I would happily watch Park play East London every week. It is always a good game, played in the right spirit on both sides. Actually, I prefer watching if Park win, but this time it was East London’s turn. So our old friend coach Eddie Goobie had the bragging rights, and was happy to explain to all and sundry the benefits of the slow, safe ball.

The game started slowly, with both sides probing the half way line cautiously, as if the opposition half was mined. East London opened the scoring, taking advantage of an overlap and a botched tackle to score. They were soon back on our line, and scored a second try through the simple tactic of taking the ball at real pace. A third try followed when they took a quick penalty, and our defence was unable to re-group in time.

So Park were 0-19 down after half an hour, and East London were making us look a bit ponderous, slow to the ruck and bumbling in defence. Conceding early points is becoming a habit and, you know, we might win more games if we could kick it.

For some reason Park now decided to start playing. The key to our improvement was that we finally got the ball to our young fliers Logan Petrie and Blake Bevan. First, a carefully nursed overlap gave Blake the ball for a forty meter sprint along the line. Then East London made the mistake of kicking the ball down Logan’s throat. He broke out of defence, left the opposition backs flat-footed, and headed off for the line. He didn’t quite have the gas to make it himself, but his run got Park close enough for Grey Wolf Ben Wrigg to crash over the line, with several East London players clinging desperately but uselessly to his fur. So we went in to half time 14-19 down, with Romford’s faithful feeling a lot happier than they had ten minutes earlier.

Early in the second half, Aidan Mersh and Dwayne Lyn stole the ball and fed it down the blind side, creating an overlap for Blake Bevan to score his second, and level the score. Soon afterwards Park took the lead for the first time through a penalty. 22-19. However, East London soon replied to re-take the lead 22-26, using the same tactic of running a man at the line at pace. We really should have been ready for it second time around.

Park had many opportunities to win the game in the final twenty minutes. Our pack spent a long time on their line, but lacked the composure to get the ball over. Our backs butchered a clear overlap.

East London’s defence was well organized, and they managed the game cannily, with the more experienced players taking turns to go down and call on the physio, allowing their tiring colleagues time to catch their breath. In the end it was East London who took advantage of a bungled pass to score a breakaway try and take the score to 22-33. And that is how the score stood at the final whistle. Park made efforts to salvage a bonus point with another try, but it was all a bit panicky, and we could not capitalize on possession and field position.

I had thought it was a good-natured game, and was surprised to see blood-spattered players and a few zombies staggering out of the changing room? Had Director of Rugby Steve Barfoot finally carried out one of his threats? But no, it was Halloween. This is the night when former Romford players sleep fitfully in the neighbouring cemetery, and have been known to drift over the fence to haunt the bar they served so well in their time. May the Lord bless all their souls.