After a good natured and formal blowing out of the cobwebs against Croydon last week to get the 25/26 Season going. Training sessions being focused on us and what we do with the ball and our desire to defend for each other. Coach Lowe and ‘Just Coach’ fka (Dazzle, Lilypad & Tempz) were optimistic going into this season, but that’s not Chipstead and with all these Gen Z who don’t know when the season starts or locked up (FreeBill) ?. It meant some opportunities for the infamed squad known as ChipsGate to stake a claim in the 1XV squad for the League game against Metropolitan Police.

The Police have clearly heavily recruited and was a much changed line up from previous seasons. But why have new players when you have Stalwarts Bush and Dupe entering there 14th and 18th senior seasons. The retention of Sir Bernard (Gerard) Matthews ? and Kieran ‘Yellow+Blue’ = Green as Captain and Vice Captain has led some to believe this is the year.

A hastily hurried warm up but ‘short but sweet’ aspect meant the boys returned to the changing rooms to put on the Salmon Pink away strip and take in the smells of Deep Heat for another time.

We thank the referee for coming down from Buckinghamshire on exchange to come and sample some fine Surrey countryside rugby.

Hasn’t been confirmed yet whether Gerard lost the toss but chipstead faced the unusual task of playing downhill in the first half. This meant build the score early not something the Chips tend to do and switch on from kick-off. But alas the former is not true and chipstead started like a bat out of hell and raced away into a 12-0 lead. Strong forward carries led for a try for R Dupe and early indication on where the highly debatable and contested top try-scorer award will be ending up this year. followed by a dotting down of ball by newly married triathlete Bush, still hasn’t found his kicking boots but he will find them one day. Early injuries to Mr Leeves ? and Chris Lip meant a reshuffle and the highly contentious re-signing of the Iceman ? C-D Small had a quick return into the good side of Reigate and Banstead Borough in the Royal Gold and Blue.

The Enforcer Beattie returned from a year and a half out after to much steppy steppy and his carries ensured Chipstead were very much on the front foot. His accomplices Boag and the now heavy carrying forward Collett (on loan from the centres) were helping out the backline whenever there was a break and shutting down Mets attack.

To their credit the Met capitalised well on some poor passes and mismatches especially centre Sunni Jardine who looked dangerous whenever he did receive the ball.
Jardine noticed a gap between Dupe and Cheema and there was only one winner. The fightback was on from the biggest gang in London.

Butcher was next to score from the police very close to the touchline, some would say very close to out of the pitch but we let bygones be bygones. Game all square and Chips felt the presence of this growing in confidence Met team. Next up, was close to be being cut from the report as another local rugby team put out for an injunction to stop it being ever mentioned in the history books. The Iceman who technically never left the books showed he is fact ICE COLD, que many Instagram posts about him being the greatest player ever. In actual fact he butchered a 4-0 and took the ball back inside himself beating the 3 man drift defence with the world’s slowest step and scored under the posts. Try C-D Small.
Converted by Bush and that was the half.

Chipstead now playing up hill and full of confidence , the young guns who may lack some life skills started to come Into their own. Kip was at the front of every carry, Harrison was relishing his first start at hooker (Dupe and Matthews necks were feeling it in the morning). The returned second row Suhail with some strong carries finally got us to within the line of the met. Repeated infringements surely meant a card was coming especially after some dubious and somewhat dangerous high tackles that had gone unpunished in the first half. Especially the tana umaga style-esque spear tackle on Small that every body cheered sometimes he needs a reality check.

But alas no card given and Boag finally had his try after a great solo carry, he had been like a man possessed to get over that line. Bonus point secured now to finish the job off.

A great switch of play from Lyons (or did he forget his left and right) set Bush off down a blindside, a dubious assist and off went Harrison down the wing, cut inside and for all money to score but was tap tackled and as he stumbled off loaded to Alfie Lamb on his first senior start.

K Green ran the length of the pitch only the fullback to beat and got tackled and stripped, not a highlight before his holiday in the early hours of Sunday morning he will want to remember while sipping his Pina Colada.

As the minutes ticked on the game management kicked in. Maxi Hunt finally arrived to relieve De’Antiquis of hooker and back to the centres, no doubt he will be working on his line out throwing. I have in all my years never had a seen a penalty given for deliberately not straight but I have now. Evan Lindsay got on to get his 1stXV team debut in the wing.

With the clock now in the red and chipstead mainly looking forward to the bar and the evening social of beer pong. They switched off and the forever impressive Jardine set off a solo run looping round multiple would be tacklers to score under the posts and bring to the end a fantastic game of rugby to kick off Counties 2 Surrey for both teams in this new season.

Thank you to the Met Police for travelling to us and we look forward to seeing you at the end of the season at Imber Court.

Also a thank you to all the supporters who came to watch and helped cheer us on from the side-lines.