Some more poetic words could be found for Wednesdays match report, but the reality was the Old Scouts 1st team lost to their rivals Old Northamptonians in the Northampton Alliance Final on Wednesday.

Scouts have beaten ON's three times in the last three years, and after an epic league winning match versus Market Harborough you wouldn't have been punished to expect a fourth.

The first team to score was Scouts after a solid lineout and strong carry from George Cresser. No one believed it would be easy, but 5 points after 5 minutes was a good start. The story of the night unfolded after that which was a game of huge frustration for Scouts.
The ON's defense was excellent and every Scouts player was chopped to the ground. Their opponents moved well, had good structure and it just seemed they were managing their energy better than the Scouts.
The title holders were working hard of course, but not with their usual formation and finesse. It just seemed all their questions were being answered.

In the first half, ON's built a lead and apart from a great solo effort from Captain Dean Lake, the Scouts shipped four tries and went in at the break 12-22. 10 points is not a lot, but it felt like a commanding lead. That lead was extended at 48 minutes and for 20 more minutes the ON's shut down nearly everything Scouts threw at them. A score finally came from Alex Finney but it was never enough and the whistle went on a very frustrating game.

Were the 1st team capable of winning? Absolutely yes. Did ON's play very well? Yes. Did it define our season? Not a chance. The Scouts are still the league winners and have had a fantastic season. These games are just like any close rivalry. If we played each other ten times in a season it might end up 5/5 or 6/4 or 7/3....Your going to lose at some point.

The team will celebrate the season and forget about Wednesday.....UNTIL NEXT SEASON! :-)