Hackney RFC: 17

 

Hackney RFC’s excellent season continued as they notched up their 8th league win in a row with this victory over promotion rivals Borehamwood. They now sit two points clear at the top of Herts Middlesex North 3 league ahead of Cuffley who have a game in hand on the Griffins.

 

The London side have not lost since November when they were narrowly beaten by the Herts side. But, the Griffins have come on leaps and bounds since that day; the progression demonstrated by a 1 point win against them in December, and then this recent win underlying the improvement in the side.

 

Hackney looked to play the game in the right areas of the pitch and put some good phases of play together before James Hardwick gave the Griffins an early lead with a well struck penalty. Hackney’s great defence kept teh pressure on Borehamwood and restricted their attacking opportunities. This pressure told when Flanker Ollie Hart charged down a Borehamwood clearance to set up his back row colleague Johnathon Tully, who scored the Griffins first try which Hardwick converted.

 

Borehamwood have the best scoring record in the league and so Hackney knew they would have to defend well to get the result they needed to keep their promotion hopes alive. The Griffins defended resolutely throughout the second half, Ben Chamberlain standing out making some huge hits and one spectacular try saving tackle. On the offensive front, loose-head prop Adam Brace put in a man of the match performance with a solid scrimmaging display and his bullocking runs in open play continually sucked in the defendence to provide the London side with spacethey needed to attack.

 

Hackney’s second try sealed the result and came from a typical piece of individual skill from Sean Collins, who left the Borehamwood defence trailing in his wake as has so often been the case this season. Hardwick added the goal points as the Griffins won a crucial game and now enter the last phase of the season with promotion a real possibility.

 

Skipper Matt Clemens-Lary said after the game “I am proud of all the lads, it was a really great team effort and a pay off for much of the hard work in training.”

 

Hackney Griffins: A Brace, M Spencer, M Clemens-Lary, N Cartwright, O Hart, M Whitlock, C Davies, J Tully, T Wright, A Hall, J Hardwick, J Moore, S Collins, J Wilson, J Davies, B Chamberlain. Reserves: G Llewellyn-Williams, R Holgate, D Bates.