcolm Beech prevented Mitcham from scoring easily. However, a quick tapped penalty close to the line caught the Home side unawares, as a 20-stone battering ram crashed his way over from short distance.

Penalties were exchanged before Freemen's began to play to their strengths, using their pace out wide to great effect. Fly-half and captain Jon Hobbs performed superbly, frequently breaking the opposition defensive line with his customary show-and-go. Centres Duncan Billane and Mark Coulston were welcomed back, having been sorely missed the previous week, and were prominent in both attack and defence.

It was Coulston that scored the first try, pouncing on a loose ball and kicking it towards the posts. He then used his speed to outstrip the defence and dive over the line. With the conversion added, the game was in the balance at 10 all at half time.

An early penalty by Hobbs gave Freemen's the edge in the second half, but then a captain's try extended the difference to an unassailable lead. With the Mitcham forwards tiring slightly as they battled the slope and the wind, Freemen's pack was able to exert more pressure at the set piece, with Tom Fair performing well at the lineout and Chas March omnipresent in the loose. The pressure started to tell as the opposition defence frequently found itself in disarray, and Hobbs was able to dart through a gap to score under the posts.

Mitcham scored a late consolation try, but Freemen's fought out a gritty victory, adding another penalty to make the final score 23-15. Although not Freemen's finest performance, the primary objective was to secure a victory before next week's Cup showdown with Petersfield.

The Old Freemen's Rugby Club proudly selected four teams at the weekend, with three playing at Ashtead Park. As the club moves from strength to strength, pressure on places in the 1st fifteen is increasing, which will only help in the team's bid to return to Surrey League One.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Tyrrell (Barnett), Tabbah, Emerton, Fair, Beech, Shipp, March, Butterfield, Kruger, Hobbs, Brent, Coulston, Billane, Hodges, Williams
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It had to end somewhere, but Old Freemen's winning streak collapsed in a most disappointing fashion at Old Haileyburians at the weekend. A number of factors led to the team's downfall, and they did not deserve to win at any stage, but on a positive note, they came close to stealing the League points in the dying minutes.

After the previous week's triumphant victory over London Cornish in the Powergen Cup, the team seemed to fall apart and play as fifteen individuals, abandoning the collective strength that has served them so well this season. Indeed, Freemen's had suffered 6 injuries after their efforts in the Cup, but those called into the side were more than able replacements, so this is no excuse.

Another factor was the referee. With kick off scheduled for 3pm, the official was nowhere to be seen at 5 past the hour. Having followed their usual preparation routine, Freemen's were raring to go on time, but with the referee so late, there was talk of the game being abandoned. This may have broken the concentration, but this is no excuse either, because the opposition had to suffer the same problem. That's as far as the referee will be blamed - we will not mention any of his questionable decisions.

So all these events conspired to bring Freemen's downfall, but Old Haileyburians are due all the credit for a polished performance, dominating possession and overcoming the Freemen's forwards.

Old Haileyburians began very strongly, catching the Away side off guard in the first twenty minutes as they launched wave after wave of strong runners into the heart of the Freemen's defence. Although taken very much by surprise, perhaps suffering from a degree of complacency, the defence was courageous, with some strong tackling led as ever by captain Jon Stainer. Despite being on the back foot for the majority of the half, Freemen's actually led 3-0 until the last minute. Unfortunately, the pressure finally told and a try was conceded under the posts.

Only 7-3 down at half time, Freemen's were heartened by their defensive efforts. They started much more brightly in the second half, with some stong driving play from Rob Tyrrell and Duncan Emerton. The backs were able to enjoy more possession, with Jem Davies releasing the force of Wilson at centre, and the pace of Hodges on the wing.

With more possession and territory, Freemen's were able to score a penalty through fly-half Jem Davies, but the Home side responded with a penalty of their own. Then, after quick turnover ball, the defence was caught on the wrong end of a 3 on 1 overlap, which inevitably resulted in a try.

At 17-6 down, the match was slipping away from Freemen's, but they were stirred into action by Stainer and number eight Chas March. Finally stringing together a number of phases, they were able to exert more pressure on the opposition defence, which eventually resulted in a try for Tyrrell as he crashed over the line from a tapped penalty. With the conversion missed, a converted try was required in the last 5 minutes, but unfortunately it did not come.

It is testament to the quality of the side that although turning in a deeply disappointing sub-standard performance, Freemen's still could have had stolen the points. They look forward to the return match, when they can make amends. Next week will require a much improved show in Ashtead Park in order to get back to winning ways.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Emerton (Fair), Stainer (c), Winch, Tyrrell, Beech, Hutchison, Shipp, March, Owens, Davies, Brent, Wilson, Hill, Hodges, Williams
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The Old Freemen's juggernaut powers on, with the first XV extending their run of wins to six out of six. Last weekend saw the best victory of the season so far, with a defeat of London Cornish in the Powergen Cup, a side two leagues above the Old Freemen.

The outstanding performance by the entire team had the Ashtead Park crowd in raptures, as the Home side absorbed wave after wave of Cornish attack, vehemently defending their line. An excellent team spirit is building within the club, and the commitment that the players demonstrated on Saturday ensured they were on the winning side. Despite being starved of possession, Old Freemen's relentlessly tackled their way through the afternoon and capitalised on scoring opportunities when they arose.

London Cornish suffered a number of disciplinary problems, which further heightened their woes, with two players sin-binned in the second-half. Old Freemen's pressed home their advantage, scoring 13 of their points while the opposition were playing with 14 men.

Playing into the wind and the sun and up the slope, Freemen's led for much of the first half after scoring an early penalty through full-back Steve Winslet. London Cornish began to dominate possession, but the excellent kicking out of hand by Winslet and fly-half Jon Hobbs kept the Home side away from their line as the defence held firm and forced errors from the opposition.

When Freemen's did have the ball, they were met with some very aggressive, often illegal tackling which eventually saw two players in hospital. Scrum-half Dom Smith was on the wrong end of a swinging arm early in the match, and had to be taken off after being concussed. He was ably replaced by Ryan Kruger, playing out of position, but with an assurance that contributed significantly to the victory.

Indeed, rather than lie down in the face of the physical battle, Old Freemen's met it head on, characterised by flanker Alex Shipp's marauding presence, and some strong tackling from midfield duo Duncan Billane and Mark Coulston.

Cornish did break the deadlock late in the first half, when a missed tackle allowed their winger to cross in the corner. Nevertheless, another penalty apiece saw the teams swap ends at the break with Freemen's trailing 8-6, and with the elements now in their favour.

To make their task even more difficult, repeated indiscretions from the Away side saw two of their players leave the field for separate ten minute spells. The Old Freemen's pack seized the iniative and began to dominate, with captain Jon Stainer very much at his menacing best, and with James Hutchison stealing a number of the opposition lineouts to allow Freemen's a larger share of possession.

It was a moment of magic though from Hobbs that saw Freemen's only try of the game. Seeing a hole behind the first line of defence, he deftly chipped the oncoming defenders in the manner of Jonny Wilkinson, then danced around his opposite man in the manner of Michael Flatley, and scooped up the ball to touch down under the posts.

After adding the conversion, Winslet slotted two further penalties to open up some daylight between the two teams. The last quarter of the match saw Freemen's camped on their own line, soaking up a relentless attack, putting their bodies on the proverbial line for each other, desperately hanging on for a well-deserved victory.

Player-coach Jon Bower deserves a special mention, not only for his tireless work in the front row, but also for his dedication to the coaching role that has brought so much to the club, and has been a key factor in the team's success so far.

Next week sees Old Freemen's returning to Surrey League action, when they visit Old Haileyburians in the hopes of making the record seven wins from seven.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle, Stainer (c), Bower, Tyrrell, Beech, Hutchison, Shipp, Butterfield (March), Smith (Bennion), Hobbs, Williams, Billane, Coulston (Fair), Kruger, Winslet
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Old Freemen's continued their unbeaten run in convincing style, with a crushing 10-try victory over Old Cranleighans at Ashtead Park on Saturday. A strong band of supporters watched as the Home side extended their winning streak to 5 matches this season, maintaining their undefeated record in the bid to return to the Surrey top flight.

The overall performance was outstanding, with a relentless attacking onslaught thrown at the opposition until the very last minute of play. The handling of both forwards and backs was outstanding, with superb continuity of play throughout the match. The flair and style of play is testament to the hard work put in on the training ground under the guidance of player-coach Jon Bower.

Number eight Richard Butterfield was the star of the show, stealing the limelight with a hat-trick of tries. The forward pack as a whole was a dominant force, securing several scrums against the head and enjoying the lion's share of lineout ball. Aided by the dominance of the forwards, Butterfield was able to use his pace and strength to frequently turn possession and territory into points.

Second-row Malcolm Beech was disappointed to be upstaged as he scored a brace of tries himself - his second and third tries in 47 years of Surrey rugby. His contribution in the loose was second to none, with powerful rucking and direct running showing the benefit of two weeks' rest, whilst his performance in the scrum ensured a number of turnovers.

Despite being a superior unit, Freemen's found themselves 7-0 down within the first five minutes, after a rare defensive lapse in midlfield allowed a relatively easy touchdown - the frustration at conceding a try was eased however by the 65 unanswered points that ensued.

Indeed, the game was all but won by half-time, with the opposition already visibly tiring and losing interest in the face of the Freemen's onslaught. For some of the tries scored in the second-half, the defence was lacklustre, whilst for the others it was non-existent. Notably, Beech's second try was scored from the opposition kick-off, after Butterfield had waltzed through the opposition

In addition to Butterfield's and Beech's five tries between them, scorers included centres Duncan Billane and Mark Coulston, both of whom turned in another steady performance, with their partnership continuing to develop effectively; fly-half Hobbs who managed the back line demonstrating experience beyond his years; second-row Tyrrell, who scored with another bullocking run from a training ground move; and wing Wilson who finished off a well-executed backs move with a simple touchdown.

With the maximum League points secured from the opening fixtures, Freemen's are hopeful of another successful season. Next week London Cornish visit Ashtead Park for a cup showdown, with Freemen's looking to avenge the 1-point defeat of last year.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle (Emerton), Stainer (c), Bower, Tyrrell, Beech, Hutchison, Shipp, Butterfield, Smith, Hobbs, Hill, Billane, Coulston, Wilson (Kruger), Winslet
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Old Freemen's travelled to Old Rutlishians for their first away league match of the season, pulling together seventeen players as injury and unavailability severely reduced the playing squad. The return of Billy Smith after an absence of nearly a decade, and the influential Steve Winslet - playing in his first match of the season added experience to the side containing some new faces. Second row Carl Wilson and back row Taymor Tabbah made their first team debuts and Duncan Emerton replaced player/coach John Bower at prop.

The match began in sunshine as both sides looked to get the ball wide, however, this was short lived as a torrential downpour suddenly changed the conditions. The ball resembled a bar of soap, causing numerous handling errors. Sensibly, Winslet chose to pin back the opposition with his accurate kicking as Freemen's looked to set up good field position aided by winger Wilson's strong runs. Both fly halves traded early penalties, as each side were eager to take the initiative.

An early injury to winger Haywood meant that the dynamic Shipp was switched from his place on the flank to inside centre, with Duncan Billane swapping to the wing. This was soon to pay dividends as Billane, chasing a well-weighted kick from centre Mark Coulston was able to gather the ball and score in the corner. The conversion was unfortunately missed, and Freemen's went in to the break 10 - 6 ahead.

Following the interval, Freemen's knew they had to come out strongly and an early score was necessary. Captain Jon Stainer led by example, putting in some crunching hits, with the most notable effort saved for the replacement Rutlisians prop, who after two minutes on the field was welcomed to the match with a hit that left the sizeable crowd gasping. Not wanting to miss out on the action, Billy Smith set off an a rampaging run that left would be tacklers lying on the ground after a misjudged kick landed in his arms.

Freemen's then demonstrated the fluid running game they were capable of, with quick turn over ball, scrum half Smith fed Richard Hill at full back who was able to out sprint the covering defence to score in the corner. The conversion was again missed but a successful penalty attempt left Freemen's in control of the game.

A consolation penalty was all the home side could manage, as the defence held firm with the back row of Tabbah, Butterfield and Hesketh not giving their opposite numbers any breathing space. The score finished 16-9 as Old Freemen's continue their successful start to the season.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle, Stainer (C), Emerton, Smith, Wilson. C, Hesketh, Shipp, Butterfield, Smith, Winslet, Wilson , Coulston, Billane, Haywood, Hill, Tabbah and Morrison.

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24th September 2005 - Old Caterhamians - Powergen Junior Vase - 1st Round - Won 18 - 15

Old Freemen's continued their winning ways with an 18-15 win over old rivals Old Caterhamians in the Powergen Junior vase, increasing their run of consecutive victories in Cup competitions. Following the disappointment of an early finish the previous week due to an injury to the referee, the re-arranged match saw both sides ringing the changes.

It was Old Freemen's who started brightly, determined to get the early score the Ashtead based side created good field position with some hard work from the forward pack. After sustained pressure, prop Coyle stepped into the scrum half position to feed Duncan Billane who calmly knocked over a drop goal to make the score 3-0.

Old Freemen's continued piling on the pressure, causing the opposition to give away numerous penalties in their own half. However, it was Old Caterhamians who, against the run of play were able to score under the posts. With the easy conversion, the away side took the advantage going into the second half.

Following the break, Old Freemen's came out in dogged fashion. Relentless pressure from the forward's again led to the away side conceding a penalty in a kickable position, however, Freemen's wing Jeff Haywood was having an off day with the boot and the chance was lost as the ball rebounded off the uprights.

Despite this, heads never went down and with the Freemen's pack continued dominance in the loose and the tight it didn't take long for another score to happen. Second row Rob Tyrell dived over after strong drives from Fair and Bower. The try was successfully converted by Haywood, who was also able to add a penalty as the home side began to take control.

As the game entered the last twenty minutes and the heat began to take its toll, it sometimes felt like there were only 13 players on the Freemen's team as the defence was stretched. Old Cats were able to claw back a penalty and soon after, despite some valiant defence, Freemen's were unable to prevent a second try from the visitors. A relatively simple conversion was missed, and with the scores at 13-15 in the away teams favour, Old Frees knew they had to throw all they had at the opposition for the last few minutes.

With the clock winding down, Freemen's were given one last opportunity, tight defence caused the Old Cats to knock on. A solid scrummage was needed and Coyle, Stainer and Bower provided, paving the way for a well worked back row move as Shipp, on for the injured Telford found himself in space and was able to float a pass out to Matt Lister. Despite a lengthy injury break the wing showed the speed and strength to power over in the corner despite the attentions of three defenders. The conversion attempt drifted wide, however, it was insignificant as the final whistle blew causing mass celebrations amongst the players.

Old Freemen's now look forward to facing London Cornish in the next round, to be played on the 15th October.
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Old Freemen's set their stall out to return to the Surrey top-flight on Saturday, with an emphatic win over Old Whitgiftians by five tries to three. Having fallen behind early in the match, they fought back to claim the League points, with physical aggression in the forwards allowing fluent style in the backs.

The story of last year's season seemed to be losing a number of close matches by less than one score. At times, this match looked to be going the same way, with Freemen's enjoying the majority of possession but still behind by four points. However, the manner in which they finished the game will lay to rest some of last year's ghosts and should spur them on to fight their way back to Surrey 1.

Scrum-half Dom Smith led the charge, sniping from the base of the pack to score two tries. Out wide, there were also notable performances from Jon Hobbs, who led the back line like an army general, kicking for territory when appropriate, but unleashing the pace of the likes of Richard Hill, Duncan Billane and Neil Brent where possible.

The match was arguably won up front, however, with captain Jon Stainer displaying his characteristic grisly force, leading the front five to overpower the opposition pack and to free up space for the back row to dominate in the loose.

Nevertheless, it was Old Whitgiftians that struck first: twice. A well-executed move from first phase possession eluded the defensive line and sent their wing over in the corner, leaving the Freemen's backs shaking their heads in dismay. The Away side responded quickly through a Hobbs penalty, but it was not long before the defence wilted again, with another attacking move from the Home side leading to another relatively simple score. Freemen's were suddenly 12-3 down.

With five minutes to go before half-time, the priority was to score and have the last say of the half. Despite a penalty attempt sailing 6 inches wide, and a Malcolm Beech stretch for the line 22 yards short, Freemen's relentless attack was finally let through. After several phases and a strong rucking display, prop Jon Bower crashed over in the corner, not one to be stopped with a clear run from 5 metres.

Four points behind at the break, Freemen's were on the ascendancy, looking forward to capitalising on the downhill slope now in their favour. After withstanding an early onslaught, Hobbs began to kick expertly from the hand to ensure Freemen's maintained a territorial advantage. With soaring locks Malcolm Beech and James Hutchison causing significant problems to the opposition lineout, and the forward eight winning plenty of scrums against the head, they also maintained the advantage in terms of possession.

A pushover scrum yielded the first score of the second half, testament to the strength of Bower, Stainer and Paul Coyle in the front row. Number eight Tom Fair waited patiently, skilfully shepherding the ball over the line only to see cheeky scrum-half Smith claim the score. With the conversion successful, Freemen's were now leading and were determined not to concede the game.

Another rumbling forward drive set the platform for Stainer to charge over in a bullock-like charge carrying with him five Whits players. This stirred the opposition back to life, and they responded with another well-worked try from their backs, but Freemen's would not let this game slip. Another try from Smith, dodging over from 10 metres, and a finish from Billane after Hobbs' scything run, sealed a forceful performance and a deserved win.

Old Freemen's 2nd XV also enjoyed the taste of victory with a well-fought win over Teddington, with Alex Tribick making a strong start to his captaincy. An exciting buzz currently surrounds the Old Freemen's Rugby Club. The desire to perform and win is obvious, with a large squad of young players regularly attending training to put pressure on first team players for places.

The first competitive Home fixture takes place next week versus Old Caterhamians in a Cup match, with a large crowd expected to cheer Old Freemen's to another victory.

Old Freemen's 1st XV: Coyle, Stainer (C), Bower, Hutchison, Beech, Butterfield, Telford, Fair, Smith, Hobbs, Brent, Billane, Hill, Kruger, El-Dada, Wilson, Haywood, Turk.
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And so the season is officially underway, and Old Freemen's - 2005 Surrey Shield Champions - have picked up where they left off: in a winning vein. The hot sunny weather was more suited to a barbecue and a beer on the lawn than 80 minutes of running rugby, but the Surrey 2 side were not unprepared for their first outing in Ashtead Park.

Pre-season training has been underway since early June, with encouraging numbers of players turning out on both Tuesday and Thursday evenings to improve their fitness and hone their skills. The squad also has a youthful feel with a healthy injection of talented recent leavers from the City of London Freemen's School. There is a slight shortage of front row players however, and the club is actively recruiting new members in a bid to develop further strength in depth and progress through the leagues.

On a Thursday evening in August and despite the fact that rugby is a winter sport, Old Freemen's played in a pre-season friendly against Old Reigatians, a side three divisions above. The early training paid off as the players gave a superb account of themselves, conceding only four tries and scoring two. The back division showed great promise, with newcomer Mark Coulston looking like a strong addition at inside centre, and a suitable foil for last year's Player of the Year Duncan Billane at outside centre.

On Saturday, the trial match against Old Wandsworthians took place in Ashtead. Old Freemen's had a large number of players eager to perform and impress, enough to field two sides but the opposition had only enough for one. Freemen's 1st and 2nd XVs had to take turns to play twenty minute periods, whilst Wandsworth struggled on through the heat for 80 minutes.

The Away side began well, dominating possession for the first 10 minutes and stealing a try before Old Freemen's had had a chance to play. This stirred them into action however, and they never looked back from the early setback. They began to dominate possession, with the indomitable front row of Rob Tyrrell, captain Jon Stainer, and player-coach Jon Bower, performing powerfully to live up to their 55 stone of potential.

Some impressive handling and continuity of phases excited the Home crowd, with the forwards eventually exerting their dominance in strength and fitness. The backs often thrilled with their strong direct running, and the tiring opposition were at times seen applauding their counterparts. Stand-out players in the 1st XV were the arrow-like Nick Dart on the wing, the flying flanker Jon Bird and the immovable prop Rob 'Bison' Tyrrell.

The second XV were no less effective, with a number of strong performances putting pressure on the first XV players. Wing Matt Lister scored a try with his first touch of the ball for three years on return from injury, and Ed Sayce was determined and skillful in the back row. There is very strong competition for places, which will no doubt enable the club to improve and progress.

On reflection, over the post-match barbecue and beer on the lawn, the performance was encouraging, but by no means flawless. At times the rucking was less effective than Jason Gillespie's bowling, and there were a few too many handling errors. But with plenty to work on before the opening League game next week against Old Whigiftians, the outlook for the season is positive. Promotion to Surrey League 1 - which many believe is the team's rightful home - is a must, with retention of the Surrey Shield also a key objective.
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I see a little twinkle toe of a man fly half, fly half, thunderbolts of lightning muscles really tightning

Oh maybe, but now you'll puke like a baby Just had to come out It just had to come right out on here.

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Only his second game playing prop, and each week his shorts get tighter. Lee played exceptionally well and really was able to disturb the opposition with his strength and follow through. Yes, he was the first ever second team player to fart whilst scrumming. Well played Lee!

Taymor returned to old frees after recovering from his erection problems and demonstrated now more than ever he is UP for old frees. We only lost 2 scrums all day. Congratulations Taymor for being able to toss good line out ball as well.

A solid man with great strength and was a true asset to the team. Hopefully he is available more often in the season as he was a key performer on the day.

Nicos continues to drive down from Bournemouth week in week out to play. He emphasises the true spirit of 2nd xv rugby by continuing to sing in scrums and run sideways to no avail. You can always rely on him to never shower and smell like a fat Greek.

Probably the size of the front row and a gentle giant. He had a good game and has been signed up for tour. He will be a true contender on the quickest drinker and the biggest eater. But Ging is coming, so looking forward to the contest.

Pickles a new found immature member of old frees. He offered something in the forwards that no other forward was able to provide – that was the ability to actually be lifted in the line outs. Sam will fit in well to the club as he is able to play rugby and has very little, if any, morals!

Scored a wonderful try, but what the hell was he doing hanging around on the wing – Probably protecting our little Scottish friend known as James Burns!!

Inspirational team talks of “do as I say not as I do!!!!” Grant showed he was a true forward and is unable to get away with “dinky” chip and chases.

The backs scored 8 out of the 9 tries so good ball was obviously provided to the backs from the scrum half. It was an easy day in the office for Jon, but well played anyway!

The wise owl of the side is slipping up - He only managed 7/9 conversions. Always a pleasure to play with Jem, we rely heavily on his years of experience.

When will he score??????????? He dropped the ball when he had a perfect opportunity! That means our winger has not scored in over 2 years!!

Ugly hooker who gets made to play at 12 because the groundkeeper painted a white line over his back while he was passed out and his face was in the grass after his usual ‘quite Friday drinks session after work.’ Rucked and mauled like a lion in the backs ensuring the frees kept the ball, ensuring his fellow backs – well Marcus and Hessy could score all the tries. Pure unselfishness and class from the first minute! Got all the assists for all the tries and not bitter at all that he didn’t add to his already huge try scoring record this season. My man of the Season

Had a point to prove and a point he made. He never passed the ball once. He may have scored four tries but the team could have scored eight if he had passed the ball. Only joking. He was awesome and don’t expect to see him in the seconds again, if he continues to play like that, ESPECIALLY AS HE DID NOT BUY A JUG FOR 4 TRIES!!!

Distinctly average, his best part of the game came in the second half when he was substituted and ran the touch line.

He has not washed his kit now for 9 weeks, does not take the game seriously, but is enjoying the team spirit and did not throw up this week, maybe next week he will put more effort in.

Jonny Reece- finally hit 10. And boy did he put in a dump tackle; everything he did was exceptional even when he started swearing at himself for passing the ball in to touch! An amazing person!

a new recruit to old frees and downed his “welcome to the club” pint quicker than he can run 30 metres. He only got to play a half but was able to show his class in the little time. He is keen to play for old frees from now and promises to have a sing song in the club house after next weeks game! Bet he’s awesome at singing too!

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Superb entertainment from Freemen’s seconds against Walcountians on a perfect sunny day at Clock House!! Our line –out dominance versus their scrum strength, and two good sets of backs.

Both halves of the game proved to be too long by a minute for Freemen’s, as the home side scored tries just before the final whistle in each. Otherwise it would have been a resounding victory for the visitors.

Freemen’s found it tough in the tight scrums against a heavier and more experienced OW’s pack, but they totally dominated the lineouts with some fabulous teamwork. This allowed John Dickinson to release his talented back-line to explore the options.

On a massive pitch, twinkle-toed fly half, Mike Von Speyr, opened the scoring after ten minutes with a beautifully crafted chip and collect try. Jem Davies converted and added a penalty on the half hour. Walcountians bullied their way to a push-over try under the posts just before half time, but the lippy Irish scrum-half missed the conversion! Shame!

The game swung from end to end with massive tacking from both sides and some sparkling handling, but the next score did not come until twenty-five minutes had passed. A counter-attack saw full-back John Hess cruise the length of the field before being tackled five metres short of the whitewash, but he made the ball available to the attentive Barney Hesketh, who was on hand to pick up and plunge over for a try, converted by Davies.

OW’s responded with a well-worked converted try. It set up a tense finale when Freemen’s cleverly tried to run-down the clock, but OW’s threw the kitchen sink at Freemen’s impressive defence and eventually clinched a try. The conversion was to be the final kick of the match but the scrum-half was well-pressured by the chasing Burns and failed.

On balance 17 -17 was a fair result in a very competitive and hard-fought contest. Freemen’s were brave and stylish with the back-row and second row outstanding in the loose and Matt Bennion and Jamie Webb impressing. John Dickinson had a good game at scrum-half, Jem Davies and Mike Von Speyr were magnificent, and, although under pressure, the front-row of Steve Acton, Barney Hesketh and Nicos Charalambous stuck gamely to their task. Well done Freemen’s!!

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After two weeks where the promise of the side failed to deliver the result, finally almost everything came together for the Old Freemen’s 2XV chariot against Racal Decca with a thoroughly deserved 36-3 win.

Having arrived at the clubhouse as the only side playing away out of four sides being fielded by the Old Boys (I'll repeat that... 4... FOUR sides) the injured captain handed over a hastily constructed team sheet. The achievement of putting out four sides did mean that there weren't quite as many reserves available, although there was an attempt at increasing the numbers travelling away with Ben Jones happily following the convoy out of Ashtead Park and towards Epsom. Unfortunately the ploy was spotted and Ben was summoned back to the club house to take up his position as third team scrum half.

Having arrived at the Racal ground and agreed the starting line up (amongst a number of pleading voices about bad backs / necks and sore toes) another telephone call came through requesting the pleasure of Jon Reece's company back at the club for an afternoon on the touchline. Despite suggestions that perhaps, given that there were at least 30 other players already at the club who could probably manage to stand upright / get in the way should they be needed, they should politely ... off and get someone else. Small threats and a plea to the greater good of the first XV meant that Jon got back in his car and left the remainder of the team to take on Racal.

The light hearted warm up and a healthy number of new (and very young!) faces meant that when Racal turned up it was obvious that any forward battles would be won by Racal given that, without exaggeration, man for man they were at least 3 stone per person heavier. The team talk took the form of ... keep it away from any mauls, get it away from the contact, and let's use the "youngsters".

The first ten minutes saw the usual process of ignoring what we said before the game and entering into a tight mauling and rucking game where Racal dominated and made ground through the expansive use of all eight of their forwards rumbling down the pitch and making 20 - 30 yards at a time. However, once given a rare opportunity of establishing an attacking field position the pressure resulted in a couple of scrums that appeared to be going the way of the previous set pieces, but from out of nowhere Tom Acton won one against the head and a couple of phases later Matt Bennion was given a half chance which he took, after rather flamboyantly losing one of his boots and still stepped the full back (all in the space of 15 metres.) The conversion was put over by Jeff Haywood.

The team took confidence from this outing into the Racal half and started to play with even more belief and also, most encouragingly, with more intelligence. The tackles went in lower and earlier with Bryn Edwards and George Webb to the fore stopping the Racal rolling maul tactic. We still struggled to get hold of much ball but when we did it was clear that we had the beatings of the backs as well... all we needed was some go forward ball and half a chance.

This chance arrived after about 25 minutes when quick ball was released from the forwards and quickly moved through the hands of the backs to find Matt Lister wide out on the right to finish off the move by running round under the posts... also converted by JH.

The rest of the half took place in the middle of the pitch with Racal controlling the ball and the Old Boys stealing one every now and again through huge efforts by the pack. The final play of the half saw another Old Boy attack illegally stopped under the posts and Jeff put the penalty over. 17-0 at half time.

We turned around to play into the wind, but down hill, still stressing that we wanted to play an open game and make the early tackles, and straight from kick off the plan was implemented unbelievably well. hardly a tackle was missed all afternoon and the forwards started to hold the big old Racal pack as they slowly ran out of steam - having run out of ideas after about 15 minutes of the first half.

The second half was slightly peculiar in that although Racal hardly looked like scoring they were able to keep hold of the ball or slow our ball down sufficiently to frustrate the Old Boys efforts in making further scoring progress. In the past maybe the pressure would have got to the Old Boys and the intensity would fall off.... but not on this occasion. When there was ball to run it was released to the backs and ground was always made by running at the Racal backs.

Another feature of the game was that when there was a try scoring opportunity they were more often than not put away. In the first half there was only really two chances and both were scored and in the second half there were perhaps 5 or 6 chances and scores were achieved from three of them. One "chance" only came about following the decision to run out the 22 and for Matt Lister to attack the Racal winger (who looked somewhat older than yours truly!) Matt then went off on a run that took in some interesting scenery on his way down, across, over and around the pitch running probably 150 metres in the space of 75 before being tackled from behind (he'd probably forgotten where he was supposed to be going by this stage) but he popped the ball up for Jeff Haywood to finish the move off.

The other two tries were well worked team efforts with John Hess (on for Matt Bennion) picking up on a weighted kick through by John Dickinson and James Webb in what is becoming a characteristic barging run through a couple of defenders. Jeff H scored two and missed one conversion of the three (and he would rather forget the one he missed in front of the posts so don't mention it - too often).

Spare a thought for Neil Brent who was in the right place at the right time for the other try scoring opportunities but through not fault of his own wasn't given the opportunity to finish them off! And of course for the unselfish half backs JD and JD who's job it is to provide all of the telling passes into space for the other backs to score from!

And the last word for the forwards. A great effort by all eight of them.. especially given the "injuries" listed at the before the game started... Nicos Charalambous (Bad Back) with a couple of storming runs and part of the front row that held together so effectively... Tom Acton with a series of tackles in our 22 to keep putting the lumps of Racal on the deck... brother Ginger Acton (Bad toe!) who also held up well throughout the game, kept putting himself in the way and generally pissing off the opposition.... Iain George who confounded his critics by surviving a complete game for the second week running (just)... Bryn Edwards and Gearge Webb, both playing out of position but appearing to be enjoying themselves by being able to keep up with play without having to break into a sprint at any stage... Karl Wilson who continues to be a winger playing in the second row, excellent dedication to the cause and possibly now condemned to an extended playing career amongst the forwards, and finally Neil Morrison (Bad Neck) who did what Neil Morrison does and got under the skin of anyone who looked like they might benefit from being wound up.

Old Freemen’s 2XV: Acton S., Acton T., Charalambous N., George, Wilson K., Morrison, Webb, Edwards, Dickinson, Davies J., Brent, Webb, Bennion (Hess), Lister, Haywood

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After last week’s postponed fixture the Merit table resumed on Saturday with Freemen’s travelling down the A3 to Haselmere.

What had become, even by this early stage in the season, a pretty settled squad was disrupted by injury to several stalwarts of the side, Acton S. (toe), Tremaine (calf), Turk (ankle). However, those that stepped up to the mark, Hess, old stager Andrew Barnard, new boy Tim Jacobs, Acton T., and skipper Tribick making perhaps a premature return from injury, admirably filled the void.

Choosing to play up the slope in the first half, Freemen’s started brightly and quick ruck ball almost produced an early try for centre Gibbs. However, perhaps believing the game would be a stroll in the park Freemen’s failed to maintain the early momentum. Consistent pressure from the home side at the scrummage on the re-vamped Freemen’s pack meant that for much of the first quarter the visitors were hemmed in their own 22 metre area and it was only stout well marshalled defence by both forwards and backs that kept Haslemere from scoring.

It was during this period that Freemen’s seemed to change gear spurred on by the ferocious tackling of prop, Charalambous N. The trusted boot of Davies at fly half was striking particularly sweetly, which allowed good field position to be gained. The pinpoint accuracy of Tabbah in throwing in at the lineout to the salmon-like Paul and Karl Wilson ensured that Freemen’s backs started to get quick ball from ever improving field positions.

The deadlock was finally broken when quick line out possession allowed scrum half Walls to set his backs in motion and after a simple but effective example of drawing and passing firstly out wide and then back inside Walls received the scoring pass from Davies in front of the posts to dive over for his first try for the Old boys. Davies converted for a 7 – 0 lead.

This seemed to give the Freemen’s pack a new lease of life. The referee’s eye for detail and too many handling errors by both sides ensured that the scrum count was high, but the practice seemed to benefit Freemen’s more than the home side and gradually parity followed by the upper hand were gained by half time.

Shortly after the break prolonged periods of possession and the silky counter-attacking skills of Hess at full-back gave Freemen’s good field position inside the Haslemere 22 metre area, only for the home team pack to kill the ball perhaps sensing the overlap which had been created. Tribick called upon Davies and the successful penalty kick took the visitors two scores clear at 10 – 0. As the replacements were gradually drafted in they picked up where those departing had left off, with a strong defensive display. Of particular note was young winger Lee Walstow playing in his first season of rugby.

With 20 minutes to go, the game, which was now essentially a forward orientated slog despite the excellent weather conditions, was over. Capitalising on handling errors by the Haslemere centre’s quick hands saw Jacobs take the ball on halfway, and begin a wide arcing run, which took him out to the far touchline with the winger to beat. The shear pace of the former Gloucester academy wing, coupled with a powerful hand off saw the flanker score round under the posts making the conversion by Davies simple (17 – 0).

The game finished with both sets of forwards slugging it out with a series of further scrums arising from handling errors, but the Freemen’s defence ensured that Haslemere would not score in the remaining minutes.

The win puts an unbeaten Freemen’s 2 XV at the top end of the merit table. Next week Freemen’s are due to play Old Rutlishians in their re-arranged Merit game.

Old Freemen’s: Charalambous N., Tabbah, Acton T., Barnard, Wilson K., Jacobs, Tribick, Wilson P., Walls (Dickinson), Davies, Warren (Walstow), Webb, Gibbs, Burns (Brent), Hess (Von Speyr).

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Old Freemen’s 2XV travelled to Battersea on Saturday for the first Merit table clash of the season. Without skipper Alex Tribick owing to injury, vice-captain Richard Turk stepped up to the mark, promising to build on Freemen’s early season success.

After the fairly typical OF start allowing the opposition to exert their pattern of play on the game after a short period of pressure that was well defended by the Ofs, a penalty to clear missed touch (sorry!) and was returned with a high kick that bounced wickedly (well the ball is a funny shape and it never does what you want it to) and the defence was outnumbered and BI gathered the ball and fell over the line. 5 - 0.

Much grumbling was heard from various quarters within the OFs and after a couple of frank words regarding the usefulness of complaining about your team mates and quite how welcome that was, the OFs went back to start again...

There was more purpose in the play from the forwards- they started to dominate the lineout and despite being smaller in the pack the technique proved a lot better that BI. The backs knocked their biggest player (the full back) into next week a couple of times after which the ball stopped going past their most influential player - their fly half.

After a period of sustained pressure spent in the BI 22 a series of penalties were awarded and the OF forwards did what they do.....repeated charges at the line with all 15 BI players holding them out. Meanwhile in the open spaces surrounding the 7 OF backs the wind gently blew and you could hear the birds singing... there was a very interesting discourse on the merits of inner London regeneration and the problems of racial integration... until eventually the forwards got bored and we kicked a penalty. 5 - 3.

The domination of the forwards continued through the half and BI rarely looked like troubling the OF 22 apart from the tactical kicking of the BI fly half who used the shape of the ball magnificently to bamboozle the OF full back with all sorts of peculiar bounces... none of which fell into the wrong hands and we were able to tidy up and attack again.

Eventually after another period of pressure more penalties were awarded and this time Grant Holmes spotted that the BI defence were not paying attention (I think they were trying to hear what the backs were saying about the urban blight that is Earlsfield) and he tapped and fell over the line from 5 metres. Conversion Made. 5 -10.

Now playing up hill the forwards carried on where they left off in the first half. The backs continued to knock over any attempted runners and BI ran out of ideas... even their kicking went off the boil. After a couple of visits into the OF 22 which were successfully repelled by a combination of the forwards control and backs tackling and a platform for clearance kicks the OF spent most of the half attacking.

There was some scintillating stuff! The ball passing through numerous pairs of hands, switch moves, cut backs, miss moves and forward / back combinations... it all looked so pretty... and then when it came to the scoring pass..... the ball ended up bouncing round someone ankles / going over their shoulders / bouncing off their heads / going forward / being knocked on.. you name it, we managed it!

So, to stop all of this mucking about Grant picked the ball up from a scrum and refused to involve anyone else and scored. The kick was missed.... 5 -15...

And so it all started again.... forward domination.... great interplay between forwards and backs and then the final pass.... yup.... complete balls up....

With only 5 minutes remaining we eventually had used up all of the things that can go wrong after a period of open play and managed to get yet another overlap created and the ball passed miraculously from player to player until it reached the outside where we, naturally, had our hooker waiting on the wing... everyone started to walk expecting another scrum..... but no, the ball stuck and we were in with Tamor Tabbah scoring in the corner.... missed the bloody kick again.. and that was more or less it... 5 - 20.

There was one final BI attack that was snuffed out in the OF corner with some fine cover tackling and from the resulting lineout the ball was hoofed towards Wimbledon racetrack and that was it!

Next week OF’s scheduled Merit Game is to be postponed owing to player numbers being on tour in Jersey, but all those who are available should contact 2 skips Tribick on 07946580375 as a third team game may be arranged.

OLD FREEMEN’S : Acton, Tabbah, Charalambous, Wilson. K, Crow, Tremaine (Morrison), Hesketh (Bennion), Holmes, Rees, Davies, Turk, Webb, Wilson J., Warren (Miers), Burns.

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Old Freemen’s 2xv Chariot Continues To Roll Down The Road Of Success After Another Closely Fought Victory At Ashtead Park On Saturday Against Lightwater.

Playing With The Slope And The Sun To Their Backs Old Freemen’s Started Uncharacteristically Strongly Spending Much Of The Opening Exchanges Camped In The Lightwater 22. Metre Area. It Was Only Stout Defending By The Lightwater Forwards That Prevented A Flurry Of Tries From Early Attacks.

However, It Was Not Until The 12th Minute That The Deadlock Was Finally Broken And After A Series Of Forward Surges By The Freemen’s Pack The Evergreen Tremaine Drove Over From Short Range To Open Old Freemen’s Account 5 – 0. The Other, “Old Stager” Jem Davies Was Unlucky To Push The Ball Just Wide At The Conversion Attempt.

Pressure Was Soon Exerted Again After The Re-Start And Further To Line Out Position Being Secured By Carl Wilson, A Converted Winger Playing His First Game At Second Row Since Leaving School, A Simple Switch By Davis Allowed The Promising Young Centre Jamie Webb To Scorch Through The Defence To Score. Davis Converted The Score For A 12 - 0 Lead.

Almost Immediately Thereafter Old Freemen’s Lost Concentration, And Defensive Errors Contributed In Lightwater Scoring Try. (12-5)

Old Freemen Re-Started Brightly, And It Was Not Long Before Good Field Position Enabled Davis And Webb To Combine Once Again To Execute A Carbon Copy Of The Young Centre’s Earlier Try (17 – 5).

However, From Broken Play Lightwater Struck Back Almost Immediately, Lightwater’s Centre Scoring A Try With A Solo Effort From The Half-Way Line.

After The Half Time Break, Skipper Alex Tribick Resisted The Temptation To Make Substitutions En Masse As He Had Done In Previous Weeks, (Which Undoubtedly Disrupted Old Freemen’s Parten Of Play), But Gradually Fed Players Into The Match As The Game Progressed.

The Second Half Was Largely A Dower Forward Orienteted Struggle Both Sides Failing To Gain The Upper Hand. The Only Bright Note Being A Characteristically Bull Like Charge From Emerton From A Tap Penalty Move Allowing Him To Score Close To The Posts, Thus Making The Davies Conversion A Formality. A Further Try By Lightwater At The Death Was Too Little Too Late Ensuring The 2xv 100% Record Continued.

Next Week The 2xv Travel To Battersea Ironsides For The Opening Merit League Fixture.

2xv: Acton S, Tabbah, Emerton, Charalambous N, Wilson.C, Tribick, Trmaine (Wilson P), Jones (Acton), Walls (Dickinson), Davies, Gotto (Lister) Webb, Wilson J, Gibbs (Some Yank Playing Grid Iron (Reptudor)), Williams

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After the resounding success of the trial game last week which saw an abundance of new playing talent on show, the 2XV got down to business playing away to Teddington "Antler's" in Bushey Park.

Finally, the new leadership pairing and much awaited, "Tribick and Turk show" was up and running!

Despite loosing several players (including Turk) at a late stage to the 1st XV a large squad turned out, which included three props, speaking volumes for the success of the recent recruitment drive.

After a late start, in sweltering conditions, Freemen's quickly gained the upper hand at the scrum, but Freemen's handling errors and clean Antler's line out possession gave their backs a plentiful supply of ball. However, the physicality of the centre pairing of Bennion and Jon Wilson in the tackle caused Antler's fly half to persistently turn the ball back inside. However, the "evergreen" Jem Davis at fly half ably assisted Freemen's Back Row, most notably Ed Sayce at No 8 held firm and repelled wave after wave of attack.

The deadlock was broken when further defensive pressure exerted by Sayce caused Antler's to spill the ball. Sayce fed the terrier-like scrum-half Walls, who popped the ball up to skipper Alex Tribick, playing out of position at flanker, who somewhat surprisingly, managed to outstrip the defence, for a 60 metre try under the posts. Davis converted for a 0 - 7 lead.

Freemen's pack were now clearly on top in the forward exchanges, and after some slick handling by forwards and backs, Freemen's were once again camped down in the Antler's 22 metre area. Further possession allowed Emerton at Prop, making a welcome return to club rugby after a prolonged absence, the room and space to make a typically powerful run and score from close range. Once again, Davies converted, taking Freemen's into half-time with a 0 - 14 lead.

Shortly after the restart, a nasty blood injury to one of the Antler's players, caused a lengthy break in play. Perhaps it was a loss in concentration as a result of the delay, disruption caused by the re-organisation of the side when all the substitutes were brought on, or refusal of the Antler's forwards to give up, but Freemen's were largely forced to defend for the remainder of the game. Only stout defence by the front row of Steve Acton , Tabbah, and Charalambous stopped an Antlers forward drive for the line, pushing them into touch. However, from the resulting lineout the pressure told and Antler's pushed over to score from close range. The conversion was missed (5 - 14).

Within minutes, further possession in broken play allowed Antler's to get behind the Freemen's defence and score under the posts making the conversion a formality (12 - 14).

Freemen's rallied for the final minutes. On the stoke of full time after fine runs by Von Speyr, and Gotto, Crow crossed the line, but had a try disallowed after a trademark pick up and charge from the breakdown, but enough had been done, and a first win of the season was sealed.

Old Freemen's 2XV: Acton S., Tabbah, Emerton (Jones), Crow, Charalambous N., Tremaine (Webb), Tribick, Sayce, Walls (Dickinson), Davies, Miers (Gibbs), Bennion (Von Speyr), Wilson J., Tudor (Walstow), Gotto (Burns).

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Old Freemens entertained a strong Old Cranleighans third team at Ashtead Park who were boosted by two South Africans playing scrum half and full back. OF's welcomed back Barney Hesketh and Ian Nickoll, both of whom had been unavailable for some time, and decided to play down the slope in the half but against the teeth of a strong wind.

Both teams were evenly matched in the early exchanges but after concerted pressure OF's worked a move in the three quarters involving centres Ian Nicholl and Simon Gibbs which gave Bambos Charalambous space on the wing. He managed to cut infield and beat two defenders before scoring under the posts.
He took a blow to the face scoring and was replaced by Sam Bailey. David Duke kicked the conversion to make it 7-0. Freemens had an opportunity to go further ahead in the second quarter but Duke pushed his penalty to the right of the posts.

The second half was an equally close affair with both sides coming close to scoring early on. Mike Von Speyr created an opportunity from a quick tap penalty before spilling the ball on the line. The forwards started to gain the ascendancy in the set scrummages with John Winch, enjoying a new lease of life in the third team, Barney Hesketh, playing at hooker instead of his preferred position of back row and Steve Jenkins, still celebrating his try of the previous week. The line out continued to be somewhat of a lottery with the ball being knocked around in the strong wind.

The back three of, man of the match, David Duke, Theo van Dort and Sam Bailey remained strong in defence as the Cranleighans half backs kicked down field into the corners. However, Cranleighans eventually broke the Freemens defence and after winning quick ball they scored wide out on the left from a somewhat fortunate "flat" pass. This created a tense final fifteen minutes but Duke killed off the game with a penalty five minutes from time.

Robin Retlass, a master at the School produced an excellent display of refereeing. The thirds will play again on 11th February seeking to maintain an unbeaten run with a record of, Played 4 Won 4 Points for 88 Points against 17.

Old Freemens: Duke, Van Dort, Nicholl (Duke's mate), Gibbs (Haywood T), Charalambous B. (Bailey S), Von Speyr, Burns, Winch, Hesketh, Jenkins, Beeson, Jennings, Tremaine (capt), Suttle, Miers.
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Big thanks to James Tremaine for his efforts in putting together the third XV for their third outing of the season. Previously games against this opponent have been rather physical however on Saturday 2 teams met up to play good spirited, fun rugby. The referee didn’t appear so one of the Merton players offered to step in and did an admirable job keeping the game going in 3rd team style.

The Merton pack are always a big bunch, however the experienced front row of John Winch, Neil Morrison and Harry Jenkins proved an equal match for “Ming the Merciless” and his cohorts, winning several balls against the head. They were backed up by Tim Beeson making his third appearance for Old Frees this season following a break of 9 years since leaving school and Mark Jennings, both who showed untiring “engine room” power for the full game. The equally experienced back row of captain James Tremaine, Andrew Suttle and the ever improving repositioned Nigel Miers were everywhere, securing decent ball for a quick set of backs.

David Duke was “delayed” in his arrival so Irish Mike stepped into the breach at scrum half with Bob “Serevi” Davies floating the ball wonderfully wearing the number 10 Jersey.

Crash centre Simon Gibbs was accompanied by recent recruit Chris Ellison and the team was completed with Bambos Charalambos on the left, Sam Bailey on the right and Theo van Dort at Full Back.

Old Free’s won the toss and chose to play uphill with the sun behind them. Merton kicked off and the Freemen’s pack worked well together with a singular call allowing very secure ball which was safely cleared by Bob Davies who’s kicking was very safe.

There was plenty of running rugby and number 8 Andrew Squirrel was untiring throughout being awarded with the first try of the match which went unconverted. A series of tries followed with some good linking runs between forwards and backs aided by several sniping runs and tactical kicks by Irish Mike. Simon Gibbs latched onto a great inside ball and powered over the line under the uprights with no chance of the opposition stopping him.

James Tremaine scored the next making the score 15 – 0 before Theo van Dort secured the ball from another interlinking backs move, side stepping his first, handing off his second and side stepping the third defender to reach over the line for a Birthday try making it 20 – 0 which Davies converted for a half time score line of 22 – 0.

The turnaround saw Bob Davies leave the field to be replaced by David Duke in the number 10 jersey. Duke kicked off with a fabulously high effort and in the most brilliant move of the day Andrew Suttle amazingly latched onto a ball fumbled by the Merton Pack, fed inside to Harry Jenkins who ran in from the 22 yard line to score just to the left of the uprights, sidestepping and handing off as he went. Harry’s wonderful effort stretched the lead to 27 – 0 within 20 seconds of the restart.

The Merton pack came back strong with some great running from their back line, who could have secured a couple of tries had the final passes not been knocked on. Special mention should go to winger Sam Bailey whose tackling was absolutely fearless and fantastic throughout.

Bambos Charalambos showed great pace down the left wing to score the next and the final nail in the coffin was hammered in by Prop John Winch who showed the ball cheekily to the oppo, stepped inside and outpaced the defence to glide over the line looking more like a toned muscular athlete rather than the big lump that he is. Magic!

Great Spirit was shown throughout considering several of the team were burning off fumes from the night before. There will hopefully be another 3rd XV outing next week with many players claiming to be available for the 28th.

Winch, Morrison, Jenkins, Beeson, Jennings, Tremaine, Miers, Suttle, Irish Mike, Davies (Duke), Charalambos, Gibbs, Ellison, Bailey, Van Dort – sub unused D’Alex Charalambos (awaiting shoulder operation)

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Saturday saw the first outing of the season for 3XV one of four teams fielded by the club last weekend.

The concerns of injured 2XV skipper Alex Tribick who had organised the team, arranged the fixture, and agreed to referee the game, that a robust Mitcham side would be too strong proved unfounded.

Within minutes of the game starting Fly-half Captain, Mike von Speyr showed his intentions as to the Home side’s game plan. A series of flowing backs moves in which the strong running and ball retention of centre Gibbs was key, and good recycling of the ball by the light but mobile forwards allowed winger James Burns to sprint onto a well weighted pass, and put on the gas to round his man. As the Irishman saw the cover defence close in a deft grubber kick towards the Mitcham line was poorly fielded by the defence and a failed clearance allowed Tim Astle to dive over from short range in the corner for a try on his club debut. Von Speyr was unlucky with the conversion attempt pushing it just wide (5 – 0).

This seemed to jolt the sleeping giant Mitcham pack into life and the territorial advantage they maintained for the rest of the half, assisted by the wind and slope was finally turned into points with a try, which was converted (5 – 7).

After the break the Freemen’s forwards moved up a gear. The back row, particularly Nigel Miers, began gaining the upper hand in the loose, while the front row of Mark Mitchell, Dean Paget, and Steve Beebe, (making a welcome return to prop), firstly gained parity and then dominance at the scrummage.

Von Speyr’s expansive game plan payed further dividends mid way through the half, when a long cut out pass to Gotto, allowed the full-back to put replacement Ellison clear on the Mitcham 22 metre line, with space to run. The flying winger outpaced the defence to score in the corner. The conversion was missed (10 – 7).

Almost immediately Mitcham hit back with a well worked try at the other end, forwards and back linking well score 15 metres in from touch. The conversion was missed (10 – 12).

Freemen’s thereafter camped in the Mitcham 22 metre area and it was only stout defence from the visiting pack that repelled repeated attacks. As the death approached there seemed a strange calm within the Freemen’s side that suggested a confidence that the game could and should still be won. As the referee signalled the last play of the game Freemen’s were awarded a scrum 5 metres from the Mitcham line. Despite the defence wheeling the scrum to disrupt, scrum half Ben Jones whipped the ball away to his half back partner, who set the three-quarters in motion. Full-back Ollie Gotto raced into the line between centre and winger to create the overlap, but had sufficient pace to score in the corner himself. The conversion did not matter, and as the full-time whistle blew there were jubilant scenes of celebration at the 15- 12 win.

Old Freemen’s 3XV : Mitchell, Paget, Beebe, Astle P. , Smith, Miers, Walstow, Astle T., Jones, Von Speyr, Warren (Ellison), Greenfield, Gibbs, Burns, Gotto.

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The fifth and final outing of the season for Mike Bailey’s Gentlemen’s XV proved fruitful as the team finally broke their duck. Fixtures secretary Malcolm Beech was unsure if Chobham 4 would prove too strong an opposition for the Gents but with Saturday looming and no other options looking to be available he took the decision to take the fixture.

Chobham 4’s arrived with 18 men, the majority of whom looked big, burly and up for a physical game. After Chugger’s hard work during the week and a few phone calls on Friday afternoon/evening we ended up with a respectable squad of 17.

Prop Gary Mills made a welcome comeback following a shoulder operation allowing us to complete the Mike Bailey and Harry Jenkins front row. With a plethora of back-row forwards Liam Crellin and Bill Smith slotted into the 4 and 5 with a back row of Bill’s son Dean Smith, and the ever-youthful combo of Bob Davies and Andrew Suttle.

The starting back line-up was with Brian “Jimmy the Chin’s” Dad Williams at 9, John Kempton at 10, John Dickinson at 11, Simon Gibbs and Ray Bliss at 12 and 13, Sam Bailey at 14 and Theo van Dort at 15.

As the Gents XV was the only team at home on Saturday, Chobham kicked off on the main pitch towards the main school. The first 20 minutes were evenly contested but particular praise should go to the OF’s pack who provided a solid platform for Williams considering that there was a considerable weight difference between the two scrums. The refereeing throughout was impressive with the right amount of discipline whilst still allowing the game to flow.

The first score of the match came from the half way line where quick ball from Brian Williams allowed Van Dort up the right hand side of the field, who running out of space chipped the ball through. The ball bounced awkwardly for the Chobham full back allowing the chasing OF’s to go to ground and re-secure which was immediately passed out to Crellin who with one man to beat, five metres to go and in danger of being bundled into touch, unselfishly popped it back inside to Van Dort who ran cross field to score under the posts. Davies attempt at a drop goal went just wide.

Chobham made some heroic attempts to level the score line with some ferocious tackling across the field rebuffing those attempts. One particularly notable tackle was Sam Bailey who ran the entire width of the pitch to bundle Chobham’s winger into touch with a crunch.

The next score came as Brian Williams managed to latch on to a ball from behind the Chobham pack and then set off on a blistering run towards the Chobham line leaving most of the oppo standing and asking where on earth he came from. Williams was caught by the Chobham back line but retained possession and the ball ended up in the hands of Andrew Suttle who ran in from 20 yards to score under the Chobham posts outpacing two of their backs. Davies tried the drop goal but the attempt went just wide. 10 – 0.

Chobham tried to come back again and nearly succeeded but for a powerful tackle from prop Mills who knocked their man into touch just two yards short of the OF’s line.

Half time followed and the general feeling in the OF’s camp was positive with calls of slow it down, don’t over commit, and keep the stable platform for the backs to have a run.

The first 20 minutes of the second half seemed to be spent camped in OF’s 22 with innumerate scrums and a lot of pressure from Chobham. The defence stood strong and eventually OF’s managed to secure clean ball for fly half Kempton to clear the ball. Sadly the resulting lineout culminated in some good interlinking work between the big Chobham pack and eventually they broke the line to score four metres wide of the uprights. The Chobham flyhalf converted making it 10 – 7.

10 minutes into the half John Dickinson was substituted for Ollie Gotto (who moved to 15 with Van Dort moving to 11) and Dean Smith swapped with Chris May.

The Chobham breach motivated OF’s to lift the game further and a fabulous kick from Kempton bounced perfectly to give Old Freemen’s a chance near the Chobham line. OF’s were pressurising as the Chobham fly half tried to clear from his dead ball area. The clearance didn’t make touch and was caught by the jinking Van Dort who showed strength and speed fending off his opposite number to score in the corner.

Gotto made light work of the difficult place kick resulting in the final score of 17 – 7.

A great team effort all round from a group not used to playing together with only 5 outings this season. Special thanks should go to Mike Bailey for doing the dog work to get the team out this season. Man of the Match: Brian Williams

Team: Mills, Bailey M (C), Jenkins, Smith W, Crellin, Smith D (May), Davies, Suttle, Williams, Kempton, Dickinson (Gotto), Gibbs, Bliss, Bailey S, Van Dort

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For the first time this millennium Old Freemens were able to field a fourth XV, many players dusting off their boots for the first time in several years.

A balanced side put together by captain Mike Bailey and son Sam featured a mixture of youth and experience from front row to fullback. Indeed, Freeemens’ front row, with a combined age of over 120, had clearly concerned and intimidated the opposition to such an extent that before kick off they had requested uncontested scrums.

The first half started at frantic pace with both sides failing to beat the deadlock until just before half time. Freemens, playing with the slope, managed to pin H&F back to their own half for sustained periods with the marauding Ling and Cod popping up all over the pitch to dampen any Hammesrmith moves. Excellent line out play by lock Innes secured swift ball which set up fly-half Pudner to give our backs that extra yard or two of space they needed to penetrate the opposition territory. When Freemens attacks broke down and Hammersmith and Fulham secured ball in their 22, the ensuing crunching tackles by centre Peter “Tigger” Lyons forced their fly half to rethink and kick for position, however on each occasion fullback Simon “safe hands” Parish was in place to start a counter-attack. One particularly well timed hit by Lyons forced the opposition centre to spill the ball and present the Freemens’ back row with the chance to draw the last defender and set up the backs for a certain score, however the ball was dropped and Hammersmith and Fulham managed to pick up and run 70 yards to score against the run of play. A second converted try followed soon after.

At half time, the London side (Earl’s Court probably) substituted most of their team for even younger fitter players, mostly Antipodean, and their replacement fly half started to dictate the flow of the game with a variety of moves, in particular ball fed inside the 9-10 channel. Persistent Freemens tackling was countered by consistent support from the opposition team who in the second half ran in five unanswered tries, four converted. Freemens continued to put up strong resistance until referee and OFs President, Bill Deighton, who although no doubt delighted to see so many former pupils take to the pitch but surely dismayed at their fitness levels, made his best decision of the game by blowing the final whistle just a few minutes early.

Old Freemens: Richard Adams, Peter Ling, Mike Bailey, Mark, Tom Innes, Matt Forrest, Andrew Suttle, Bob Davies, John, Mike Pudner, Glynn, Peter Lyons, Theo van Dort, Sam Bailey, Simon Parish.