Pub Golf is this Saturday so make sure you free up your post game drinking to do so on a tour of Camden's finest watering holes. Golf dress encouraged, further details available on the Facebook event page but the first hole is at the Lyttleton Arms at 18.45. The ladies are hosting a Pub Quiz fundraiser on the 7th of November at The Gypsy Queen so brush up on your general knowledge, get into teams and come and win prizes!

IMPORTANT
Another reminder that all payments to the club (membership and match fees) should now be processed via the links on the club website (click here or follow the link at the bottom of this email), if you are on the old direct debit system please sign up to payments through this link and the club will cancel your old DD as the new system comes online. I know it seems like a hassle but it should only take 5 minutes and it means that the club will be able to focus it's finances for the benefit of all of us. We are hoping to complete the transition by Christmas so please, get on it!

Next week's games are;

Hampstead 1XV v Letchworth Garden City - Home

Hampstead 2XV v Kilburn Cosmos - Home

Hampstead 3XV v Old Priorians saints - Away

Hampstead 4XV v Wasps Cubans - Home

Last weekend's results have put the 2s at third in the table and the 4s at the top of theirs. Congratulations guys, still lots to work on though!

A summary of last weekends games:

Hampstead 1XV v Hemel Hempstead

Final Score: 37 – 17 to Hemel

Hampstead 2XV v CS Stags

In a tight game Hampstead managed to get over the line with the last play of the game to take the spoils.

With both teams having shown up well in the league so far it was never going to be an easy game, which was highlighted with Civil Service taking an early lead.

Hampstead managed to regroup and started to put some structured play together and eventually manage to get one themselves. Some individual strength versus a team effort seemed to be the flavour of the day with Civil Service having some players who seemed to be able to run where and over who ever they wanted (a nice little backwards roll for Andjelkovic being the most memorable).

Squeaky bum time came towards the end of the 2nd half, where being a man down, potential lack of fitness and some interesting decision making let Civil Service get back into the game and saw them taking the lead with just 4 minutes left to play.

With nothing left over than to chuck the kitchen sink at it Hampstead chased the kick off and aggressively went about trying to get the ball back. The pressure eventually told and saw Hampstead gain a lineout on Civil Service’s 5 metre line. Now with Mullard off injured following a strong debut for the two’s there was a slight moment of worry with everyone wondering who on earth was going to throw it in. Up step Jamie Roberts…no not the Welsh legend, but our own number 8/soon to be front rower. Ball to the back to Tom Carr, some mild controlled chaos at maul time and Roberts finished what he started by getting over for the score. Jamie-there is a scrum clinic this Sunday…your future awaits.

MoM- David Brandon for some strong running and defence in the centres (will ignore your cameo at number 8)
Special Mention: Jack Mullard- following a Friday night call up and a black tie dinner Mullard threw himself about with gusto until he decided he needed a breather, hope it’s nothing serious fella!
Dick of the Day- Andjelkovic- even though one try was scored for Hampstead this was cancelled out by giving Civil Service 2 with some interesting decision making.

Final Score: 39 – 36 to Hampstead

Hampstead 3XV vs Ickenham

Final Score: 12 – 65 to Hampstead

Hampstead 4XV v Ealing Exiles

The 4s season had started strong and they entered this match sitting 2nd in the league. With the line-up of the 4s having cemented over the past few weeks, regular 9 and 10 Parker and Gatens did a great job of running the game. Though the forwards may have been a little over-powered up front, as soon as the ball was secured, Gatens made it easy for centres White and De Sagazan (and later Brown) to set-up simple but effective moves which meant all but one of the Hampstead’s scores were backs-trys.

The first moment of genius came when Parker saw an opening behind the opposition line and chipped and chased, a score that if filmed would easily make it into any league’s highlight’s reel (and this captain reckons would contend for Flatman’s Try of the Month!)

Hampstead spent most of the game comfortably ahead, with Ealing only occasionally rearing their heads and coming within two scores. But with wingers such as Squires and Simo putting in great performances (Squires scoring two, whilst Simo, though he didn’t cross the white-wash, was devastating in attack) it meant that the Hussars always pulled away.

Let’s not forget the forwards though! Walsh as always put in a real shift at 8, and one particular huge hit that came seemingly out of nowhere really turned the tide of the game. Ozorio also reminded everyone that he’s a huge unit, and one particular run took 5 of the opposition to bring him down, and resulted in a break from Graham and a pass that lead to another try (this time from Espina who was making his very successful debut at 15.)

Bruni also put in his first shift at prop and did a great job with the scrum not budging (the only lost scrums came from skilled hooks from the oppo number 2) but it wasn’t the highlight when it came to the front row! Roger Dearling ended up scrummaging directly against ex-club-man the Colonel! Flanking behind this battle was a joy to behold, with both props trying every trick they had learnt in their 80+ years combined playing careers, and resulting in what appeared to be a stalemate (though Roger claimed he won the battle... Who am I to argue? Colonel came off the pitch before he did!)

The final score came from a chaotic kick, with Graham and Squires disrupting enough for an incredibly lucky bounce into the captain’s arms, and a score for Hampstead to finish the game.

Thanks to this win, and other results in the league going our way, the 4s now sit at the top of the table!

A MASSIVE thank you to Max Price for stepping in to ref at the last minute! He did a great job, though said ‘never again!’ because he doesn’t like running...

Tries: Squires (2), Espina (2), Parker, Gatens, De Sagazan, Lee
Cons: Gatens (6)

MotM: Espina (Great first game at fullback with 2 trys)
Hon. Ments: Gatens (for a great game at 10 despite a lack of sleep), Walsh (what a hit!) and Parker

DotD: McKenzie for getting in a fight and getting carded. If he hadn’t, Lee would have had to give it to himself. So thanks for that!

Final Score: 52 – 36 to Hampstead

That link again for signing over to the new payments system:

https://secure.pitchero.com/clubs/hampsteadrfu/payments/category/membership