With a big crowd from both teams on the sidelines, it was clear from the start that this final would be fiercely competitive.

Receiving the kickoff, the As managed to keep possession for long periods, playing most of the early stages deep in Old Streetonians’ half. Old Street defended strongly, and the boys struggled to find a gap to score.

After 30 minutes with no points on the board, Old Street were penalised in front of the posts. Dec calmly took the points to open the scoring — a crucial lead in such a tight game.

After what felt like a long battle, with multiple scrums and turnovers on both sides, the As found a breakthrough. Concentrating Old Street’s players in the middle of the pitch, the As played wide from the 10, linking up with the forward pod of Tom Wilkins and Captain Rapha, who combined for Rapha to score the first try of the match and extend the lead before halftime.

The half-time whistle blew with the Mighty As leading 8-0.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with a fierce battle in the middle of the field. Both teams pushed deep into opposition territory but were turned over before having the opportunity to score. Eventually, Old Streetonians found a gap and got their first points on the board with an unconverted try, bringing the score to 8-5.

The As made changes, bringing on fresh legs from a strong six-forward bench. Despite this, Old Street scored again from a scrum 25 minutes later, taking the lead for the first time, 8-10, with only a little time to go.

With the As’ sideline louder than ever, and with only a few minutes left to play, After a ruck 5m from the line in the left corner, Fery with good strategy call for the snap and the backline execute perfectly to send flying Mowen into the right corner , to reclaim the lead for Actonians, 13-10 — a lead they would hold until the final whistle.

With silverware secured and no obvious “silly moments,” two standout performances were recognised on the day.

MotM: Ben Bell
MotM: Mark Owen

These 2 sides play each other again on the 10th May at Chiswick 12pm kick off in the promotion play off and the winner will go into Division 2. Should be a great game !