London South East 3 rugby can sometimes be ugly stuff and the away trip to Datchworth didn't disappoint as the Hammers ground out a gritty 13-9 win which should have been much easier on a dry day in north Hertfordshire.

Datchworth kicked off and the Hammers immediately went on the attack making in roads into the home side and forcing Datchworth to clear their 22.  From there however, the pattern of the game emerged with lineout following scrum, following scrum, following lineout as this scrappy encounter denied any free flowing rugby.

The Datchworth scrum put the Hammers under a lot of pressure all afternoon and despite decent first phase possession from the lineout the Hammers never managed to put any pattern of play together.  Two penalties in the first half had left the Hammers trailing 6-0 and not looking like troubling the man at the end of the field in charge of the score board.  As the half drew to a close the Hammers managed to find some form and began to play their rugby in the opposition half.  One break saw the Hammers slide into the corner but into touch, narrowly missing out on 5 points. Good work form the rejuvenated Sean 'My Little Pony' OMalley and 'Glass Jaw' Sweeting together with link up play from the ever present back row of Dilley, O'Sullivan and 'Anger Management' Anderson finally gave the Hammers a well earned penalty and shot at goal.  Scott 'St-Studioline' Foley duly missed the kick and the Hammers looked like going into half time without a score.  With the final play of the half, Easyjets best customer, 'City break' Leach took a good line out and fed the outside backs.  A good break from O'Malley fed Sweeting who drew the final man to put Simon Ringshall into the corner for a well executed try.  Half time the Hammers trailed 6-5.

The half time team talk from the 'Little Fella' Lines gave the Hammers a change of game plan and focus.  The captains steely determination gave no indication of the romantic soul he has become and the tear jerking actions that would follow later in the game.

The second half began much as the first half had begun and it took ten minutes for the Hammers to act upon the captains instructions and begin to play some rugby.  Mistakes continued however and the Hammers were frustrated by good defence and spoiling from the Datchworth pack.  Most of the rugby was played however in the Datchworth half and despite conceding another penalty shot at goal to go 9-5 down Datchworth never really looked like scoring a try.  The Hammers managed to force a number of penalties which Studioline Foley was unable to convert with his errant boot and it wasn't until mid way through the half that the Hammers scored their second and decisive try.  First phase possession from the scrum feeding the backs who swept the ball wide for Dan Djikic to slide over.

With twenty minutes of the game left, the 'Tinkerman' Porter Griffiths bought on Big John Mobray for his first run of the season.  Things got too much for John and he was soon shown the way to the touch line for a 10 minute breather after only two minutes on the field.

Further pressure from the Hammers amounted to little as the game entered the final quarter.  A kick at goal by Studioline Foley finally went over to give the Hammers a little breathing space.  As the Hammers pressed for another score they were awarded a penalty five yards out from the Datchworth line near touch.  Captain Ali Lines stepped up and decided a catch and drive from the line out was the order of the day.  Clutching the ball he measured up for the kick to touch only to see his beautifull girlfriend Anja, standing alone by the corner flag, her hair blowing in the wind as she gazed lovingly at her man.  Linesy stepped up and almost in slow motion placed the most gentle of kicks into the arms of his adoring girlfriend.  It was all too much for the Hammers forwards who stood motionless, gazing out over the Hertfordshire countryside, thinking about their loved ones who weren't able to make it to the game and wiping the tears from their eyes.  The backs meanwhile were seen forcing their fingers down their throat in disgust.  Rumour has it that Linesy was said to mouth the words 'I love you' to Anja before play was resumed.

The game ended with the Hammers pressing the opposition and looking for a final score.  They finished with a narrow victory against a well drilled and tireless Datchworth side and on another day could have made life more comfortable for themselves.  Whilst the rugby was not pretty, a win is a win and more importantly another two points on the league table.

The next game sees the arrival of St Albans to Hurlingham Park for what promises to be an exciting game.

Hammers:  Scott Foley, Dan Djikic, Simon Ringshall, Mark Sweeting, Tom Hamnett, Sean O'Malley, Ali Lines, Barry O'Sullivan, Ryan Dilley, Rod Anderson, Alex Nielsen, James Leach, Mark Blyghton,  Ed Sibley, Chris Hird.  Subs:  John Mobray, Jack Short, Pete Lacey.

Tin Man - Ali Lines - that gentle kick to Anja pulled at everyones heart strings.

Man of the Match - Sean O'Malley - rejuvenated performance from the pony tailed kiwi.

The Scribe