THE OLD HABERDASHERS' R.F.C. Report for the 2001/02 Season

Our season began with renewed vigour and determination which was further bolstered by our introduction to the world a large through the all singing and dancing OHRFC.org website. With this in mind we began scouring the countryside for new talented front row stalwarts to complement our ever sprightly back line. Unfortunately all we came up with were blanks and were forced to begin our campaign with myself as a supposed stand in.

Our first outing of the season against Old Millhillians in the Cup, gave us much to be proud of, losing by a single point to one of our fiercest rivals. However it was with much jubilation that we subsequently received word that O.M.s had been disqualifies for fielding unregistered players. The one down side to the game came with the injury of James Gulliford our only recognised prop forward who dislocated his shoulder sidelining him for the rest of 2001.

The rest of the year saw the mighty O.H. enjoying a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. Two early wins against Kilburn Cosmos 19-13 and Old Actonians 13-10 put us into the top four in the league and rumours of promotion began to spread Then came a poor loss to St. Nicholas Old Boys in the Cup, a spirited 14 man side going down to two tries in the dying minute of the game. A crushing defeat to the bullish Hitchin left us with three further serious injuries, followed by a well fought out draw with Hammersmith and Fulham 10-10. At this point we were mid-table and were hoping to finish the season that way Further games against Grammarians and H.A.C. yielded a win and a loss and we went into the Christmas break with high hopes.

The traditional Boxing Day grudge match against Old Merchant Taylors' saw a return to the feisty Old Haberdashers local derbies of days gone by. A freezing cold day in December saw two dedicated teams take the field for a wonderful battle of Old Boys rugby leaving all who participated battered and bruised but happy with an 8-8 draw.

As we rang in the New Year we looked forward to the returns from injury and university of a number of players to further strengthen our league chances. This however was not to be and following a postponement of the home Hitchin fixture due to pitch problems our season began to come apart at the seams. Hammersmith and Fulham away, a definite win in our books turned sour when they neglected to mention the proximity of their ground to that of Chelsea F.C. (who were playing at home! leading to three players not arriving until the half time whistle had blown. This narrow defeat epitomised our luck to come for he remainder of the season. An influx of new recruits for the Old Actonians re-match led us to take the field with 19 players! and a great feeling of 'we can win' in the dressing room, but six freak injuries in the first half meant that it was not to be.

The injury list coupled with a poor availability forecast led to a premature departure from the Herts./Middlesex league it 2002. However building for the 2002/03 season began early and the signs are that a major resurgence is on the cards for the mighty magenta and blues.

The social side has been strong if selective, with the re-emergence of the now annual Spoof Cup and live music once again testing the structural supports at O.H. Dartin Mavis rocked the Club House on the 15th December with a full complement of classic rock and own composition. Two-fifths of the band were most at home in the heart of the bar, having spent some time there in past years and the three guitarmen that made up the frontline will no doubt return in future, more comfortable than when they arrived, after a storming performance.

The Past Players lunch was slickly served up as usual by Ray Kipps and the Annual Dinner in the convivial surroundings of the Club House at the end of January was another jovial affair. The afternoon of the same day saw the first Veterans match of the season, with a ragbag of international talent being rallied to take on a team known as Abba Revival, comprising of alumni of Aberystwyth University and current stars of Oxford Harlequins and Ramsey R.F.C.s The O.H. running out deserved victors.

All in all O.H. had a turbulent season greatly influenced by factors outside of their control. But despite this spirit is high and am sure that we will have a season to remember this time next year.

Stuart Smith