For the third warm up fixture the senior squad travelled to Beckenham. Beckenham will be completing at the same level as OR’s next season but in the South East region, so this should provide us with a clear indication of where we are in our preparation.
As is normal for these fixtures the teams played four 20 minute quarters. ORs pack certainly dominated in these early exchanges with the pack driving over from an early lineout with new 1st XV Captain Reilly Franklin – Talbot claiming the try and Sam Turner adding the extra’s. The packs advantage kept Beckenham struggling for any meaningful ball for the first quarter which was rounded of with a great individual effort from young Charlie Jackman who showed great speed to score a 50 meter try and again Sam Turner added the two points for a lead of 0-14 at the first break.
The other quarters were more evenly balanced as both teams changed their players making sure everybody gets a chance to dust off their boots before the league campaigns start. During these periods Beckenham did strike back with a converted try to close the score line up to 7-14. In the last quarter ORs hit back, following a impressive build up Finn Coyle scored ORs last try of the day making the score more comfortable at 19-7. But Beckenham never gave up and scored a try from 60 meters out to bring them within one score. However that was time and I’m sure both Clubs felt this fixture provided a good test before the leagues start and we wish Beckenham best of luck in their league. Final score: Beckenham 14 – 19 Old Reigatian
Next week we play one of Beckenham’s local rivals Old Colfeians at Park Lane on a big day for the Club with the famous Red Devils parachuting in with the match ball 15 minutes before kick off. So don’t be late!
