For the second time this term, local rivals Churchill and Fitz clashed on a bracing Thursday afternoon, with the home side looking to repeat their 17-14 victory over Fitz back in October.

Churchill are keen to make a storm in the third division in the race for the promotion league this year, hoping to build on the success of their convincing run in last year’s Cuppers campaign, which saw them reach the semi-finals.

Uncontested scrums had been agreed prior to the match commencing, continuing the ongoing saga surrounding Jesus’ somewhat controversial win over Johns last month.

Early Churchill pressure from the whistle created serious problems for the Fitz defence, who faced some smart runs up the wings.  A penalty converted by James Moore gave Churchill the lead after ten minutes.  A second successful conversion came from a penalty given after Fitz number 12 lashed out in response to a hefty tackle.  The referee rightfully awarded him a yellow card - surprisingly the only one in what turned out to be an incredibly physical game of rugby.

Although Churchill managed to retain the majority of possession during the first half, the home side were consistently turned over by a solid Fitz defence.  Despite this, an excellent run by Pete Whiteley created space for Tom Chase to cover the distance to the try line, putting Churchill – after a conversion – 13 points ahead of the visitors.

From the start of the second half Fitz piled on the pressure, bringing their attackers into the game for the first time. Churchill looked as though they were holding a very nervy line, playing a much more defensive game in response to the refreshed Fitz side they were facing. 

 The visitors took advantage of the mistakes made by the opposition and played aggressively. However, they were let down by some sloppiness in the final third, consistently giving the ball away, and failed to secure a try which was impressively held-up by Churchill captain Chris Kelly.

A final unsuccessful effort at a penalty by Fitz brought the game to a close, and Churchill emerged victorious.

Churchill proved to be without a doubt the better side on the day despite a brave effort by Fitz in the latter stages of the game.

Fitz player Dave King echoed this sentiment by admitting that his side simply “didn’t turn up until the second half”.

Elsewhere in the division, Homerton stay top of the table after a 26-10 victory over Sidney Sussex, guaranteeing them a finishing spot in the league of promotion for Lent term.