After a couple months off it was finally time for the Serpents to pounce back into action, this time it was our debut into the 7s circuit.
Match report from James Cunningham (2012, G) and Hugo Eyre (2012, F)
With a very early start the Serpents descended on Wimbledon with a physical first game against a very strong Hammersmith and Fulham side which unfortunately was in vain, but some great defence gave us a lot of hope going into game 2.
Our second game was against the South London Crabbitohs who took an early lead; we managed to edge ourselves back into game with a Harry Wilson (2018, G) intercept try and a great team try finished by George Redmayne (2014, D). A last-minute score from a Richard Butterworth (2015, G) quick tap to put Hugo Eyre away in the corner wasn’t enough to seal the win as we finished 22-17 down.
Our final group game came against the Royal Tangs, once again we faced early obstacles going down 10-0 in the opening minutes. Some great play from Jacob McCowen (2018, F) to put Matt Chapman (2014, G) away in the corner gave us a glimmer of hope, this was then extended by a Richard Butterworth try to go into the last 5 minutes down by 3. An overthrow line out from the Tangs was pounced on by Hugo Eyre and gave us a 2-point advantage in the dying moments. Some fantastic defence in a very physical encounter and we managed to take the victory! Serpents 17-15 Tangs.
From this win we had qualified for the plate semi-final, and after a break giving everyone some needed recharge time in the heat we faced Booby Buckets 7s in the semi-final. Unfortunately, even with some great scores from George Redmayne and Harry Wilson we were unable to outmuscle a very skilful side containing championship-level players.
We bowed out in the semi but kept our heads held high with what was a great day and debut in the 7s scene for the Serpents.
The post-tournament social saw us all in our most vibrant shirts and will definitely go down as a large success for the Serpents!
Interested in getting involved with an OR sport? There’s plenty on offer, from cricket, to sailing, to football, and many more … visit the Clubs and Societies page for more information and email radsoc@radley.org.uk with any questions.
