The rouge et noir travelled the short distance to Romford & Gidea Park to face old foes Eton Manor 3s. Both teams had done well to establish themselves in a very competitive league after gaining promotion with relative ease last year. After two competitive wins against the Manor during the regular season, it was sure to be another match to savour.

Campion had fielded a very young team, 9 lads aged 18 olds having come through the school. And we were not helped by a late withdrawal of old Manor favourite, 2nd row, D. Gleeson. We seamed to be giving away at least two stone a man across the park, it has to be said this was a very sizeable Manor team, one which had not been seen throughout the season. However the young Campion lads continued undeterred, playing with the passion Edmund himself held dear.

1. Lynch 2. O'Herlihy 3.Clifton 4.Hill 5. JCB 6. Cussen 7. P. Ronayne 8. Rogers
9. Mullan10. Hallahan 11. Brown 12. Fenessy 13. O'Reilly 14. Pitkin 15. Hogan

Replacements: Lucas, Baldwin, Nugent, Dodson, Arnone

Manor kicked off and early pressure from their large pack saw them go 6-0 in front through two penalties. Campion were struggling to cope with the opposition fly-half who made a number of breaks through some direct running, however a reshuffle in defensive patterns saw Campion begin to exert some pressure of their own and they had their first opportunity to get points on the board. Up steps Will Brown, never one to turn down a kick at goal...

It had been a mixed bag for Will this season, on and off Whatsapp. A strong campaign off the pink tee had been cast into doubt after a fantasy league scandal. Conor Canny had highlighted due concern to the wingers indifferent try scoring record from open play, a skill the 2s usually pride themselves on. This had essentially cost Conor from forming a challenge for the fantasy league title after building his team around the second team 'stalwart' (definition L.McEvoy: unswerving/ unwavering/steadfast).

However, all of that being said, Will's points from his trusted Umbro's have been invaluable for the team this year and this 40m plus attempt put the score at 6-3 to Manor. A second penalty shortly after levelled the scores, 6-6.

A great double tackle from Ronayne and Brown shepherded Manors winger into touch shortly after, stopping him 2 meters from Campions line. In the aftermath of the tackle Brown had to leave the pitch with a knee injury, he was replaced by future front rower Dodson.

Good darts from Rogers I. The resulting line out found the jumper and Campion cleared their lines with a box kick from scrum half, Mullan - who later informed the club he only had one earlobe. However he was having a solid debut at scrum half even with Hallahan seemingly struggling at 10 (he was obviously missing regular half back partner T Ronayne, out through injury).

Hallahan soon put this behind him and slotted over a penalty for Campion to take the lead 6-9. Manor struck back soon after with Campion failing to clear their lines effectively, Manor won a 5 meter scrum against the head which saw their number 8 go over for a try, making the score 11-9 at HT.

For all Manors pressure and possibly a couple of 2s players, who knows, they were only 2 points in front, much to the credit of Campions scramble defence.

A couple of changes at HT saw a reshuffle in the back line to add a bit more pace and cutting edge. However this was to be Manors half with their fly half and big ball carriers becoming more and more prominent throughout. Lynch was sent to the bin after some backchat to the referee - a very rare trait in a Campion player it has to be said. Cussen also found himself in the bin later in the game for the same offence, after Manors 8 went over in the corner for his second of the game, after the scrum seemed to wheel 90.

Manors ginormous blind side then went in under the posts despite the best efforts of Ronayne to stop him, probably giving away 8/9 stone in the process. Ronayne then topped off a good performance with a try of his own after a good run from a Mullan tap penalty inside the opposition 22.

Final Score: 14 - 28

Through gritted teeth we say congratulations to Manor on winning the league plate. Their power, organisation and larger pool of resources proved too much for Campion's will and determination on the day. We look forward to 2 more competitive matches next season.

My man of the match award goes to Alfie Hill, who typified Campion's display on the day. Playing with pride and determination throughout, a great addition to the squad this season and hopefully many more to come.

A special thanks must go to the school boys who have played throughout the season. It is good to see the school still producing talent even with McDarby in charge. Keep up the good work Macca, couldn't do it without the cones being set out correctly. Without the schools continued support Campion's 1st and 2nd teams would not be experiencing their current success, we hope this continues for many seasons to come.

Congratulations to club man of the year Neil Lynch who has served the club with unmatched loyalty and dedication this campaign, travelling at short notice whenever requested. However if you are reading this and you are a big Georgian prop residing in the Essex area, please feel free to come down to the club, Lynchy wouldn't mind a rest every once in a while. Well done to Pat Ronayne who has been a revelation for the 2s this season, picking up the well deserved title of Player of the Year. Racking up an impressive haul of 13 tries from the back row - including an appearance at fly half in the absence of his better looking older brother.

The club bids a brief farewell to 2 of the quieter lads Campion has to offer, club scribes/ rock stars, McMurray and Liam McEvoy. We wish them well on their quest to lift weights with Arnie in Golds Gym, California. However, they assure us this will come after their missionary work. We hope they rekindle their love affair with the club soon, bringing back numerous debaucherous stories.

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