1st XV
Our boys marked the annual Patrons Lunch with an empathic 87-0 (fifteen tries) lockout of Ruislip RFC at Mill Road; the biggest victory so far, for any side, in this division, this season. The boys put in a well-executed performance where they established early superiority and maintained it for 80 minutes. Although there were some fabulous individual tries, particularly for the @Twenty5 Man of the Match Damien Brambley who bagged four tries, the majority of the scores came from well-structured rugby straight off the training ground.

The scrum was once again absolutely dominant and the Ruislip pack crumbled on several occasions, conceding several tries from attacking scrums within ten metres of the try-line. Props Alex and James Mitchell made good rugby decisions; knowing where and when to 'turn the screw' on the opposition. I have a special affinity with the front row and seeing James and Alex charge out onto the pitch is a very reassuring sight. Having a strong and powerful front row is psychologically so important for the whole side. The front row is a confrontation, and by consistently dominating that confrontation it sends a message to the rest of the side and the opposition... The pack used their possession and dominance effectively; Eli Castle (Number 8) controlled the ball well at the back of the scrummage and bagged a hat-rick of tries. The pack secured the ball and the back division rammed home the advantage! James Crozier (22 points) continued to pile on the points to his personal tally, closely followed by Damien Brambley (20 points) and Eli Castle (15 points). Although they did most of the damage, contributions came from all over the pitch with tries from Liam Pickett, David Brennan, Oliver Pickett, Francois Rossouw, Alex Burman and back-row substitute Toby Hill.

Despite making four changes to the side that beat Sudbury, our new faces fitted in well and we maintained our high standards of rugby. Charlie Thorogood, Jack White and Tom Dufficy all performed well and Alex Burman made a commanding return to action and grabbed his first senior try for Colchester with a well-timed run through the Ruislip defence in the second half. Burman adds a great deal to the side; like our skipper Liam Pickett he brings physicality and he makes a significant contribution to our set pieces. With so many tries scored in the corners off breaks and forward dominance, many of the conversions were off the touchlines - less challenging conversions would have possibly resulted in a score in excess of 100 points. That said, we have to be absolutely delighted with a great team performance that entertained those in attendance. Finally, a point worthy of note - 13 of the starting 1st XV players were all products of the Colchester mini and youth program; a statistic we can really be proud of.

In London North 1 this weekend there have been some interesting results. There is an definite split emerging in the table. There are four unbeaten sides; Colchester, North Walsham, Rochford and Eton Manor but Manor did draw against HAC. This week we leapt three places to head the league on points difference. Rochford maintained their 100% record with a 54-27 win over the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC). It is interesting to see that HAC were able to rack up a considerable score against the pro-am side from South Essex; up until this weekend Rochford had only conceded 17 points in two games. Clearly they had some difficulty closing down the running approach of HAC. It tells us two things; Rochford are far from unbeatable and that the newly promoted HAC will be no pushover this season. Third placed North Walsham recorded a bonus point win over Sudbury at the Scottow. Despite the scoreline it appears that Sudbury's approach caused Walsham considerable difficulty - even taking the lead just after half time. It was only in the final quarter of the game when Walsham asserted their authority.

Whilst we are absolutely delighted to be top of the league it counts for absolutely nothing at the moment, but it's a good feeling and helps us maintain a positive atmosphere in the squad. We have games against Rochford (27th October) and North Walsham (29th September) looming on the horizon and although it's early days and there's a long season ahead of us, we fear absolutely no one and relish the challenges that lie ahead.

A XV
The A XV recorded a convincing win over Ipswich at Humber Doucy Lane. Our boys took an experienced side to take on one of our nearest rivals and sent them packing with a superb display. The A XV remain unbeaten and sit in 2nd place in Eastern Counties South Division, just behind Hadleigh 1st XV who head the table on points difference.

Ravens
The Ravens had a tough assignment this weekend as they took on Brentwood 2's. Brentwood, London North 1 Champions last season, have great strength in depth and fielded a plethora of 1st XV players in the Essex Merit League clash. After a tight first half Brentwood stretched their lead in the final quarter - the game finished 43-19. Brock Price impressed on his Colchester debut, his tough tackling and hard-running approach to the game was a constant threat to the home side and according to the Ravens Management team Rob Pickard and Kieran Payne, Brock had a really positive impact on the whole side. The Ravens will re-group ready for their trip to Thurrock next Saturday.

Colts
On Sunday our Colts side travelled to Bishops Stortford. Bishops Stortford are a club that have made rapid progress in the National Leagues, now competing in the third tier of English Rugby. They have a good organisation led by Director of Rugby and former England International, Andy Long. Our Colts put in a tremendous effort and came away with a 31-33 win over an extremely capable side. Tries from Josh Clark, Ollie Eves, Finn Nuttall, Marcus Holmes and Jonah Varela were sufficient to force a win over one of the toughest sides in Essex. It was an open game and it gave both sides the opportunity to blood new players and experiment with different combinations. As always Bishops Stortford were the perfect hosts and both sides can look back on their performances with a great deal of pride.

Very soon we will be bidding farewell (hopefully only temporarily) to a number of our younger players who will be starting University in the next couple of weeks. We hope that they continue their rugby careers and keep in touch with us even if they are studying outside the local area.

Exciting New Club Member!
Finally this week I would like to send love and congratulations to one of our great clubmen, James Fisher and his partner Nicola, on the birth of their gorgeous little boy Oliver Thomas Fisher. Thomas was born on Monday, weighing in at exactly 8lbs - clearly he's going to be a forward just like his Dad! Congratulations Fish and Nicola - love from everyone at CRFC!