Middlesex Merit Division 2 – Round 1
Final Score: London Scottish C Lions 58 – 26 Old Streetonians 3rd XV
The London Scottish C Lions made history on Saturday, running out for their first ever league fixture as the Club’s third senior side. After years of steady growth, this season marks the Lions’ entry into the Middlesex Merit Leagues – ensuring more players get regular rugby and underlining the Club’s strength at a time when many teams across the country are struggling for numbers.
The opposition, Old Streetonians 3rd XV, arrived with confidence after promotion from Merit Division 3 last season. With plenty of new faces and nine debutants in the matchday squad, nobody quite knew what to expect from the C Lions’ first outing — but what followed was an afternoon of free-flowing rugby, a few nervy moments, and a resounding opening victory.
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First Half
Old Streetonians came flying out of the blocks, putting the C Lions under heavy pressure from the kick-off. They won a string of penalties and lined up an early shot at goal after just three minutes, but the attempt drifted wide.
That near miss seemed to settle the Lions, who struck first in style. From a scrum 8 metres out, No.8 Charlie Hay picked from the base and offloaded to Morgan Churchill, who was dragged down just short. From the floor, Churchill released Cameron McMillan, who dived over to score the C Lions’ first ever league try on 7 minutes. Fraser Craig coolly added the conversion for 7–0.
Barely a minute later, the Lions doubled their tally. Neat interplay created space on the right and Craig was on hand to finish in the corner. The conversion was missed, but at 12–0 the Lions were up and running.
Old Street were stung into response and spent the next 15 minutes camped in C Lions territory. Penalties against Scottish allowed the visitors to build pressure, and on 23 minutes they deservedly went over to reduce the deficit to 12–5.
That seemed to reawaken the Lions’ attack. On 28 minutes, McMillan cut a sharp line to score his second, before debutant Jamie Brennan ran a perfect angle to crash over for the C Lions fourth try on 34 minutes.
Straight from the restart, the C Lions looked to strike again. Evan Hector cut through the midfield with a clever show-and-go before releasing Aengus McCrimmon in space. McCrimmon sprinted towards the left wing eyeing the corner, but with a stumble a few metres out the final Old Streetonians chaser just managed to drag him down agonisingly short of the try line.
With the crowd behind them, the Lions weren’t finished yet. Debutant Wise Ratuvou powered through defenders on 38 minutes to touch down, and just before the break, another debutant Evan Hector cut through the midfield to score under the posts. Craig added the extras to make it 34–5.
There was still time for drama before half-time. Old Streetonians pressed again, kicking into the Lions’ in-goal area. Under pressure, Ziggy Toga-Navila knocked the ball directly into touch, earning a yellow card and conceding a penalty try. At the break, the C Lions led 34–12.
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Second Half
The Lions emptied the bench at the break, with another debutant Rowan Wincote joining the fray, but Old Streetonians remained competitive. The visitors struck first after the restart, scoring a converted try to close the gap to 34–19.
But the Lions soon responded with a purple patch of scoring. A well-worked move saw Colts graduate and debutant prop Leon Bailey crash over on 52 minutes for his first senior try. Minutes later, Aengus McCrimmon fully made amends for his near-miss earlier by running an incredible 70 metres to score a stunning solo try under the posts.
The scoreboard ticked over again when replacement Cameron Wray powered through to score on 60 minutes. Hector then added his second of the day on 74 minutes, converting it himself for 58–19.
Old Streetonians, to their credit, never stopped fighting. Their powerful No.8 was a constant threat throughout, and in the dying moments they grabbed a final converted try to make the scoreline 58–26 at full time.
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Final whistle
A historic afternoon ended in the best possible way: the C Lions’ first league game, first league win, and maximum points on debut. With nine players making their league debut — Rowan Wincote, James Mann, Wise Ratuvou, Ziggy Toga-Navila, Cameron Wray, Jamie Brennan, Evan Hector, John Cole, and Leon Bailey — and three of them Colts-to-Lions graduates, the future looks bright.
The Man of the Match went to Evan Hector for two tries, a conversion, and an all-round influential display. Honourable mentions go to Jamie Brennan, Cameron Wray, Cameron McMillan, and Wise Ratuvou, who all played major roles in the win.
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Tries: Cameron McMillan x2 (7, 28), Fraser Craig (8), Jamie Brennan (34), Wise Ratuvou (38), Evan Hector x2 (39, 74), Leon Bailey (52), Aengus McCrimmon (55), Cameron Wray (60)
Conversions: Fraser Craig x3 (7, 39, 55), Evan Hector (74)
MotM: Evan Hector
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Saturday 13 September
Next up for the Club, the first weekend all 3x Lions teams are in action:
Lions vs Jersey (H)
– Venue: King’s House Sports Ground (W4 2SH)
– KO: 14:00
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Lions B’s vs New Zealand Kiwis (A)
– Venue: Wasps RFC
– KO: 15:00
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C Lions vs Pinner & Grammarians (H)
– Venue: King’s House Sports Ground (W4 2SH)
– KO: 15:00
