Clubs & Societies
‘firm’ in others it was a mixed course that suited everyone at some place along the course – some fairly deep mud and some puddles near the end to wash it off again! Four OAs toed the start line in a field of nearly 150 and by the end Sherborne had won the race easily, scoring 29 points with three finishers in the first five making a secure platform to win the race, followed some way back by Ampleforth, Winchester and then King Henry VIII School, Coventry. The OAs scored 198 points, good enough for ninth out of the 18 schools who completed the race. We finished second in both the over 40s and over 50s races behind Ampleforth and Winchester respectively. It was only three places that made the difference in the over 40s. So close! The OA results were:
NatWest (formerly Daily Mail RBS) Schools Cup for the third season in succession. Retaining our place in the London 2 SW league in only the last game of the previous season, we knew we had to be well prepared for the new campaign. We had a new captain, a new dedicated player/coach, some new players and improved systems for managing player ability. There were, however, things that were beyond our control and we endured another extremely wet winter that exposed the limitations of our facilities on Dulwich Common. A number of games were cancelled or rearranged which really disrupted the season, but in this we were not alone as many clubs up and down the country had similar problems. Despite the disruptions, we managed to win 10 of our 22 games and secure fifth spot, confirming our rightful place as one of the better sides in the league.
Jerry Watson (71-78)
21st
30.42
Stephen Georgiadis (74-81)
37th
32.14
Rob Rider (77-83)
46th
33.14
David Gibson (89-94)
103rd
38.32
The 2013-14 OAFC 1st XV
The 2s, 3s and 4s are thriving. The 2nd XV in particular in recent seasons has really taken a step up and now play and often beat the 2nd XVs of clubs from higher leagues. Players from the 2nd XV can now slot seamlessly into the 1st XV, which may not have been the case in the recent past and really adds to the strength in depth of the whole Club. Our 3rd XV plays at the same level as the 2nd XV was playing only a few seasons ago, competing against 2nd and 3rd XVs of bigger clubs. The 4th XV, our most social side, has formed a tight knit group within the Club, playing a good standard of rugby while also being very committed to the third half of the game. The existence of the Development XV is paying real dividends for senior rugby by enabling players from the Juniors to move to senior rugby and offering play for new and returning players. The Junior section of the Club has now reached a size where we cannot really expand further because of the size of our facilities. We have age groups running from under 7s to under 18s. We have also expanded girls rugby and will continue to do this over the next few seasons. Despite miserable conditions, the traditional Boxing Day fixture against Old Whitgiftians was well attended. Unfortunately, for the first time in a number of years we were the losing side. The visitors came to Dulwich with a big squad which we were unable to match. The final score may be lost in the mists of time but we were well beaten.
The Old Alleynian team in action
My thanks to those who came and my apologies to those who would have liked to have come but were not invited – a distribution list breakdown caused this. If you were in contact but are not now, or think you might like to run in the future but have never been in contact, then please contact me via thewatsonsroundhay @ yahoo.com. The race is held the second Saturday in December, there is no entry fee and entry is on the day for those who like to leave it late before making a decision. An OA vest awaits you!
Jerry Watson (71-78) Secretary
Old Alleynian Football Club
Chairman: Michael Lobb (Parent) Hon Secretary: Owen McEntee Email: owen_mcentee @ hotmail.com Web: www.alleynianrugby.org The 2013-14 Season
Rugby continues to prosper in Dulwich: the OAs came a respectable fifth in the London 2 SW league and the College continued their remarkable run and won the
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