May 22
Headed south today for my fix
It is always to see new teams start and whilst many fall by the wayside, others continue to develop.
Today was the first game for Canvey Knights who use the RU facilities. I cannot recollect any other RL game taking place on an island in Great Britain. Travelling there there is however little feeling of being on an island, just a muddy creak to cross.
Canvey is part industrial, oil refinery, scrapyard and partly 20th century suburbia but the area to the ground gives an indication of what it must have looked like years ago, the ground being bordered by a creek and former marshland. The whole island is reclaimed from the sea and flooded badly in 1953
As for the match, the visitors Invicta Panthers were also playing their first game at least under that name but have existed on an off for years and may have a tenuous link apart from the name with Kent Invicta.
It would not be unjust to describe than as unprepared. Only eleven players travelled and like many RU players they were not physically prepared for RL especially with no breaks for scrums etc. Canvey lent them two and late on a further Canvey player came on a sub having therefore played for both sides. Injuries affected them early and they had 11 or 12 for much of the match.
It would be unfair to criticise, this was the first match for the players in either code for some time and I noticed pre game they were also playing at 3 youth age groups today so would have been thin on the ground.
Invicta were 10 up early, 28 10 behind at half time and 58 14 when the ref, who was provided by Invicta either due to a no show or no appointment, called a slightly early finish after another injury.
There are now 4 teams in Essex so some local games which is good and hopefully there can be further development