1871 finish on a high but are pipped for second place in the league

A strong second half to the Herts Middlesex League 1 season that saw a solitary and unlucky loss, to runaway league winners London Scottish, and a draw away to Saracens Amateurs, ended with another bonus-point victory to finish bracketed alongside Barnet Elizabethans on 68 points. Despite a points difference nearly 100 better than Barnet and a resounding victory in the head-to-head at Vallis Way a few weeks ago, the league rule of number of matches won determining which team is placed higher in the event of two finishing on equal points meant that frustratingly 1871 finished in third, after Barnet’s final-day defeat at the hands of Scottish.

Despite cases of COVID among the management team, Ealing were able to field a strong squad of 18 for the final competitive fixture of the season and took the lead against Verulamians after 8 minutes with a try by inside centre Josh Steadman, converted by Harrison Slater. Prop Tim Hitchcock added to his try tally for the season with a quarter of an hour gone, and Slater added a third to extend the lead to 17. With outside centre Max Muirhead yellow-carded, Verulamians recorded their first try of the afternoon to leave the score at the break at 17-7.

Within a minute of the restart the returning Muirhead scored his team’s fourth, securing the try bonus, converted by Slater, and then notched his second of the day with just over a quarter of the game remaining, after Verulamians had reduced the deficit with a try of their own. Hitchcock, into double figures for the season, extended the lead to 38-12 with a conversion by Slater, before a third Verulamians try was followed by 1871’s seventh and final score of the day through full back Lewis Steadman.

With this final win, the curtain comes down on what has overall been a highly enjoyable season in Herts Middlesex 1, with several strong teams contending the top places. We locked horns with traditional rivals we had not played for several years and encountered others we had rarely if ever played against previously. The 2022-23 league structure will remain a mystery until key decisions are made in the summer, so who we will face next season for now remains a great unknown. In the meantime thanks to all players who turned out for the team for a great season. September can’t come soon enough.