Another sumptuous victory for the Vets as they once more purred into life to welcome the softer ground of autumn. A strong squad welcomed back Chris Furze for his debut Vets outing, alongside the regular crew of misfits, halfwits and cripples.
Service began brightly and soon ran up a four-try lead, despite coming up against a competitive Smiths team featuring a few familiar faces. However, the second half was more evenly balanced, with the visitors claiming the final two scores as Service legs began to tire and thoughts turned to post-match food and ale.
Mark Townsend utilised his knowledge of the art of cheating, and some rather fetching luminous socks, to keep order with the whistle – despite the usual shenanigans from Messrs Simon Bellamy and Gareth Jenkins.
The game of rugby was Man of the Match, but several individuals vied for the Dick of the Day moment: Paul Ogden’s between-the-legs pass to the opposition 10; Russ Williams kicking for touch in the opposition 22 with 2 men outside him; Stephen Yiend and Dan Bailey, who each managed to knock on in the in-goal area; and Dan Wilson for being possibly the most hungover person seen on a rugby pitch this season.
Another successful afternoon, with more to come later in the season. #VLS