RomerLee - led from the flank   Quote of the day: "So are you the other prop ...?" Nick Abrahams talking to John Markey

Well, the long awaited first match of the season turned out to be not much of a "match" at all. As usual for this time of year, there was no shortage of players available, with a fair few new faces turning up as well as a healthy complement of regulars. If we're blessed with this sort of commitment throughout the season, the match managers will have little problem getting teams together…time will tell! In truth the Blacks were too strong for this Battersea Ironsides team, and it did not take long for them to assert their superiority. Usually we would have expected to come up against stiffer opposition- at least up front - but the Ironsides were not their usual aggressive selves and were unable to exploit any early season rustiness from the away side. The Blacks' dominance was total, and solid performances in the scrum and at the lineout, combined with impressive and effective running behind, ensured that the game was well and truly over as a contest by half time. At the break the opposition had to watch several pairs of fresh legs eagerly warming up, and as the game started to resemble a training exercise (I'm told), their heads dropped and they had to rely on the increasingly peculiar refereeing. What little pressure the Blacks were under was endured with ease and at one stage it seemed as though ball retention was all that was needed for the Baa Baas to score. Maybe it was just as well that the referee ended the game a little early. Suddenly, after all that running about in the September sunshine, it was time to quench that thirst, and the Blacks could look back on a strong all round performance. This may not have been the most memorable of matches, but it did provide us with a good run-out, a chance to welcome new players…and to start the season with a 92-0 can't be bad! Picking out individuals for special mention is a bit tough (how often do we have to send out a circular email asking the club who scored the 3 tries that no one could remember?). However, spare a thought for Jon Markey who turned up expecting to make his debut for the Black Baa Baas, but ended up playing for the opposition instead…and not a word of complaint! Ben Romer-Lee Team List: Abbott P, Bowden, Crawford, Ellis, Jones, Lockwood, Slee, Romer-Lee, Cavalini, Flather, Aird, Homan, Leslie, Monroe, Smith, Penn, Samuel, Crichton, Johnston, Maltwood, Williams, Markey.