Sport can be cruel. On Saturday, Teddington’s quest for a second consecutive Twickenham appearance came to a heartbreaking end against KCS Old Boys in a match where they had not been behind on the scoreboard until the final kick of the game. At the end of an afternoon of high drama at Bushy Park, KCS knocked over the decisive conversion at the second attempt after the Teddington players were adjudged to have shouted at the kicker during the initial one. It was an incredibly tough way to finish the game and the season. Teddington’s desperate disappointment was in stark contrast to the jubilant Kings celebrations who will now be a tough nut to crack for anyone left in this competition. It provided a reminder of how rugby can take you through the full range of emotions, and either way, whichever side you were on, this was pure theatre. Going into the game, Teddington were firm favourites having beaten KCS twice this season already and coming off the back of a hugely impressive win over Petersfield last week. KCS also had a big win in the 2nd round against Old Tiffs and maybe that was a pointer towards this being a tighter affair than the two previous league encounters. The game started in a similar manner to last week, a cagey arm wrestle with defences on top. The Antlers just about had the upper hand and were getting the better of the set piece. They scored two wonderful first half trys. The first came after Joe STAINER made a searing outside break before passing inside to Max AITKEN who took it superbly to cross in the right-hand corner. The second was a well worked team try, which AITKEN again finished off this time in the opposite corner. KCS came back and carried heavily into the Antlers defence, but the brick wall which has served Teddington so well this season was stronger than ever. Kings started to play a closer game with and were rewarded with a crucial try just on half time. At 10-7 the game felt in the balance at the interval. Teddington stretched their lead to 15-7, thanks to another AITKEN try soon after the break, completing his hat trick and taking his tally to 35 for the season. Could the Antlers now pull away as they have done so often this season? Not on this occasion, KCS refused to go away and with their substitutions giving them extra impetus, they started to impose themselves more and more on the game. A period of sustained pressure gave them a penalty which they duly converted, then AITKEN was sent to the bin for taking the jumper out in the air from the restart. The tide was turning but the Teddington defenders were having the sort of afternoon where it looked like nothing would get by them. Time and again KCS knocked on the door and each time Teddington were up to the challenge. AITKEN returned from his 10 minutes on the sidelines as the clocked ticked down with the nervous Antlers supporters praying for the final whistle. KCS continued to camp out in the hosts 22, desperate for the try which would bring them level and they went back to the pick and go tactic which got them their first half try. Eventually they squeezed over, just to the left-hand side of the posts. And then the drama of the conversion, the brief elation from the home support as the kick struck the upright before the referee correctly ordered for the kick to be retaken. That’s knockout rugby for you. Final Score Teddington RFC 15 KCS Old Boys RFC 17.