Princely performance from Charles as Hendon triumph at Ickenham

Harry Charles scored two tries and set up another two as a 20-12 win at Ickenham strengthened Hendon’s stranglehold on sixth place in Herts/Middlesex Division Two.

The visitors missed an early penalty and went behind to a kick at the other end. But, from the restart, Paul Geraghty collected the high ball and made the initial break before Charles ran from the halfway line to the 22 – and Jamie Connolly was on hand to finish.

An almost identical move immediately followed as Geraghty fed Charles, who crashed through several tackles and this time passed to Mike Evan-Jones to touch down.

Ickenham’s heavier pack gained the upper hand but Connolly and Brian O’Regan defended well – and O’Regan fed Charles, who ran through from halfway again and went all the way to the line himself.

Ickenham narrowed the gap with a penalty – and they added two more after the interval to cut the deficit to just three points with 10 minutes to go.

But Hendon put the game beyond their hosts with a driving maul, rumbling forward from the 22 and crossing the line, allowing Charles to score his second try from the back of the pack.