Sadly we learned this week of the passing of the inventor of the spell checker….. May he rust in piss.

Another away trip for the firsts, this time in the Midlands intermediate cup against the strong side of Old Laurentians who we haven’t played for 5 years due to the structure and rearrangement of the leagues. This was always a hard fixture and with both sides performing well in their respective leagues the expectation would be no different this time round.

One or two enforced changes to the Olney side due to unavailability gave the chance for others to showcase their talents but as the game progressed these players proved their worth, again indicating there is considerable strength in depth within the club at present. From the kick off, Olney continued with their expansive wide game which has worked so well in previous matches and had the larger OL’s running to catch up in the early exchanges. OL’s were guilty of infringements which allowed Olney to take a few quick penalties and after some good team support and an audacious flicked pass from Jacob DeMain, Phil Bowden scampered over for the first try.

This seemed to ignite a bit of fire in the OL’s pack who then took control and started to dictate the format of events on the park. Good driving play in the Olney 22 led to a lineout which was duly secured and the next phase gave the forwards another drive to cross the line. An unfortunate injury to Charlie Harris meant he had to leave the field to be replaced by Tiger King lookalike Jim Osborn. With many high tackles coming in unnoticed or unpunished the discipline was lost for a while, which was to the detriment of Olney when OL’s made the most of things to add to the scoreline with a try wide on the right. OL’s extended their lead towards the end of the half when the forwards again drove over from close range. Olney’s Ash Elvers, who had replaced debutant Bill Tebby-McCloud, was unlucky with an interception shortly after but OL’s were ahead at half time 19-5.

Olney were against the elements after the turnaround but continued with what they do best and ran at the defence on several occasions. A scrum 20m out saw Eddie Goss feed Scrum half Ethan Chambers who found a gap for a fine solo try. From the resulting kick off, Elvers was again on the attack and an unfortunate knock on was the only reason the scores were not closer. The referee was stronger on manners than the tackle height and the OL’s skipper received a 10 minute cooling off period for a bit of chat. Olney capitalised on this and soon Bowden was over for his second of the day wide on the left. With frustration setting in for the home side, Olney again made the extra man pay and good support allowed DeMain to profit with a fourth try to give them the lead again at 20-19. OL’s were back at full strength now though and were next to gain a bit of an advantage which they capitalised on to regain the lead. Olney then had to reshuffle again due to injury and eventually pressure on the Olney line resulted in a 5m scrum. A possibly harsh decision against the pack saw OL’s awarded a penalty try taking the score to 33-20 in their favour but again, the Olney backs hit back and showed their capabilities when Elvers capped a fine performance with a further try late into the game. The final exchanges were frantic with Olney still looking for the win but OL’s kept the ball well until the whistle. Final score 33-27.

A frustrating game from Olney’s players point of view but some good things to watch from a spectators angle although the constant whining and chatting did detract from the overall experience somewhat. Perhaps this is what is happening more in the modern game. On a lighter note we have heard of more romantic anecdotes from the Harris household. Apparently, whilst in the bath, Mrs Harris called to Mr Harris and asked if he would come and do her back. Things went somewhat downhill from there when he came into the bathroom holding a razor! We’re sure there will be more stories in the future.