Cobham 41- Old Reigatians 7

CHAMPIONS

What a day! Its days like this that will long go down in the Cobham annals. The First XV on the cusp of achieving greatness within their respected environment, the opening of a quite magnificent clubhouse and the remembrance of a great Cobham stalwart in Mike Roberts, who piloted the plane that crashed in Farnborough, Kent on Sunday 30th March.

The anticipation to the game had built throughout the week. Few players get the chance to win League Titles at whatever level they may participate and that was not lost on the Cobham lads. The nerves of the team ebbed and flowed like the River Ganges, calmly waiting for the oncoming monsoon. Some even turned up early to witness the scrumptious lunch that was being staged in the new clubhouse and others to seek out a good spot in the new changing rooms.

However some didn’t want to break with tradition and Wheels turned up, the now obligatory, 45 minutes late. The perils of turning up late though were soon evident for all to see as Big Gus was not happy with his new spot in the changing room. When no one moved to accommodate his Paris Hilton like figure he simply ripped the bench out of the wall and made his peers sit on the floor like naughty school boys.

As the roars of laughter rippled out from the upstairs lunch the focus remained in the changing rooms. The desire to win the league in front of their home supporters was proving a massive carrot but the Cobham players knew that the quality of the opposition could prove a massive stumbling block. However as the shouts of encouragement reverberated around and the odd quote such as, ‘If you want the rainbow then first you have to put up with the rain’ popped up the players took the field of dreams in front of a bumper crowd.

The game started at a frantic pace with Old Reigatians South African signings making sharp incisive incursions in to Cobham territory. Scrambling defence and a desire to cover each other from the Cob boys was the only thing preventing Old Reis from opening the scoring. Unfortunately there was an early injury to one of the opposition which allowed the players to take stock. Looking around you’d have thought we were playing at Everest Base Camp as oxygen seemed in desperate need!

Following this brief breather Cobham started to get a little ascendancy on the game, their forwards and backs combining better to produce multi phase ball. Penalties were missed by both teams with a couple of snap hooks in there that would leave a 36 handicapper a little red in the face. It was left to Ritchie ‘Wheels’ Blackmore, the break dancing freak, to intercept a ball on the half way line and hit the afterburners to win the race to the line, converted by the effervescent McCallum.

It was just what Cobham needed as the nerves seemed to vanish and the confidence started to flow like the snow melt in the Himalayas. It was now game on and Cobham began to threaten the scoreboard with a McCallum penalty followed up by some smart play resulting in the Dorian Gray like Martin Green squeezing over in the corner.

Half time came and went, the crowd barely managing to top up their pint glasses. Mealin came on to replace Big Gus who had added to the demolition he caused in the changing rooms to some of his own demolition work of the scrum. After weeks out wrestling lions in his native Botswana Mealin was out to prove a point and his impact on the set piece was immediate.

The pace of play was high and there was a huge hunger in the players to get their hands on the ball and chase the League Title. Cobham scored another try through their resident hobbit, Mark Bennett, whose venture out of the Shires has proved fruitful as he’s climbed the try scoring ladder. To score more tries than yards carried with the ball is impressive and the rumour that Norris McWhirter was down on Saturday to measure this feat was unfortunately untrue.

The home team however did not get ahead of themselves as they had recognised early on the potential of the opposition backline which struck like a cobra mid way through the second half to score a superbly worked long range try. But this Cobham side has shown a steely resolve all season and their reply was immediate. From the following kick off and outstanding work by Johnson he provided quick ball for Dan Taylor to paint his own canvas as he waltzed his way towards the opposition line only to off load to McCallum with the most audacious of passes. The try scorer added the extras.

It was now a case of Cobham controlling the ball and territory and they did this with clinical aplomb with further scores coming from the excellent teenage fullback Gareth Crankshaw and man of the match Blackshaw. McCallum’s radar was firmly switched on as he knocked over the extras from either touchline.

The final score stood at 41-7 which in no way highlighted the competitiveness of this game. However nothing should be taken away from the team, a win was what Cobham needed to win the League and they achieved that in style. The players, coaches and everyone involved with the team and the club should be immensely proud to be part of such a wonderful day.

Whilst we put in the effort on the field, we must also thank Menzies, our fantastic and very supportive sponsor for everything that they continue to put in off the field for senior rugby at Cobham. Thanks guys - we really do appreciate it.

Next weekend sees Cobham travel to Guernsey for what will no doubt be another highly competitive fixture.

J.P.