London League Division 3 South West.

KCS Old Boys 24, Winchester 37.

Continuing their rich vein of form at Motspur Park last Saturday, Winchester resisted the pressure of a second half comeback to record another win with a lethal combination of calmness and determination.

They kept going admirably throughout, every player stepping up to the mark when called upon to do so. Winchester's pack rarely took a backward step from first whistle to last and were ably directed by Andy Ashwin from scrum half.

Two early driving mauls set the pattern as everything began going the visitors' way after Ashwin and KCS fly half Graham McDougal exchanged early penalties.

With so many more lineout options than previously, Winchester dominated possession, working themselves into a 13-3 lead by half-time. Every player was keen for a slice of the action, playing for each other as though their lives depended upon it.

Another Ashwin penalty was but the precursor to the most outrageous piece of trickery that opened the visitors' try account. Quickly realising he had not got the angle for one of his trademark drop goals, fly half Dave Brown nevertheless feigned the attempt, distracting the defence sufficiently to enable him to stroll in beneath the posts and giving Ashwin the simplest of conversions.

After the break, the pace of the game increased still further as KCS threw the kitchen sink at Winchester. Three times they drew within three points and three times Winchester repulsed them.

The visitors refused to buckle. Firstly, centre Jamie Philip scored within five minutes of the restart, McDougal converting, after which the scoring went back and forth like a long centre court rally at Wimbledon.

Then James Bingham won the chase for a through ball to touch down. Cue the accurate boot of that man Ashwin, who went on to score seventeen points in all from three penalties and four superbly struck conversions.

A scoreline of 20-10 to Winchester suddenly became 20-17 as Simon Farrington unluckily tripped in fielding a kick through, leaving the burly John Stocker to fall on the ball for the softest of scores, McDougal doing the rest.

In past seasons the visitors' heads might have dropped at this point. No more. Once again the scrummage cranked itself up through the gears and in a flash James Bingham had his second try from the move of the match, strong running and interplay between Farrington and Bingham opening up the defence like a can of worms.

One more twitch from the dying saw KCS score again through Philip, a try which in all truth should have been prevented as defenders allowed themselves to be turned inside out in an effort to cut down the space.

McDougal's conversion and an Ashwin penalty brought the score to 30-24 in Winchester's favour, leaving the stage free for captain marvel, Campbell Ettinger to ice the cake with his fourth try in two games. Ashwin's conversion lit the blue touch paper for Winchester celebrations.

Everyone had answered the call to arms, especially among the forwards who from one to eight played as if righting a thousand slanders. It had been an entertaining contest, watched alas by rugby's equivalent of two men and a dog. Did the KCS following have premonitions the night before?

Winchester: Welch, Timson, Bingham, Goldsmith, Farrington, Brown, Ashwin, Ettinger, Crowther, Moreton, Manning, Daniels, Smith, Kirkaldy, Pervin (Millar H/T).