Purley JF 43, Kingston 13 (L)

After a two year hiatus Kingston and Purley John Fisher reignited a longstanding rivalry with a typically feisty match in the rain at Parsons Pightle.

Kingston kicked off playing towards the clubhouse, and PJF were quick to go onto the attack. Off some quick ball the PJF 10 launched a pinpoint crossfield kick which was deftly collected by their winger who crossed over in the right hand corner. 5-0

Kingston hit back with a trademark break from No.8 and Captain Hugo Eyre. PJF infringed at the subsequent ruck and No.10 Rhys Luke slotted the penalty to make the score 5-3.

Off the restart, Kingston were awarded a scrum and had a good opportunity to attack from midfield. Unfortunately the pack was turned over by a powerful PJF surge, and PJF moved the ball well quickly down the left flank, showing off great handling to go over. 12-3

After some concerted pressure, Kingston were awarded another penalty at the breakdown. Kingston kicked to the corner, but PJF dealt with the maul well and turned over the ball. From this turnover, PJF cut through the middle of the Kingston defence and were only stopped by some last ditch defence. This attack resulted in a PJF lineout on the Kingston 5m line. Kingston defended this well and forced the knock on. This time the Kingston scrum held up well allowing Rhys Luke to clear the lines.

Despite this solid defence, PJF were not to be denied for long and crashed over from the ensuing rolling maul. 17-3

Kingston were not to be deterred and were putting together some good phases of attack. Winger Phil Dabinski skinned his opposite number and made a strong break down the right flank. Rhys Luke went for a speculative cross field kick which was missed by the PJF 15. Winger Gordon Wu was fastest to the ball and strolled over the line. Rhys Luke kicked the conversion to make the score 17-10 at the half.

Half Time - Purely John Fisher 17 v 10 Kingston

PJF kicked off the second half, finding lock Tom Collis, who caught the high ball and popped it to Hugo Eyre who bounced four would be tacklers. Kingston recycled the ball well and play got up to the 10m before the ball was knocked on in the greasy conditions.

Kingston were starting to click in attack and some concerted pressure led to a penalty in front of the posts, which Rhys Luke duly converted. 17-13

Following a bit of a scrap Kingston were awarded a scrum. PJF’s pack put on a big shove and were awarded a penalty. The kick did not make touch, but Kingston conceded the an offside penalty from the clearance kick. PJF took the scrum and powered over, with the conversion going in off the sticks. 24-13

This try was a massive shift in momentum and PJF were buoyed by their scrum dominance. Showing some more good handling they went over in the left corner. 31-13

Kingston were showing a lot of fight and debutant lock Harold Memela made a huge carry, boshing the PJF winger out of his way. Kingston managed to work their way down into the PJF 22m, and PJF were penalised again for another high shot which resulted in a warning for both sides. Kingston pushed a probing kick down into the PJF 5m. At the lineout Tom Collis got up well to steal the ball but was harshly penalised for playing the man in the air. From the penalty, PJF managed to sneak a further try through the middle. PJF continued to attack from the restart and despite winning a penalty on 80 minutes, Kingston missed touch and some sloppy tackling let PJF in under the sticks. 43-13

Kingston went into this fixture missing over 25 players through injury and unavailability. Given the squad available, this was always going to be a tough ask. Parsons Pightle is always a difficult place to get a victory, and some strong Kingston sides have fallen short away at PJF. That said, the fight and passion showed by this inexperienced team was great to watch - the boys who have stepped up to 1XV rugby for the first time will have learnt a lot from this game. Big congratulations must go to 18 year old prop Ollie Swainston, fellow prop Cameron Chalkey and lock Harold Memela (who was promised 20 minutes off the bench and ended up playing 70) for making their debuts for the club. Tough times breed tough players, and this adversity will hold Kingston in good stead for the future. The boys now have well deserved break before league fixtures resume against recent adversaries Old Cranleighans on 9 November.

Kingston will be hosting a Club Day on 2 November with a friendly fixture vs Raynes Park and a Race Night in the evening. All are welcome.

Full Time - Purley John Fisher 43 v 13 Kingston

Tries: Gordon Wu

Conversions: Rhys Luke

Penalties: Rhys Luke