A TIMELY CHRISTMAS PRESENT MATERIALISES AS THREES CLEAN UP AT WATFORD

It had to come eventually and, although it was of the tardy variety, the threes finally and deservedly opened their seasonal league account in the re-arranged fixture against Watford IIs. Captain Steve Renny said: "Previous close games had showed that we are competitive in this league, and this was a reward for the team's never give up philosophy. I know that win or lose - we never leave anything on the pitch."

Beaten 46-31 by Black Horse the previous week, the threes' pounding the rock style in which the pack were dominant in all facets of forward play, yielded rich pickings on the scoreboard and the initial dominance was translated into a 26-5 lead. Adam Collins was the first to go over in the corner and the returning Shay Adeosun also made a handsome contribution by landing a brace; successfully locating a gap in the Watford defence and roaring in under the sticks, before later doubling his try contribution.

In between, Rondel Bernard, also chipped-in with a five pointer after Watford, guilty of ball-watching, were caught completely off-guard. Not that it was all plain-sailing. Playing well in parts, Watford, having pulled a try back from a forwards' penalty move, moved to within striking distance of Ignatians' lead after the visitors failed to stick to the script by indulging themselves in an unsuccessful kicking game. It was just the tonic that Watford needed and their pacey youthful backline did the rest by adding a further 14 points to the ledger to make it 26-19 at half-time.

The half-time talk centred about the need to regroup and refocus and, above all, by the need to revert to type; a strategy that was also successfully executed by the addition of some fresh legs. If experience had paid-off in the first-half, it was very much a question of the younger generation doing their bit and Farhad Fayaz, or Faddee as he is better known as, was the next to go over as the forwards exercised their collective muscles.

Determined to get back on even terms, Watford then replied in kind after a well worked move from the lineout enabled them to stay within seven points. However, any notion that the hosts were about to get back on equal terms was given short shrift as mi Adeosun rounded off a successful kick and chase, and the subsequent potting of a penalty after Watford infringed at the breakdown enabled the visitors to forge 15 points clear.

Not that it all ended there. An impressive forward rumble again set the scene and it paid-off again with Alex McCall applying the coup de grace by going over in the final scoring act of the match. It was a fitting finale to the year as the team closed in style.