Teddington had to come from behind on Saturday against an Old Amplefordians side who provided the league leaders with their toughest test to date in Counties 2 Surrey.

At a gloomy Bushy Park, it was the visitors who came out the blocks the quickest. With some direct running and impressive ball retention, it wasn’t long before Old A’s got on the scoreboard, going over in the corner and adding an impressive conversion to lead 7-0. The Antlers hit back with debutant Max AITKEN going over shortly after, but it was the Old Boys who continued to dominate adding another converted try to go in 14-5 at the break. The second half started in a similar manner, and when the visitors scored again to stretch the lead to 21-5 it seemed Teddington’s unbeaten run was coming to an end.

It was some rare clean possession from the lineout which provided the spark for the comeback. A short pop off the tail to Hal Dare, saw the prop forward set off on a stampede to the try line, bouncing off numerous defenders en route, to give the Antlers hope. With time ticking away, Teddington started to find some real authority in the scrum, giving them precious possession and territory. With the home crowd adding their vocal support, it was Harry SMITH, a constant threat in attack all afternoon, who crossed over to set up a grandstand finish. The momentum of the game had clearly shifted as the home side looked for the winning score. It came from another period of sustained pressure, ending with wing George BRADFORD taking the direct route to the try line, breaking through a double tackle to crash over and give the Antlers the lead for the first time. The drama was not over though, as Teddington tried to run down the clock, only to give a penalty away in the dying seconds. Old A’s kicked deep into Antlers territory, but the resultant lineout went loose and Teddington got the ball off the pitch to record a vital win.

This would have been a tough result for Amplefordians to take as they had played very well for long periods of the game. Onwards and upwards for the league leaders though. Final Score Teddington 26 Old Amplefordians 21. Man of the Match Hal Dare.