Sat 14 Sep 2019
Rarely has there been so much excitement in the build up for an OMs season, with a renewed energy at the club led by our very own Wheeler esq in the hot seat. And after an excellent preseason it was finally time to get down to business, against our old friends from Pinner.
The OMs arrived at our neighbours’ ground looking organised, fresh, sharp and determined to make a big statement following their pathetic antics of last season which effectively ended our hopes of promotion. Well- most of the club; ‘Naughty Nick’ Schild was certainly neither fresh nor sharp after his own personal ‘away game’ in south London ahead of the fixture.
After a customary warmup, the stage was set for the start of the season, and Pinner’s little fly half set the standard for his team’s back play from the off with a sliced kickoff into touch, leading to groans from the sideline.
The Ms took the scrum option and immediately the power of the pack showed, with a few big carries down the right of the pitch giving us the opportunity to go wide out left. Slick hands from the forwards in the centre channels enabled new signing Alex Connolly to gas his way down the wing and dot down for his debut try, which our own diminutive half back duly converted. OMs 7 Pinner 0.
From the restart, a predictable pattern set in which was to last for almost all of the match: big forward carry, followed by rapid recycling of the ball by the backs, with Oli Avent and Brad Abraham running the show. After the first of many big carries from the returning josh Webb, the forwards hit up a few rhinos to leave Roycroft with a simple finish, which he converted to double the score. The game was quickly becoming one way traffic, with Pinner’s game plan very predictable and easily to defend, with the double open side combination of Louis bird and will obree mopping up any trouble the slow big runners could produce, and a textbook turnover led to a pen right in from of the sticks, Roycroft making no mistake with his little boots and bisecting the uprights.
By now the line out was becoming equally productive for OMs on Pinner ball as our own, with them insisting on the 4 ball option despite Garbo plucking it like candy from a baby, and it was this which led to another try with Louis bird profiting for the first of what would end up as a hat trick.
Pinner did briefly have something to get excited about after they exploited an overlap for one of their front row to flop over from half a yard in the corner.
Brad quickly made amends by crossing just before half time, barely breaking his languid kiwi stride as he did, so much to the dismay of the now broken oppo.
The second half was more of the same, and by the end it became a turkey shoot, with highlights of the half including our front row decimating their scrum leading to a reshuffle (with a hooker appearing who let’s say has probably had his best years as a player), a few more tries by the superb Louis, ollie Sanderson scoring a basketball style effort, and Archie turner taking up my own mantle as angriest man on the pitch, with the oppo in particular not enjoying the ‘ball in the face’ moment. There was also the great sight of one high quality set of props being replaced by another, with a strong debut effort by new signing Euan.
One not for the highlights reel is my own spilling of Will obree’s tip on- but fortunately the game was long dead by then, with the oppo caught between asking the ref when the match was ending, and getting upset at Roycroft for kicking the increasingly regular conversions deep into a neighbouring garden.
Overall, there will of course be sterner tests to come, but this was a good start back to the season with great individual efforts and a solid team effort to build on.
MoTm: Louis bird- superb effort in attack and defence all game
Dotd: CJC for dropping a try scoring pass
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