Chingford 15 Ruislip 54 Chingford crashed to their largest league defeat in many years when they lost at home to Ruislip. The game was rearranged after the freezing conditions prior to Christmas, and the home side fielded yet again a much changed 15 from the team that had lost narrowly to Civil Service. Both teams took time to settle, but it was the visitors who showed more hunger, and they were rewarded with an early penalty and then a long range try. Directly from the restart, Chris Moore Chingford’s open side wing forward, regained the ball, and ran directly in towards the posts only to be held up short, but he popped the ball up to Ben Bolton-Smith score under the posts. Forward added the extra 2 points and the home side were only 1 point behind 7 – 8. From the subsequent restart Forward claimed the ball, and sprinted up the park to be stopped illegally inches from the line. The referee gave the Ruislip player a yellow card instantly but did not award the penalty try, a score that surely would have changed maybe not the final outcome, but would have given the home side the impetus to press on. Chingford squandered the penalty close to line, and Ruislip cleared the danger, and then scored a try of their own, the score read at the break Chingford 7 Ruislip 13. The second half was blur, with the home side missing tackles, allowing Ruislip the opportunity to make easy yards, and thus score a multitude of tries and penalties. Chingford did look as if they could get back into the game with an early penalty by substitute James Moore, who came on for his first taste of 1st XV action this season only 10 minutes into the game, when Chris Girstan left the field with a hand injury. Later on in the game prop forward Steve Piper supported well to score an unconverted try after a break by Child and Pike, showed what Chingford could do when passes went to hand and kicks were not aimless. “Thanks to those players who came in at short notice, especially Joby Simson Chingford’s 3rd XV Captain who took his place on the bench, and later on the field”, said home teams Captain Ben Jeynes