As the pictures show, this game was played on a very difficult pitch with 3 large and several smaller puddles covering sections of the playing surface (though the cover image is of an area to the side of the playing surface!!). There was no need to make the players' task harder, and yet that is unfortunately what happened.
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For fear of being accused of 'bringing the game into disrepute', let me confine myself to a single salient fact.
After 65 minutes of a 70 minute game, the penalty count read: 26 (+ 2 free kicks) against, 0 for. The final count was 28-3. To my mind, in a game where two sets of skilled players are competing strongly and 'playing on the edge' as they should be, such an interpretation is simply inconceivable.

This fact alone tells a tale that marred an otherwise excellent game. I might also think to add that York's second try was scored by a new technique of throwing the ball over the line, although it is conceivable that the referee's vision was uniquely obscured. But, as the saying goes, you have to play the circumstances presented to you, so we can only commend our lads for maintaining their discipline and composure so well throughout.

Having said that, this was still a thoroughly absorbing encounter between two good sides. The extraordinary penalty count meant that we, by and large, had to play the game without the ball and York were frequently gifted it, which is not to suggest for one moment that they did not also compete for it robustly and win their fair share in the proper manner. In fact they were excellent opponents on every level.

In the opening exchanges, both sides look equally matched. Excellent tackles from Will R and James K out wide halted promising York advances, while Boss and Andrew J kept bringing their runners down round the fringes, with Adam as ever battling to win ball when allowed to. Our line out dominated York's, Andy Ferguson frequently spoiling their throw and when we got hands on the ball and were allowed to keep it, Aiden and Jack made significant inroads through the middle. Callum delivered the ball intellgently to his runners but no sooner were they brought to ground than any prospect of progress was halted by yet another penalty, at times justified, but just as often when we watched convinced it should have been in our favour. As half time drew near, York's most promising moment - a clever chip behind our defensive line by their 10 - was thwarted on the 5 metre line by Will R's brave fall, gather and quick rise to his feet. Elliot G and Adam, on hand to secure the ball, helped drive the maul back towards the 22, with Adam breaking away, drawing the York inside centre before timing a perfect pass to Will R, who glided through the gap, only for his feet to slip from under him as he tried stepping past York's full back on halfway. York's counter was soon halted by Henry's forthright tackle that yielded a knock-on in the middle of the pitch. Aiden gathered and made ground again, offloading nicely to Tom C, on for Ben at prop, who ran through the first challenge before being brought to ground on halfway. At the half time whistle, the score was surprisingly 0-0.

The pattern of the second half followed that of the first, only now both teams tried to move the ball wider in an effort to break the stalemate. Time and again York thrust at our flanks, but Joe harnessed the back line well and our defensive pressure often meant York were playing going backwards. Tackles from Andy F, Boss, Andy J, and Stephen G threatened turnover ball on many occasions, but it was rarely if ever allowed. From the penalties Jack and Aiden stopped the big runners in their tracks, Nat threw himself bravely into challenges and Adam and Stephen G competed well at the rucks. Even so the pressure told and a simple pick and go from the base of a scrum allowed York to drive over from 5 metres. 5-0.

More of the same followed. Without the ball, the game had become a largely defensive exercise with the tackling throughout exemplary. Ironically, when we we were afforded any continuty, we showed we had the back line to challenge and overcome the opposition, though the boggy conditions did not favour them. Will G made an excellent break, Henri supported and nearly broke free. With Will G, Henri, Joe and James K all putting their opposite numbers under pressure, York often reverted to the boot, but time and again Will R made them regret it, making several good returns, on one occasion setting Dom free, only for him to be caught when he tried to cut inside the defence. And when they angled the kicks to the side, George was on hand to collect, step past the on-rushing chasers and turn defence into attack. With Will R bizzarely penalised for laying the ball back after a tackle, we were again driven back into our half. A series of infringements saw Andy J sinned binned for a marginal offside committed by Adam, if at all. For the 5 minutes he was off the field we had our most sustained spell in the York half, although shortly after he returned to the field, York again drove down the right. Nat made one excellent try-saving tackle as York pressed hard for a second try, only to be awarded it when a lunge for the line following a suspiciously forward pass saw the ball carry over the line as the attacker lost control. Even with the balance of play very much in the home side's favour, this 'score' belied the resoluteness of the defensive effort. 10-0

Perhaps the most gratifying sight from an Ionians point of view was to see the team respond to adversity by playing rugby. Gone is the petulance of former times. With only minutes left, we were awarded our first penalty of the game. From the quick tap Jack pounded into the defence, Andy R whipped the ball away from the base of the ruck and Will G, recognising the space out wide, released a lovely flat pass to Henri's straight line, a half break and offload to James and on to George to attack on the outside. Realising he was running out of space as he neared the touchline, George spotted James' supporting run and timed a perfect inside pass to set James free to run nearly half the length of the pitch and score. 10 - 5.

A frenetic last few minutes followed. We controlled the ball, but in our eagerness to equalise the contest, we were hasty and didn't make best use of the last few opportunities. But at the final whistle, there was a huge sense of pride that we had conquered adversity in all but the scoresheet. There was mutual respect between two sets of well matched players who had competed with great spirit and no little skill. It had typified the attitude of both teams when Andy F was seen late on in the game giving a York player a congratulatory slap on the back after one robust challenge, a gesture that was met with an equivalent grinning reponse from the York player, an attitude very much reflected by the York coaches' grace in victory. A most enjoyable contest that had deserved a better context.

At the end there were words. Simon declined to shake the ref's hand, prompting a Bieber-esq outburst (You're a Baby, a bloody Baby). I preferred to shake his hand and make my views known in very measured tones, but there was no scope for discussion, just "I'm a Society ref, you know. Who are you?" Well, Sir, I am a Society ref too, one that recognises that such a title confers responsibilities, not rights.