Old Haberdashers RFC 10 Hammersmith & Fulham RFC 10

Herts/Middlesex LeagueHonours were even last Saturday, when OH entertained not one, but two of London's most cosmopolitan areas Hammersmith & Fulham.

The visitors spun a coherent web of entertainment and style, befitting the areas from whence they came but failed to convert several scoring chances out wide.

This was due in no small part to a muscular midfield display from the OH and some excellent corner-flagging from the OH back row and stand-in scrum-half, Randal Whittaker.

Indeed, Whittaker surprised supporters with some swift and slick passing, as well as successfully snapping at the heels of the opposition scrum-half and back row.

The Londoners frustrations grew further, as OH scored first with a free-flowing flurry down the backline, resulting in Hughes crossing the tryline in some space.

H&F rallied well and responded with a converted try after several periods of concerted pressure.

Although the visitors led 5-7 at the break, their skinny lead did not reflect their healthy share of possession in the first half.

It was also perhaps predictable that they had not made enough provision on the scoreboard, to counter the strength-sapping effects of a second-half tackling the infamous uphill slope of Croxdale Road.

Persistent disruption of some rather over-elaborate moves from the H&F backs, meant that OH carved out another scoring opportunity and duly converted with the pacey backline feeding the 'on-fire' Hughes to slip in once again.

But joy was to turned to less joy, when a penalty that was more a feature of the conditions than deliberate error on OH's part, allowed the H&F fly-half to draw his side level, with a straightforward penalty under the posts.

As the final whistle blew, both sides sighed with relief OH for having absorbed so much pressure and outscored their visitors two tries to one and H&F for having held on for a point in the face of the opportunist tactics of the OH backline.

October 31, 2001 16:18