Round 8 of the London 1 south 2019/20 season saw Beckenham RFC play at home for a second consecutive week a welcome rest from trips to the south coast and a chance to play in front of another home crowd and get our campaign back on track with a win against H.A.C.

A unchanged team which was picked to play top of the league Westcombe Park was selected for this encounter however Liam Greene had to withdraw with an injury in the warm up so Michael Furness slotted into the wing and Joe Dunne made his second league appearance off the bench.

The weather was familiar to Balmoral avenue, cold, wet and windy but at 15:00 the teams came out into a whirlwind and lashing rain.

Things started brightly with Sam Hampson fielding the ball from his own 22 and running 60m swerving around would be tacklers only for the ball to be knocked on and a scrum called. It’s important to mention at this point for the reader that this would not be the last scrum of the day. Weather conditions meaning numerous handling errors.

The first points of the game went to the visitors. H.A.C where able to breakout of their half and after some pressure in Beckenham’s 22, where awarded a penalty which their fly half knocked over despite the wind to make the score line 0-3.

After the restart, with Beckenham going into the wind had to run everything back as kicking to touch was not an option. HAC with the early chances looked to press home their early advantage. A lineout to H.A.C in the Beckenham 22 went through the hands only for Louis Richards to intercept and pass to the supporting Sam Brooke who made a 70m gain.Dragged down by the covering defence the ball was presented however with HAC caught short in defence at the ruck one of the H.A.C backs made a cynical play and was duly sent to the sin bin for 10min.

Beckenham took advantage of the extra man and after some strong carries in midfield, the ball was fired out to the backs, with Louis Richards picking out Reegan Tarbie who picked a great line to go in for the score. Richards adding the extras!

The next period of play constituted Beckenham making numerous handling errors and giving numerous scrums to the away side. Beckenham however were dominant upfront, with James Cleverly and George Baker at the forefront, allowing Beckenham to win numerous scrums against the head. Although this dominance did not get much reward, with the referee reluctant to remunerate this dominance with any advantages or penalties. Having frustrated Beckenham, H.A.C right on half time got their first try. With the wind in their favour, a penalty was pumped into the corner and well set up maul of the lineout drove Beckenham on to their own line. After a few drives from the base of the breakdown, the HAC 9 spotted a gap and snipped to breach the Beckenham line. With the 10 converting, Beckenham went in at half time down by 3. 10-7.

The second half kicked off and Beckenham came out firing, dominating in set piece and gaining yards with strong carries but the lack of clinical decision making and errors let H.A.C out of jail numerous times when the try line was beckoning. After a long period of possession in the H.A.C 22, a fortuitous penalty gave HAC a release, with the ball again being pumped up field. Utilising their driving maul again, HAC this time scored directly from the lineout with the prop going over out wide. The try was well converted by the HAC 10, making it 17-7 after 65 minutes.

With the scoreboard moving against them, Beckenham looked to try and get the scoreboard ticking again. Louis Richards presented with a 3-point opportunity was unable to convert a penalty with 10 minutes remaining. shortly after however, Beckenham got just rewards for their possession. A well worked backs move provided George Baker with a clear run into the corner. Louis Richards was wide with the conversion. Score now 12-17 with 7 minutes to go game on.

Chasing a winning score, a knock on in attack by Beckenham again gave HAC a defensive reprieve, allowing them to clear their lines once again. This error was compounded again by another handling error in their own half which gave HAC the perfect attacking opportunity to close out the game and they once again took their chance late on to take the score to 12-22 at full time.

Given the nature of the game, Beckenham had ample scoring opportunities but lacked the skills to finish them off. A tough result for the team, who will feel dissapointed not to get the W, given the dominance up front and in possession. Congratulations to H.A.C however who although were on the back foot for large parts of the game took their chances well to record their third win on the bounce in London 1. We look forward to the return trip next year.

A week off for the squad this week in light of this Saturdays World Cup Final. For those still looking to get their Beckenham rugby fix. The club will be open from 7.30am, with breakfast served and the bar open! After our feature by England Rugby last week…….where else would you want to be?

Beckenham will be back in league action on the 9th of November, where we travel across south London to visit Cobham. Travel details will be confirmed nearer the time.

Match report by #8 James Blackmore