Later that evening we had our 1st court session which was well judged by his Lordship Daniels. Dick of the day was awarded to Cameron Jeromson for his feat on the bus. Fines were handed out and Scouser’s already sizeable kitty began to bulge. A film for the players. Pub for Dads then back to Fawlty towers for curry and the bar.
A good start to the tour...........
Day 2
Easter Saturday, the sun shone, big breakfasts were eaten and some shorts were donned. Nocock junior ran into a tree whilst practising rugby skills in the hotel garden (cementing the lock forward role for the tour) We got lost looking for our 1st venue a couple of miles up the road but soon enough we found the Exeter Saracens ground. On arrival we saw some 16 year old lookalikes who turned out to be our oppo – Harlow RFC, Essex. With trepidation head coach checked their ages .. and with a squad of 20 versus ours of 15 (16 less injured Conor Hanlon) also asked if we could assess things at half time if too one sided. Oppo agreed and licked lips.
Bruno didn’t miss the kick from in front. Continued quality, fast, open rugby created 2 further outstanding tries for Sam Shiner. ‘Seabass’ was again executed to perfection for his 1st effort and the 2nd was a result of sweeping back play with great running and handling. The large Harlow forwards were bravely brought down by our pack and some unseen and clever work in the rucks and mauls kept them at bay. Harlow’s big lads got frustrated and one of them taking out his frustration on Will Marriott who handled the situation brilliantly. The 16 yr old girl referee (!) later showed them a yellow card. Boy, was she good. At refereeing. Harlow to their credit refused to give in and continued to press, scoring once in the 1st half and again in the 2nd. A penalty from Bruno added to our tally to make the final score 20-12. This was a ‘game of 2 halves’ 1st was attacking, open rugby from Haslemere and the 2nd all about brave, spirited and technically good defence.
In the bar afterwards Harlow nominated Will Marriott and Jake Whitby as our men of the match. They lost in the lager drinking game, but this was irrelevant as we had just won yet another boat race. A close shave but with JCH at anchor it was never in doubt. Great performance.
Buoyed by our victory we travelled to Exmouth for more beach rugby/seaside beer drinking and another hula. Later the boys went bowling, some Dads watched rugby in a pub and some parents went fine dining. A court session named Dom Bowcock as dick-of-the-day 
for earlier tree antics. Staying with the nature trail some pansy replanting took place. The hotel night porter became confused with the patio doors and Mccreadie Snr narrowly avoided a cardiac arrest from excessive giggling.
Day 3
Easter Sunday: Easter eggs and hash browns for breakfast. Off to the hills of Bath for our last match against Walcott RFC (where Jeremy Guscott played as a junior). As the coach pulled in to the ground it became obvious again that we don’t feed our boys the right stuff as this team looked even bigger than Harlow! With little Plum breaking a toe the day before tripping over a sandcastle and Conor still unfit we were only 14 but we borrowed a friend of one of the Walcott team , named Jack to play prop and we shuffled the squad. Captain for the day Will Marriott led the team on to the pitch and we all took a deep breath.........
What a match! Haslemere tore into Walcott, Jake Whitby setting the tone again - this time from a memorable 
early tackle. The forwards rose to the challenge of taking on another big team; bravely matching them up front using wit, pace, fitness and technique the pack won clean fast ball. Jake scored another trademark try, converted by Bruno. JCH (returning from a long rest enforced by a broken ankle picked up in unusual circumstances after a training session) also scored. Alex Bolt rounded off a glorious move in the backs to score in the right hand corner.
Will Marriott brought off a try saving cover tackle to restrict Walcott to just one unconverted try. At the interval we led 17-5. In the 2nd half we carried on the good work. Jake scored again and Seb deservedly claimed a try after good work from Bruno who converted - and also kicked a penalty. Credit to Walcott for keeping their heads up and playing with intensity until the final whistle, rewarded with a well taken try. Final score 34-10 Man of the match was Bruno for a scrum-half performance of control and good options including smart territorial kicking.
Walcott provided a fine barbecue and presented us with a book marking their centenary year. We gave them a rather sweaty no 15 shirt.
On the tour bus journey home Dom Bowcock was announced as top tourist for his feats both on and off the pitch. Runners-up were James Gooding, Alex Bolt, Cameron Jeromson and Seb Landerer. And of course the 2 youngsters Jethro Broughton and Mike Mccreadie were mentioned for their touring skills.
Squad:
Sam Shiner, Alex Bolt, Conor Hanlon, Seb Landerer, Cameron Jeromson, Jack Moseley, Jake Whitby, Bruno Broughton (Captain vs Harlow), Will Marriott (Captain vs Walcott), Will Mccreadie, James Daniels, Dom Bowcock, Jack Plumridge, James Gooding, Sam Milliken-Smith, Jack Covington-Hole
Results:
Vs Harlow RFC Won 20-12 Tries: Shiner (2), Whitby. Conversion: Broughton, Penalty : Broughton
Vs Walcott RFC Won 34-10 Tries: Whitby (2) JCH, Bolt, Landerer. Conversion: Broughton, Penalty : Broughton
THE END
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