Right from the opening whistle, Olney made their intentions unmistakably clear. A ferocious chase on the kick-off sowed confusion in the Old Scouts’ backfield, forcing an early knock-on. From the resulting scrum, rock solid once again, the ball fizzed from Cam Garvey to Dylan French, deputising at fly-half, who found Darragh Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald slipped a perfectly timed pass to the onrushing Joe Grainger, who tore through the defensive line to score under the posts with just 80 seconds on the clock. The stunned Scouts could only watch as Maxton Hubbard added the extras. 7–0 to Olney.

Scouts’ restart caused some early jitters for Olney, but quick reactions from Grainger saw him dance through several tackles before a messy breakdown handed Olney another scrum. The forwards were dominant again, and hard yards from Charlie Constantine set the tone for the pack. A penalty to Olney allowed Hubbard to test his range, though his kick fell short.

From the ensuing lineout, Donny MacManus’s accurate throw was just about recovered, and French’s smooth acceleration through a flat-footed defence sparked another wave of attack. Olney’s tempo was relentless Ade Adebayo crashing through defenders, Constantine thundering into contact and Scouts were already showing signs of strain.

Another penalty deep in the 22m gave Olney a perfect platform. The lineout and maul looked sharp until a dropped ball halted momentum. Scouts were let off but chose to tap from their own 5m, a bold move punished immediately as Constantine smashed his opposite man backwards and Charlie Down’s breakdown pressure forced a panicked clearance. Scouts were hanging on.

Moments later, French and Grainger again combined beautifully, before a crisp offload put Adebayo in space to finish clinically. 12–0.
Scouts finally found field position from a rare Olney handling error, and after several phases in the 22m, earned a penalty and drove a maul over to score. 12–5.

That only seemed to wake Olney up. A brutal series of tackles from Constantine, MacManus, and Alfie Mutuma sapped the visitors’ confidence. A penalty to Olney saw Hubbard arrow his kick into the 5m zone, and this time the maul was unstoppable Down and MacManus powering over. 21–5.
Olney’s physicalit
y was now suffocating. Grainger’s explosive carrying earned another score, before a stunning strike play between Hubbard and French produced a dazzling try under the posts. 33–5 at half-time.

Second Half
The second half began in familiar fashion, Olney fumbling the restart but recovering with brutal defence. Double hits from Constantine and MacManus, followed by another turnover from Down, epitomised Olney’s bite. Spotting disorganised defenders, Hubbard tapped and went quickly, launching an attack that carried Olney 60 metres up field before Mutuma bulldozed through and quick ball found Down again to finish. 38–7.

With Olney in full flow, Grainger secured his hat-trick following flowing interplay through the backs. 45–7.

As tempers flared briefly in midfield, the birthday boy Harrison Barstow later capped his day with a try after relentless Olney pressure. 66–7.
Scouts showed admirable spirit, but fatigue set in hard. Olney’s bench injected fresh energy through Charlie Blades, Dan House, and Ben Gray, who all made strong carries. Gardener’s hard line earned another score before Constantine added his name to the sheet. 71–7.

With time winding down, Wells’ smart cover work set up one last surge. Mutuma, fittingly rumbled through the middle once more, and after a slick exchange between Wells, Grainger, and Gray, Olney sealed the game with their final try. Full time: 76–7.

Post-Match Reaction
Vice-Captain Charlie Down summed it up perfectly:
“We had a flat warm-up and heard Scouts were looking for a scalp today. I told the lads this is where our brotherhood starts - on days like this. And wow, did they step up to the challenge.”

Man of the Match:
Lewis Gardener – powerful and barnstorming runs in the loose and a solid day at the set piece.