Old Colfeians travelled to Battersea looking to bounce back from a narrow defeat to Beckenham the previous week. The walk to the local park clearly did no help OC’s after a sluggish start saw them quickly fall 15–0 behind. Battersea’s sharp offloading and attacking play continued to cause problems early on.
OCs eventually found their rhythm through the forwards, asserting dominance at the set piece. A well-executed lineout drive saw Freddie Holland-Oliver crash over to reduce the deficit. Moments before the break, sustained pressure in Battersea’s 22 allowed fly-half Ryan Napper to use his labourer frame and muscle his way over from close range, making it 18–14 at half-time.
The second half was a tense, scrappy affair, with errors from both sides preventing any real flow. Playing with 14 men after skipper Andy O’Malley saw yellow for a knock-on in the tackle, OCs had to dig deep. The decisive moment came from fullback Chris Harris, who produced a moment of magic in broken play — a deft chip and chase that bounced kindly for him to score under the posts. West London silenced.
OCs held firm in the closing stages to seal a hard-fought 21–18 victory. It wasn’t the most polished performance, but it was a display of grit and resilience. Young winger Milo Asher-Mutongwizo took home Trevor for his mature showing and vital contributions under pressure.
Next up, OCs return home to Horn Park where they’ll look to build on this momentum against Horsham.
