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Personal loss overshadows the turnaround in form.
T's, the Club, were saddened by the death at the weekend of Life member, Jack Herod. Jack had been ill for some time, and as senior member, the gap left by his loss will be a big one to fill.
The funeral is scheduled for 2pm on Wednesday 14th January in his home village near Newbury. Any friends and colleagues planning to go are asked to contact the club secretary Jerry Francis so that Jacks widow, Anne, has some idea of numbers. There are also plans to run a coach if sufficient people wish.
Jack was a T's man through and through, and had enjoyed the high spots of the last few years in a way reminiscient of the delight he felt when part of the Centenary team coaching staff which played at the RFU stadium against The Peguins.
It was fitting therefore that the 1st XV should put together their best performance of the season at the weekend when they reversed the early season defeat by Bank of England.
The Richmond and Twickenham Times report follows:
BANK OF ENGLAND 17 TWICKENHAM 32
Behind at the halfway mark, Twickenham put in a powerful and spirited performance to overwhelm the Bank in the second period and turn out comfortable winners.
The Bank’s early pressure was rewarded with a penalty and they looked very strong in the forwards, and T’s were struggling to get into the game. A lucky break saw winger Leon John intercept a poor pass and go hell for leather half the length of the field and go in under the posts. Fly-half James Clark converted and T’s thus had a somewhat undeserved 7-3 lead. By half time the Bank were ahead again by 10-7, courtesy of a brilliant scything run through T’s centres by an opposition back for a try that was converted.
The second half was all Twickenham. However, the Bank got their score in first with an interception of a pass just 10 yards from their own line and a sprint the length of the field-a fair trade for T’s try in the first half. From then on, there was only ever one side in it as Twickenham’s back-row and Bobby Wallis in particular dominated affairs, with some searing and penetrating runs.
T’s scored at regular intervals. First a second try for Leon John in the corner; next, one from James Clark, following heavy pressure on the Bank line.
The score was now 17 all, and the Bank tried hard to get back into the
game, galvanised by the fact that they had lost their lead. T’s however
were now confident, and went ahead via an amazing solo try for James Clark.
About thirty yards out he put in a huge up-and-under kick; he followed
up at pace and as the ball bobbled over the line he beat the three man
defensive cover to ground it. He then had the audacity to make the conversion
from wide out.
A Clark penalty gave T’s the cushion of a two-score lead, and as a result they opened the game out and played some beautiful running rugby, with several memorable runs from Wallis and Tom Howden. The last try of the match was the best, a try of finesse and flowing movement, starting in their own half and ending with young winger Steve McDermott going over in the corner.
This was probably T’s most spirited game osf the season and a cracking way to start the New Year and their climb up the London 2 North league table.
Twickenham scorers; Tries John(2), Clark(2), McDermott; Pen: Clark; Cons: Clark(2)
TWICKENHAM: Bryce (Banks 45), John, Foley, Howden, McDermott, Clark,
Peters, Burt, Drinkwater, Moses (Nicholson 55), Goff, See, Wallis, Dawes
(Tytherleigh 20), I’Anson.
Elsewhere in the Club:
The rematch with Norwich has been provisionally scheduled for 17th January, although it is unclear as yet whether the game will need to be replayed. Norwich were successful in their appeal to the London and South East competitions committee who agreed the result would stand. T's are , therefore, appealing that decision to the RFU.
Once the result is clear the cup game with Grasshoppers will be able to be scheduled.
Elsewhere in the leagues
What do I know.....having tipped London Scottish and ealing for the top two spots, Ealing got turned over by Diss allowing Cambridge to slip into second place....while it is a far away dream, the opportunity to replay the Norwich game may just give T's the incentive to drive hard for that second place themselves.....
In London 1 both Staines and London Nigerians are struggling to find any sort of form at the moment, although Harlow are well adrift at the bottom.
Civil Service and St Albans set the standard in London NW3.
