Serpents too strong for Merton’s Hornets.

Streatham-Croydon’s 3rd XV put aside their previously inconsistent form with a professional display against local rivals Merton at Frant Road. The Serpents wasted little time in troubling the scores, running riot during the first-half and causing Merton’s fragile backline countless problems. As well as Streatham’s attacking prowess, their defence were in control throughout most of the first-half as Merton struggled to get a grip-hold on the game.
The pitch may have been boggy from the off, but the hosts appeared to be dealing with the rainy weather more efficiently than the visitors. Although, with that being said, Streatham did narrowly miss a penalty after 15 minutes. The points were already stacking up in their favour, but the supporters’ faces said it all as an opportunity to extend their lead over a sluggish Merton side had been squandered. This gave the Hornets hope to attempt to claw their way back into the game, and why not? The game had entered a scrappy phase with both teams misplacing passes, although Streatham’s defence were pushed back by Merton at times.

You can understand Streatham manager Abdul’s confidence in his side as prior to the match he claimed “Although previous results haven’t been going our way, we have been playing really well.” The Serpents continued to justify their manager’s faith in them, beginning the second half with similar impetus and attacking flair as they did in the first 40 minutes. The weather did continue to impact significantly on the passage of play, with the slick and greasy surface causing a high turnover of possession. Once again Merton were able to capitalise on Streatham-Croydon’s sloppiness in possession, attacking the Serpants through the middle and bagging a handful of well-earned tries. The only downside for the visitors was that a member of their team had to be withdrawn from the action after sustaining an injury. The Hornets were out of subs, and subsequently had to take substituted Serpents player Paul onto their side for the remainder of the match.
Saturday October 25th marked a triple celebration for Streatham-Croydon Rugby Football Club as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd XV’s all won their matches that day. The day was even more special for Streats’ third XI player Jack who bagged a double hat-trick for his team. The Serpents sit proudly at the top of the Foundation League and have a well-earned rest next week. Their next match will be another London derby away to Kingston’s 2XV on November 7th, kicking off at 2:30pm.

By Terrelle Iziren