The caterers again did a magnificent job. Although not known for their intellectual prowess, the committee decided to avoid risks and opted for chicken pie for the main course, rather than the usual beef and this seemed to meet with universal approval. The adventurous selection of profiteroles for sweet had a more mixed reception - some members declined while some consumed up to four portions - remarkable stamina.
The after dinner speeches were given by the captain Mark McDonough and Tony Chronnell for the club and Mr Jim Wallace of Newbold. Colin Stephens stepped in for Dr. Keith Burnham who apparently had an urgent house call, which delayed his arrival until the day after. McDonough reviewed the seasons performance with the conclusion "Could do better" while Wallace recalled some newspaper clippings from yesteryear. Chronnell gave thanks to Gordon Jennings from Projects, who retired as fixtures secretary after over 10 years sterling service. This period included some unusual three way matches and some very creative locations and directions to clubs, Bedford Queens quoted as an example.
The final obligation was to present the usual awards for the year. The captains cup went to Tony Chronnell and the second team captains cup was awarded to Tim Sargent. Richard Pinks was "Player of the Year" for repeated outstanding perfomances and some sparkling tries. Finally Mark McDonough was voted the "Players Player" of the year. The formal proceedings were then closed by the Chairman Colin Stephens, and the members finished the evening to the strains of "Nellie Hawkins" and Paul Thompson's favourite "The Wild Rover" amongst others.
CPS.
A slight mis-match this week provided AEI with plenty of tackling practice. An early try for Heathens was followed by a quick reply by AEI with Paul Thompson scoring an opportunist try. Heathens were on the attack for most of the half yet some good defence by AEI kept the score down to 17-5 at halftime. In the second half, Heathens' superior technique and fitness took their toll as they ran in a number of tries. Despite both Mark Allen and Paul Thompson (again) going close, AEI failed to trouble the scorers again.
A hard-fought yet good-tempered match saw an early exchange of penalties, with Nick Elliott notching for AEI. However that was as close as AEI were to get, as Old Scouts’ surged ahead with two first half tries. AEI fought back and from a quickly taken penalty by the quixotic Gary Storer, Mark McDonough set up Tony Chronnell for a try in the corner.
In the second half, Old Scouts’ all round supremacy began to show and they ran in three well worked tries. As always, the prospect of hot showers roused AEI for the final ten minutes, and a take against the head at a 5m scrum saw a pushover try by the pack, claimed by the ever youthful Stack Stephens.
On a day ideal for running rugby, AEI started brightly with a number of early opportunities for the backs. However, the final ball never quite went to hand and it was two first half tries from the forwards which set up the victory. The first try resulted from a spell of forward pressure, with No 8 Andy Sullivan pouncing cat-like on a loose ball from a 5m scrum. The second try was from a quickly taken penalty by Mark McDonough who was brought down just short of the line. Hooker Rich Stephens picked up and trundled over for his first try of the season, converted by Nick Elliott. Surprisingly, there was only one score in the second half, with the backs at last getting it right : fullback Richard Pinks sprinting through to score after a break by Tony Chronnell.
A strange turn of events on Saturday saw AEI with an abundance of front five forwards and a paucity of three-quarters from which to choose. In a closly contested first half, Jaguar went ahead early in the game with a drop goal. AEI then took the lead with a try setup by flyhalf Nick Elliott, who stepped inside his opposite number, drew the fullback and released Tony Chronnell for a long sprint to the line. Elliott himself duely converted. Jaguar came back strongly with a try and conversion before halftime, but with Mark McDonough scoring a penalty for AEI early in the second half, a close result seemed in sight. However, it was not to be. A number of elementary mistakes saw AEI conceed three 'soft' tries. A late Paul Thompson run from his own 22 threatened to bring the scores closer, only for him to be tripped up 15m short. The resulting penalty saw Mike Burnard (onside for a change) held up over the line.
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