Old Boys pay the penalty at Finchley
A last minute penalty against Finchley on Saturday denied UCS Old Boys the chance of guaranteeing London League promotion. The home side's scrum-half sent his kick between the posts after the Old Boys were penalised when the
Finchley 13
UCS Old Boys 10
A last minute penalty against Finchley on Saturday denied UCS Old Boys the chance of guaranteeing London League promotion.
The home side's scrum-half sent his kick between the posts after the Old Boys were penalised when they ran the ball from their own line rather than kicking it.
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UCS began the match promisingly, despite fielding a team without many regulars. The Old Boys pack made inroads in to the Finchley scrum and their running was dynamic and effective.
However the final pass always went astray and it wasn't until the half hour mark that UCS opened their account.
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When the ball was spread wide, centre Jeremy Innes crossed for a try, which scrum-half Casey Mee converted.
Having dominated the half, a bizarre twist, echoing the recent Six Nations time-keeping fiasco between Italy and Wales, allowed Finchley back into the game.
After being told it was the last play of the half, UCS failed to clear their lines.
But then a scrum and penalty followed, and from a tapped charge the lively Finchley prop barged over to make it 5-7 at half-time.
Finchley started the second half pumped up, but UCS used the breeze to get field position which resulted in Mee adding a penalty.
Finchley struck back with a powerful move and again their prop bashed his way over the line. Remarkably, the conversion from in front of the posts was missed.
A draw would have ended Finchley's outside chance of promotion, but they pressed until the end when UCS needlessly handed them the winning penalty.
The Old Boys remain second in division four (north west). But their fortunes are still in their own hands - they entertain Grasshoopers in their final game.
UCS Old Boys: Harding, Mason, Innes, McLean, Samuel, O'Donnell, Mee, Giri, Lucker, Waterman, Wheeler, Dillon, Austen (Lemarche), Chapman, Harper (Brandt).
l Haringey Rhinos went down 27-7 to promotion-chasing Welwyn in London League division three on Saturday. The Rhinos stay second from bottom with eighth points.
jonny.weeks@hamhigh.co.uk
