Sat 2 Apr 2022
Saturday 2nd April 2022
London League 3 North West
Finchley RFC 25-18 Hendon RFC
Hendon lose this thrilling encounter on final play in added time.
This match produced Rugby of the top order from both teams with much at stake for Finchley as only victory would make them League Champions. After Finchley took a narrow first half lead, Hendon fought back to go ahead, then injuries allowed the home outfit to equalise before winning in the last 10 seconds(on the Referees watch) in added time. Phil Smith, Hendon head Coach was full of praise and commented “Just past the half hour of the second period the boys were ahead 13-18 before two concussions, a shoulder dislocation and neck injury we found ourselves down to 14 men with 8 minutes left and no replacements. Two further injured players had to stay on with Finchley equalising before the winning try in the last play of the match” Hendon Captain Cian Hynes along with the rest of the team stood and congratulated Finchley as League Champions and added “Finchley were the only team in the League to beat us twice and are true Champions, whereas Welwyn and Hitchin at 2nd and 3rd in the League were beaten by Hendon both home and away and this could, so easily, have been another victory but for late injuries”. Hendon President David Gershlick remarked “When we gained promotion in season 19/20 and after a year out through Covid, we kept our fingers crossed we could compete at the higher level. Having gone into Christmas as league leaders we felt we had established ourselves in this League before Finchley again retook the top spot after Hitchin’s earlier dominance. To our players and coaching staff the Clubs many congratulations on their achievement of finishing in the top half of the League and I feel sure that training at Saracens Stone X stadium will bear fruit in the seasons to come”
In the match Finchley were straight into attack and were 3 pts ahead after 3mins of play and on 7 mins with the strong wind in their favour gained an impressive try out wide to go 8-0 up as Hendon struggled to get into the game. From midfield play the visitors became the attackers after 20 mins but were stopped by Finchley several times before attacking again. After fierce defending by Harry Charles, Rossa Dooley and Rob Casey, the home side found the outside gap to score again in the corner an unconverted try to go 13-0 ahead. Hendon with heads high, mounted a backline move going from left to right to Robby Burrell to make the final pass to Tom Mathias on the wing to score and Hendon were back in the match. Just before the half time whistle as Hendon mounted another attack through carries by TJ O’Sullivan and Nick Andrews, Finchley conceded a 22 offside penalty for Cian Hynes to slot over at 13-8.
Into the 2nd half and Hendon warded off for 15 mins attack after attack by Finchley with the whole team tackling their opposite number until Hynes kicked a long kick to the Finchley 22 before slotting over another penalty to draw close at 13-11. Midway through the period another long Hynes kick was collected by Andrews to set up an attacking maul for scrum half Billy Burrell to distribute down the blind side to Will Theaker to score a Hynes converted try and take the lead 13-18. Then as Hendon looked the team to take the honours into the last quarter, Injury after injury took over as Finchley crossed the Hendon line to draw level at 18-18. Perhaps a fair result at this time could have been a draw but sustained tackling by Hendon soon left gaps in defence and with the referee calling last play Finchley put all their team into attack paying off with a converted try, the win and gaining promotion as Champions.
