OCs came into the weekend looking to build on their impressive away win at Beckenham two weeks prior, welcoming Battersea Ironsides to Horn Park for a game packed with attacking rugby.
The visitors struck first, exploiting gaps in the OCs kick chase to open the scoring. OCs responded well, showing real intent as Chris Harris finished smartly in the corner before playing a key role in the second try, a clever chip and chase forcing a penalty try. Battersea regained the lead through an overlap out wide, but OCs hit back again from a midfield scrum, with Napper using sharp footwork to score from close range.
A harsh yellow card for Dylan Enskat, allegedly for playing the nine, swung momentum back towards Battersea, who crossed just before the break to give themselves a 24–17 lead at half-time.
The second half followed a similar pattern — OCs showing promise without quite finding consistency, while Battersea continued to find space out wide to score early. After a sustained spell of dominant forward carries, Battersea were reduced to 14 men, and OCs took advantage as Ollie Burkett’s miss pass sent Napper over in the corner for his second. Momentum swung further when Victor Spaczil sniped over from close range to level the contest.
Battersea responded once more, but OCs refused to go away. Dancing feet from Harris broke the line before offloading to Leo Cunningham to bring the scores level at 36–36. However, sustained Battersea pressure in the final 10 minutes proved decisive, with a smart inside ball from the fly-half creating the crucial try, followed by a penalty in front of the posts to seal the match.
A disappointing result for OCs, who will look to regroup as they travel to Horsham in two weeks’ time, hoping to return to the play-off spots.
Man of the Match: Dylan Enskat
Alikadoos: Jesus Correa
