What started off as a cold, wet & windy Sunday morning in Evesham turned into a mercifully calm, dry afternoon.

Perhaps it was the delay caused by the first-round bye or the mountain of Haribo consumed by the boys, but Old Pats were fast out of the blocks when the time came. Alcester, Evesham and Droitwich struggled to cope with Old Pats’ commitment and intensity. Opponents were constantly put on the back foot, and on the odd occasions that they did break through, the attacks were usually thwarted by scything-covering tackles.

However, some of the best moments came with the ball in hand – there were several memorable tries. An excellent team try came in the first game. Old Pats’ constant harrying of Alcester forced a turnover near midfield. Three runs and two exquisite offloads in the tackle later, and Pats were in for the score.

In a subsequent game, a piece of individual brilliance moved Pats almost the length of the field before a perfectly timed offload to the lung-busting support runner ensured the try. That player’s effort to support his teammate’s run epitomised the Old Pats attitude throughout.

Unfortunately, this commitment came at a cost. By the last group, game Pats were down to 7 healthy players and had to borrow a couple to make up the numbers. Despite the challenge of playing with new people – Pats nearly came back against a spirited Old Crypts team – narrowly falling to defeat, having got back into the ascendancy.

The festival running late and a birthday party clash for half of the team meant that Old Pats were unable to contest the Championship Matches.

This reporter is unable to verify the claim that the offending birthday party was being sponsored by Cheltenham Tigers.

Jonathan England