Extra A update

Hello again Reader!

It may not have gone unnoticed to you but over the last year OUR club has gone through a number of changes. NEW name, NEW 4G pitch, NEW houses obstructing the entrance and some bricks being laid that if Marion gets it right will result in a brand NEW club house.

On the playing side and with the introduction of the new senior coaching staff our Senior squad have been transformed into a successfully attacking bunch that currently lay second in Essex One and cautiously heading in the right way for a play-off match which in turn could earn promotion into the London leagues…yes this is Upper Clapton we are talking about!!

I guess at this point you may think that the good ole Extra A continue to trundle out an old boys side each week, well there my dear reader is where you are wrong.

On Saturday Eppings third team had a squad of 28 to choose from ranging from teenagers to twenty year olds to thirty year olds to forty year olds to (god bless him) Shrek and the grand old age of 56.

OK so seven players cried off when the game was switched from OUR Thornwood HQ to deepest Dagenham but hey….28 PLAYERS!!

Many of the old guard still remain with Youthful, Jailboy, Use2be and Big Kev to name but a few but now joined by Use2be JNR (Joe Walker), Potato JNR (George Douglass), Youthful JNR (Mathew Smith), Kenty JNR (Lloyd Kent)..it’s a right old family fun fest!!

In truth though if you have ever thought of putting on a pair of boots and donning that famous red, white, black and yellow striped shirt then the Extra A is for you. You never know that sometime in the foreseeable future we may be able to get out an Extra EXTRA A.

Saturdays match against Dagenham was a strange old affair. Epping welcomed back Humpty, Shieldsy and Shrek all making their first starts of the season (yes I know in bloody February), Crouchy also made a rare appearance down from the 2’s with the younger generation being made up of Luke, George and Joe Use2be.

The initial exchanges favoured the opposition as the kick off was collected recycled and after several pairs of hands plopped firmly under the posts for the first try of the game. OK time to wake up was the rallying call.

Four minutes later and a half dozen rucks an ankle injury to the opposing prop led to an ambulance being called and transfer to an adjacent pitch so that the game could carry on. Our best wishes go out to the Dagenham player for a speedy recovery

The resumption favoured the visitors as moments later from the restart it was Dagenham on the receiving end of some fancy forward drives that ended with Jailboy crashing over. The remainder of the half consisted of try tennis with Epping extending their lead only for Dagenham to reign it back.

Several changes were made at half time to ensure all got a good amount of game time and the second half commenced. Now at some point during the first half someone had disturbed the quiet slumber that Kenty had been enjoying as the Epping number 8 went on the rampage. The premature finish to the game due to another Dagenham injury had seen the Ogre score three tries (and a jug) for himself and also a hand in the other two tries for Potato and JNR. George also converting all but one of the scores.

And so a good victory for Epping’s third string who have had a difficult season so far as they transition away from the “Old Boy” image to that of a general Social team.

Next week the Old Boys….oopsy I mean The third team are on their travels AGAIN this time to Canvey Island