A glorious winters day in Bushy Park on Saturday didn’t bring a vintage performance from the Antlers, but they managed to edge past a resolute London Irish side to end 2025 in fourth position in Regional 2 Thames. Irish have had a tough season to date, but it’s fair to say they have pushed Teddington right to the wire in the two games we’ve had with them this season and on this evidence they should have enough to get themselves clear of trouble. For Teddington, there was some reshuffling after last weeks defeat at Harpenden – Henry HUGHES and Gabe ROBERTS were back from university and came into the team, whilst Sean PARKINSON and Courtney RAYMOND were back to add some grit up front. The first score came after 20 minutes after Irish had pummeled the hosts line with close quarter carries. Teddington responded 10 minutes later with Hal DARE driving over from close range giving Alex ROLPH a simple kick for the extras. But Irish hit back, again using their big forwards to drive them up to the try line before squeezing their left winger over in the corner, giving the visitors a 7-12 lead at the break. Teddington responded strongly after the break with ROBERTS going close before Thom PUGH powered over to level the scores. Irish refused to lie down though, putting pressure on the Teddington defence, and they eventually crossed again to take a 12-19 lead with 20 to go. The Antlers then shifted up a gear, with Tom WILLIAMS making inroads into Irish territory before quick ball gave DARE the opportunity to feed PUGH who went under the posts for a lovely score. With 5 minutes to go the Antlers crossed for the decisive try; ROLPH jinked through the visitors defence, setting up good field position for RAYMOND to muscle over. A nervy end to the game saw Irish put intense pressure on the Teddington defence. The Antlers lost a man to the sin bin but managed to see out the win, when a stray Irish pass went into touch. Not a classic, but a tense and exciting game to finish the year. Teddington are now well placed to contest for the play off spots at the end of the season, but plenty of challenges lay ahead. Final Score Teddington RFC 24 London Irish RFC 19. Man of the Match Hal DARE.

Photo by Simon RIDLER