After weeks of discussion, too many Whatsapp messages to count and a few very late drop outs, OPRFC mustered 16 players to travel to London Welsh RFC's Old Deer Park for the club's inaugural Veterans fixture. The pre-match atmosphere in the changing room, while convivial, was fraught with apprehension, with concerns over whether skills had been lost.

The game was played in the aftermath of Storm Eunice and before Storm Franklin ; the weather was far from calm. the wind and rain reminding a few of the lads why they may have hung up their boots in the first place.

The game started after a swift warm-up and OPRFC started well, with Rasheed Alawiye getting onto the end of a cross field kick from Edd Conway to go over for the first points of the afternoon within 30 seconds of the game kicking off. Pressure from the restart won the ball back for OP's and Sam Codrington was able to get over the line for the 2nd try of the game.

10-0 up within the first few minutes and with a raucous Old Priorians Crowd in the stand you could have been forgiven for thinking that OPs were going to have an easy day at Old Deer Park. This was far from the case, with London Welsh getting on the scoresheet with a penalty and adapting to the ever worsening conditions the home side were 13-10 at halftime. With Frank Casali having to replace Sam Codrington the OP's had an empty bench.

With the wind in our favour the OP's started the 2nd half well with Jon Harrison carrying 3 members of the opposition over the line to score after running the ball in from a penalty move which also involved Joe Codrington and an incredible dummy run by Dami Akomalafe.

As the half wore on the game was getting more confrontational and threatened to boil over, with the ref having to instruct the captains to calm the two teams down.

Soon after that another cross field kick from Edd Conway saw Kevin Witcomb, who had been a threat to the London Welsh try line all afternoon, leap over his opposite man to score in the corner to make it 13-22 and chants of 'KEVCHENKO' coming from the Away fans in the stands.

London Welsh hit back to stay in the game scoring a try from some clever forwards play before Joe Codrington went over for a final try of the day making the score 18-27, with OP's back row of Matt Goldsworthy, Maynard Ahukanna and Sammy Green having to work hard to hold out a final London Welsh attack for a victory that will live long in the minds of all involved.

The weekend was the first time Old Priorians had three teams out on a Saturday since October 2012 and only the second time it has happened in the club's history.

Every single member of the 16 man squad did themselves proud and special mention the lads who came in last minute (Sammy Green), came from other squads within the club (Maynard Ahukanna and Noah Longley) & those that hadn't played for the club before (Mick O'Shea OP89 and Matt Bartlett).

After the game the squad had a few drinks in the London Welsh clubhouse before moving to the Wheatsheaf on Haven Lane with discussions turning to a less pretentious name for the team then 'Legends' and planning for the semi-final of the Middlesex Vets Cup which the team now progress onto.

OPRFC SCORERS

T: Alawiye, S Codrington, Harrison, Witcomb, J Codrington

C : Conway