Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong went wrong on what turned out to be, in many different ways, a thoroughly unpleasant afternoon in Hertfordshire. Welwyn played to their strengths up front and snatched a dramatic victory with the final move of the game, denying 1871 crucial league points in the battle to overhaul Finchley and Cheshunt, the teams sitting above them in third and second respectively.

In a rescheduled game after an earlier postponement due to frost, Ealing arrived early for the 2 pm kick-off on a dank, rainy day and had plenty of time while waiting for the clubhouse to be opened to ascertain that the two main pitches were heavy but playable, while a third, smaller pitch was devoid of grass in several areas and had some standing water. It came as a surprise when the Welwyn head coach informed the visitors that the game would be played on the latter pitch. After prolonged discussion during which the Ealing coaching team made the valid point that the surface was unplayable and likely to lead to collapsed scrums, posing a significant safety issue, Welwyn eventually agreed to move the game to the pitch alongside their main pitch, which was being preserved for a women’s match the following day.

To make matters worse, Ealing lost 2nd row Reggie Elliot-Jones injured his calf in the warm-up and was unable to start the game. This necessitated Will Day, the designated front-row replacement taking his place in the 2nd row. Whether justified or not, Welwyn carried their frustration and anger into the game and began strongly, pinning 1871 in their own half and scoring from a clean line-out with a forward wrapping around and evading two tackles. The reasonably straightforward conversion attempt was missed. The visitors fought their way back into the game in difficult conditions, and finally put points on the board after 19 minutes. A series of forward drives from a clean line-out take eventually created space for Kyle Beck to squeeze over wide on the left, from where Harry Vidler nailed the conversion to put this team 7-5 ahead. Eight minutes later half Richard Rhydderch-Roberts took a quick tap penalty and darted left and right to shake off attempted tackles and double the Ealing score with Vidler’s conversion. The powerful Welwyn pack continued to dominate up front as the half-time whistle approached. Ealing back-pedalled at a scrum 5 metres from their own line, and Welwyn scored from the second phase, leaving the interval score at 14-10 with the conversion missed.

A battle of attrition continued in the second period, with few opportunities to run with the ball, and it was solid scrummaging that enabled the home side to re-take the lead 8 minutes after the break, before yet another forward try saw Ealing move 19-17 ahead through Akeem Eubank-Anderson, forcing his way over the line from a lineout. As the clock ticked down and with the visitors suffering a massive second-half penalty count of 17 and a yellow card to Aidan Jones, having somehow lost the referee along the way, Welwyn used their forward power to pummel the try line and eventually secured the winning score at the death, sparking jubilant scenes among the home players and support.

Ealing man of the match was centre Ryan Conyard for a series of strong runs. After what can only be termed a bad day at a soggy office, 1871 will hope for better conditions to suit their game away to Ruislip on Saturday 15 February.