Custers Last Stand MILTON KEYNES  2nd XV 20  OLD GRAMMARIANS 2nd XV 7 There was no disgrace in this first defeat of the season as the Old Boys were beaten by a well-drilled good outfit who showed exactly what they were capable of.  But the Old Bopys acquitted themselves well in a highly entertaining game. They did not get off to the best of starts as the players arrived rather late, and therefore did not have enough time to prepare.  Secondly, a bit of psychological complacency may have set in before the game started as many of the second team were present when the Old Boys beat a Milton Keynes outfit earlier in the season.  But the home team were a complete shadow of the original team, and from the outset, it was clear they meant business, as they came at the Old Boys with literally all guns blazing.  After the game,  one seasoned campaigner for the Old Boys described the defence as 'Herculean' - reminiscent of General Custers Last Stand!!!.  Other words used to describe it were heroic, gutsy with a never say die mentality - what a testament to the Old Boys 2{\super nd} XV - rock solid with nerves of steel - it was like 'bows and arrows against the wind!!!' - anyway , enough of that f...ing bullshit - lets talk more about the game!!!! The first quarter was literally dominated by them, and the Old Boys had to do some serious defending.  But the Old Boys were knocking them down quicker than Charlotte Church on a vodka bottle!!!!  This began to eat away at them because at crucial moments, they knocked the ball on, or indiscipline set in and they lost their momentum, and we were able to clear our lines.  Once again, 'Brain of Britain' Gary Craddock paved the way with some wonderful touchline clearances and superb tackling.  Barney - who was making his first appearance of the season also showed some wonderful tenacity in defence.  The forwards defended the ruck area like possessed terriers, and the good spirit began to show through but at times , we let ourselves down.  Unfortunately, Number 8 'Nightshift'  Pearson went down and fell asleep, but luckily the pitch had floodlights, and we managed to finish the game by last orders!!!  Once he woke up, the game carried on but shortly after, prop Bing went over on his ankle, but had to leave the field.  This left us with 14 men and there  was a fair chunk of the half to go.  This incident seemed to resolve the Old Boys , and they actually began to attack Milton Keynes, much to their surprise.  Number 10 Donks made a sublime break down the middle of the field, ably supported  by the 'Black Prince' Mutty, but before he even had the ball, he was pulled back but the referee did not notice it.  At half time the score was still 0 -0, and the Milton Keynes  storm was weathered - for now. The second half started and the Old Boys took the initiative to M/Keynes and actually put them under pressure, despite the fact that they were 1 man down.  The scrums were uncontested, and the Old Boys worked their way into a good position 10 yards from the line.  A set move was called from the backs, including a dummy scissor in midfield which bamboozled their backs.  A slight gap opened up and 'Brain of Britain' put Jamie 'Magic Torch' Raines in to the gap, managed to evade a tackle, and stretch over the line under the posts.  This was converted by Martin 'Bald Eagle' Snow.  However, it became obvious that the 1 man advantage was beginning to tell and the defence was not quite as good.  Eventually the pressure told and they scored out wide but did not convert.  Soon after, they scored again - this time it was a very soft try as a gross error of judgement by full back Pete 'Smooth Dude' King when trying to field the ball in the dead ball area led to a soft try being scored.  It was later blamed on the bounce of the ball by the super smooooooth full back - but I preferred to blame it on the fact that he is an over-age git that couldn't deal with a young pup winger who mashed him up and scored 5 easy points!!!!!!!\par} This could have signalled the floodgates to open but they didn't which was a testament to the Old Boys ability to defend for as long as they could.  Milton Keynes only scored another couple of tries, but what we need is the determination effort, and less bickering amongst ourselves, and this loss can be turned round by Saturday when we face Oundle.  The side was skippered well by 'Master Luke' saunders and some good performances by Craddock, Barney, and P.J who is moulding into a good second row.  When asked about his good performances, this was put down to the fact that he now has a new girlfriend, of which it is quite clear that she is in charge and has already warned him that he cannot play rugby without her permission !!!!!!   Now that is sad, considering he is only 23 - sort your life out P.J. view archive news >> ogsrugby.co.uk latest news is sponsored by adc Marketing