1st XV match reports

National League three South

London Scottish 36 Luton 3

London Scottish delighted a good home crowd of 700, with this comfortable and convincing win over Luton.

Luton were promoted from Midlands One last season but their much-vaunted pack were no match for their counterparts from London One. The Scots dominated the set piece, winning several scrums against the head as the blue shirts shoved the green all over the park but mainly backwards, and Scottish also nicked a couple of lineouts to cap a fine day for the pack, who also made their point by bagging five of the six tries.

Only a quieter second half, which yielded tries at the start and finish but for most of which Luton kept the Scots at bay, prevented a scoreline to take the Scots top of the table.

From the first minutes, Scottish dominated and Rory Greenslade-Jones might have sent Avery clear into the corner, but Luton failed to clear the danger beyond the 22, and from the ensuing lineout Mark Douglas grabbed a debut try. Lee Cholewa – in for the injured Stuart Peel - nailed a fine kick from wide out

Scottish showed eight changes from what was probably their first choice XV last season, mainly owing to new signings coming in, but replacing Peel, Matt Vines and Andrew Smith – still serving in Afghanistan – were enforced changes. The home side also lost Charles Broughton in the 24^th minute to a bruised hip, reserve scrum half Will Green having to play on the wing, and this disrupted the side’s plans out wide.

By then though the win already looked secure.

From their own lineout on half way, Luton were bullied out of possession and a Scots boot hacked the ball forward. Adeniya recovered possession deep, but Mat Johnson tackled him into touch and from the lineout Grant Livingston barged over for a score Cholewa couldn’t convert.

Only eight minutes had passed, and more was to come. Again, forward pressure had presented Scottish with possession in the danger zone and forced Luton’s defence onto the back foot. Cholewa and Duncan Hayward found Greenslade-Jones in space and with Broughton back being treated on half way, the centre went himself for the gap in front of him. Cholewa couldn’t convert but the lead still looked decisive.

The fourth try, which secured a bonus point, followed soon after, but not before Brown and Adeniya should have made more of a rare lapse in the Scots’ midfield defence.

As it was, a penalty kick from Crowley was scant reward for a rare spell of pressure from the visitors, and any pleasure the visitors derived was stifled when they dropped the kick off, fumbled the ball into a player offside, watched the penalty sail into the corner, and failed again to cope with the Scots’ catch and drive – Mat Johnson being the last man up from the pile up over the line.

A half time score of 22-3 was more than satisfactory, and immediately on the restart it was increased. Skipper Alex Alesbrook and Avery contrived not to finish off a lovely passage of play, but it mattered not as the home pack took the ensuing scrum against the head, and Alesbrook picked up and powered over. Cholewa found his range and direction again.

However just when a big score beckoned, somehow Luton managed to plug the gaps, and indeed came closer to scoring though Wells than Scottish did for 20 minutes and more. When they did threaten, Alesbrook understandably passed up a kickable penalty kick at goal for a scrum, but this time the back row move failed to come off. Then Livingston and replacement lock Darrell Ball almost conjured scores in the corner from lineouts, and when the pack drove a maul over the line they failed to get the ball to ground.

Paul McFarland

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