THE NOTES I SUMMER 2020
FIXTURES AND RESULTS THIS YEAR
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ROUND UP Sport Sport in lockdown
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lim pickings for sports enthusiasts as the Covid 19 lockdown curtails OD rugby with roughly a third of scheduled matches unplayed, Golf Society activities on hold since mid-March and any prospect of OD Cuaco getting onto the cricket field this season in serious doubt. An irony all round given April’s excellent weather – quite the best for quite some years - leaving players and supporters hoping for better times soon.
Rugby
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long with the rest of UK sport, rugby ended abruptly at Langley Park in early March, leaving four league fixtures not played and three games over the Easter weekend in Cornwall cancelled for the first time in post-war years. With no prospect of resumption, the RFU declared the 2019-20 season finished, assigning ODRFC to fifth place in its league – confirming the mid-table position that the Club occupied for most of the season. Indeed, the club seems to be firmly rooted in the London South East 3 league: good enough to steer clear of relegation but without the consistency or ambition to go for promotion.
This season has, in fact, proved no different from recent years when the 1st XV at times produces some compelling team performances but is unable to identify or maintain a winning formula. The touchline experience is a rollercoaster of delight and disappointment, when, for example, a magnificent draw against league leaders Ashford one week is followed by a listless defeat to bottom of the table Uckfield the next. With insufficient player numbers committing to regular training and playing programmes, it remains difficult to establish a settled side and achieve the standard of play of which this group is clearly capable. Undoubtedly, under the captaincy of Sam Perry, the 1st XV showed glimpses of a brand of ‘total’ rugby that all opponents found difficult to match. At its best, usually on the flat, manicured surface of Langley Park, the team could play with pace and precision, resulting in some memorable scores. Equally, a new, welldrilled defensive structure at times appeared impregnable. Occasionally, this more reliable home form was replicated on the road, as demonstrated by the excellent ‘double’ achieved over an Aylesford side only recently returned from the league above.
