Old Priorian Vets triumphed as 29-16 winners against Hendon in the Middlesex Vets Cup Final to defend their 2023 title, but were made to work hard for their victory in a scrappy encounter peppered by moments of class.

On a fine,breezy evening at Wasps FC, It was Hendon who drew first blood after some promising momentum, doing well to make the most of OPRFC errors, eventually going for goal for a 3-0 lead. OPs were then able to retain the ball from the restart and applied heavy pressure themselves ; after a few false starts, a trademark angled run from scrum half Martin Borthwick following a set piece put him over the line to make it 5-3.

Priorians began to accrue a number of penalties which gave Hendon the chance to advance down the pitch once more, the lack of discipline from the defending champions proving costly as their opponents made hay to drive over under the posts, the score 10-5 with the successful conversion.

More good work from the restart by OPs almost led to an immediate response, only for the final pass to be intercepted metres from the line ; the resulting break garnered a Hendon penalty just outside opposition 22, as they elected to go for the posts once again. The flags went up and Hendon stretched their advantage beyond one score to 13-5 with half time approaching.

With a relative upset on the cards, Old Priorians needed something before half time to keep the belief and it was winger Seb Oddi who delivered, rounding the defender to head over in the corner and give his team a litte more fight, the scoresheet standing at 13-10 at half time.

Both sides had arrived at the final replete with numbers and the changes were very much rung during the break ; the fresh legs seemed to favour OPRFC, who made much the better start to the second half, though did have to ward off potential danger from Hendon - caused once again by their own indiscipline.

However, once the storm was weathered, the strong OPs pack set the foundations from the scrum for Oddi to get his second and then his third of the evening, the latter the result of a well worked backs move that rolled back the years. At 22-13, the match swung back in favour of the West London outfit, with around a quarter of the match left to play.

Hendon didn't baulk at the task in front of them and began to apply good game management, only to be met by the staunchest of defences, with Jack Dever especially ferocious with his tackling. Yet, they were awarded another penalty in kickable range, which was converted for 22-16 - an exciting finale very much in store.

The physicality of the fixture was unrelenting and neither team appeared to flag in the closing stages. Hendon set themselves up for a dramatic win as they once again found themselves just outside the 22, only to be batted back once more, another monster hit from Dever proving decisive ; OPs got the ball back and eventually found themselves five metres out, a number of choices presented. Despite a slightly messy period of phases, an overlap appeared and captain Joe Gleeson was able to walk it over, then convert his own effort in the final play, Old Priorians winning 29-16.

A fairly even game in the most part, the difference proved to be the OPRFC ability to hold Hendon off, who generally made the most of their opportunities and could count themselves unlucky to lose. OPs - dangerous when able to move the ball wide - were profligate with penalties yet kept finding a way to hit back.

This ends the season for the club, with pre-season due to start at the beginning of July.

OPRFC SCORERS

T : Borthwick, Oddi 3, Gleeson

C : Gleeson 2