ENFIELD IGNATIANS may have lost a game of rugby but they have perfected the art of survival and are guaranteed another stab at London Two level next season despite losing a tough, physical encounter 36-17 to Belsize Park. However, with Harrow, now destined for the drop after losing 66-14 to promotion chasing HAC, the result at Donkey Lane was rendered academic, and Ignatians can relax their grip. Not that they have any intention of going gently into the good night in their final two league games against London Nigerians and Harrow.

Emotions were certainly running high in both camps as tragic events haunted both sides. On Thursday a large Ignatians’ contingent attended the funeral of Ann Fallon at St Monica’s Church. Ann and her husband Hugh, via Inn on The Green, have been generous sponsors of Ignatians, and our thoughts are very much with the Fallon family in these difficult times. Belsize Park have also been in mourning following the untimely death of one their players, James Huxtable, on March 16, following a tragic accident and the game was preceded by the lament of a piper and a minute’s applause, as requested by his family, for James .

It speaks volumes that in the aftermath that, in a spirit of fraternal embrace, the club were able to raise £420 following a raffle and auction for James’s family. Perhaps, the instigation of The Hux Challenge Cup between the teams – assuming they are in the same league next season - can further strengthen the bond between the two sides? It would certainly be a fitting tribute to James.

The visitors dominated the first 20 minutes as Ignatians were nowhere to be seen, and James Barker, who deftly came off his wing and into the line, and Will Ville, from the catch and drive at the lineout, fired them 12-0 in front.

However, Ignatians regrouped strongly and, after winning a string of penalties, they frustratingly suffered a number of near misses; initially from five-metre scrums before Johnny Dixon and Owen Perks also went close.

Finally, Ignatians were rewarded and with the blue and golds continuing to bottle-up Belsize Park in the red zone, and the visitors who suffered a yellow card, successfully held Luke Stack up on the line, before scrum-half, Jordan Wilson, reacted quickly and darted over.
It was a moot point that the Belsize sin-binning wasn’t before time as the referee, who made every attempt to be fair, should have perhaps brandished the yellow a little earlier granted the number of penalties conceded by Park.

Jake Bates added the extras before Ignatians landed the equalising with a neat counter-attack after Park kicked long; the ball was initially fielded from Man of the Match Johnny Dixon who then deferred the supporting winger Cairo Sango on his shoulder. The initial act of slowing down, which could have been mistaken for hesitancy, was spot-on as it enabled Sango to get between the fullback and the winger before roaring-in. Remarkably, it was the winger’s fifth try against Belsize Park in two seasons.

In their pomp in this period, Ignatians continued to ratchet up the pressure and they claimed a well-worked third try from the catch and drive at the lineout after Belsize had again transgressed. Aaron-James Nicholls claimed the initial catch but the maul, although pressurised, continued to work-up a fair head of steam in textbook fashion before Wes Warren plunged over the line to give Ignatians a timely 17-12 lead on the stroke of half-time.

The second-half, though, was a different story as a pressurised Belsize Park tightened up the considerably and, to such good effect, that blue and gold incursions into opposition territory all but dried up. Increasingly penalty prone, Ignatians’ discipline was also found wanting with Luke Stack, Aaron James-Nicholls and Matt Pollard, on the stroke of time, all suffering temporary banishment at some point.

Against this backdrop, it became an increasingly hard-slog for the blue and golds and, within minutes of the re-start, Park, very much in the ascendancy, mauled their way over via Marc Brune for the equalising score. The successful conversion edged Park in front and the visitors continued to prosper via a successful penalty, before a large hole appeared in the Ignatians’ increasingly beleaguered defensive line which shuffled too far across and Jack Newman whistled clean through the gap.

Ignatians struggled to generate any sort of attacking momentum and, although Jake Bates had to temporarily leave the field – later to return – the blue and golds were to suffer a harsh double whammy just before the final whistle. Adjudged to have prevented a certain score, which was laced with Matt Pollard’s sin-binning, Ignatians copped a penalty try for the sins. It gave the final scoreboard a slightly lop-sided look, but it also underscored Belsize Park’s fitness and determination to deliver a full 80 minute performance.

They did it after all for James.

Coach Ali Cook said: “We can’t complain about the result and it was a bit of a roller coaster ride as we allowed things to fluctuate. We were down, then up for about 30 minutes, before letting things slip again as we only got twice into the Belsize Park half in the second period and never created a platform. We need to string passages of play which are concerted and consistent, and when we do this we will able to win games back to back. Although I can’t fault the effort and commitment of the team.”

Squad: Matt Georgiou, Dave Gear, William Bruce, Liam Horn, Aaron James-Nicholls, Luke Stack, Charlie Hoy (68m Frank Antwi) (Mat Pollard 75) Wes Warren (Charlie Hoy 69m), Jordan Wilson (72m George Cox), Owen Perks, Hadee Fayaz, Jake Bates (50-52 George Cox), Keir Bonnar, Cairo Sango, Johnny Dixon.

Scorers: Tries: 35m Jordan Wilson, Cairo Sango (40 + 1), Wes Warren (40 +7).
Conversions: 36m Jake Bates.
Man of the Match: Johnny Dixon.