Sat 4 Nov 2023
Saturday 4th November2023
RFU Counties League 2 Herts/ Middlesex
Barnet Elizabethans RFC 40 - 26 Hendon RFC
Barnet gained their first win of the season against a determined Hendon outfit reduced once again by Injury to only 14 players. Commented Hendon Coach Will Wheeler, “Our players fought hard and never waivered to get a result scoring four tries to six and were always in the match; perhaps with a full compliment the result could have been reversed as our forwards took control early on but gaps opened in the backline that made the scoreline possible for the home outfit to win through”.
In the match TJ O’Sullivan, playing back row, was injured in the third minute but replacement Billy Yegon was soon off the mark with a well-worked run off the set piece to set up Cian Hynes for Hendon's first try, converted by Hynes to go ahead 0-7 after 10 minutes.
But Barnet responded with a blindside run to level the score and soon after another to go 14-7 ahead.
With Hendon now playing in the Barnet half, a missed pass was easily intercepted and run in for Barnet’s 3rd score and they were now ahead by 19 to 7. But Hendon in the last few minutes of the period were camped in the Barnet 22 and from a set scrum Rossa Dooley picked up and crashed through the Barnet defence to score, again converted by Hynes 19-14. However, in the act of scoring Dooley was injured and Hendon lost another forward.
Into the 2nd period, Barnet were out of the blocks from the kickoff. Although well defended by the visitors for five minutes, Barnet eventually created the overlap to score a well-worked try-out wide to move forward to 26-14.
But Hendon with heads still high, rose to the challenge with Captain Nick Andrews carrying to the Barnet try line to score Hendon’s 3rd try converted by Hynes and the visitors were very much back in the match 26-19.
Then against the run of play and perhaps a lapse in concentration and further injury to Hendon’s fly half Hynes, was sidelined for the last 15 minutes, and with no further Hendon replacements, Barnet scored two further tries to stretch their lead to 40 points to 19.
Into the closing minute, Hendon's scrum half Rich Roberts saw the opportunity in midfield just short of the Barnet 22 and could not be stopped to score and convert Hendon’s fourth try and gain one valuable match point as a consolation.
This Saturday Hendon hosts 4th placed Harrow at Copthall Kick Off 2.30 pm.
