The Stags ‘adversaries, who were lying, and who indeed after Saturday very much still lie, second in National 3 London & South East ( Level 5 to those who understand such things ) are at this moment in time also the second highest placed “old boys” side in the whole of the RFU’s league structure : they have only Old Albanians who are in the third tier to look up to.

But whose alumni are they really?

Their team on Saturday contained no less than seven players who not so very long ago were gracing Blackheath 1st XV so the answer really has to be that these are the scions of Blackheath and if they carry on playing like this there is every chance that they will be encountering “ The Club”, their old club and currently bottom but one in Level 3, next season!

It will in many ways be a shame to see CS’s friendly hosts , where one can enjoy such a tasty and convivial lunch and whose long unbeaten home record CS took last season, move on but, hard as the Stags tried, there did ultimately appear to be quite a gulf in class between the two sides.

At half-time with the score 17-6 ( two Mike Ward penalties ) and with the Stags now having the advantage of wind and slope and a few minutes still to run on a home yellow all was by no means lost but they had already had to do an awful lot of tackling and really were getting very little change out of the home side’s well marshalled defence.

Any possible cause for optimism soon disappeared as the Stags never remotely looked like profiting from those climatic and topographical advantages and indeed it was the home side that only five minutes into the second period scored its fourth and therefore the bonus point try. Although a further Ward penalty did reduce the gap to 24-9 much of the game was still being played deep in the Stags’ half and the result was well and truly sealed when a line-out drive resulted in a further home score and Elthamians’ very fetching mascot could joyfully celebrate a job clinically done.

Battered and bruised to body and no doubt soul the Stags kept going but three minutes from no side the Elthamians’ right wing accepted a little flip pass and was far too quick for a hand even to be laid on him – a final indignity for the Stags who had it seemed tackled themselves to a standstill. There will not be many games left for them to play harder than this one, however.

Tonbridge Juddians are the visitors to Duke’s Meadows next Saturday when kick off will be 1415.

CS Rugby 1863 scorers :

Pens : Ward (3).