OR Deca Barbarians vs S&E Dads ’n Lads
Match Report | Saturday 9th May 2025 | Ben Searle Memorial Trophy
The sun was blazing. The ground was concrete. The legs were — let’s be honest — not 22 years old anymore. But the hearts? Absolutely enormous.
Saturday saw a glorious coming-together of rugby brotherhood as Civil Service, Old Rutlishians, Mitcham, Decca, and Quins temporarily set aside their tribal allegiances to form the OR Decca Barbarians — a coalition of experience, wisdom, and the kind of collective physio bill that would make the NHS weep.
The opposition? Sutton & Epsom’s Dads ’n Lads. Four quarters. Twenty minutes each. Ten quid for charity. What could possibly go wrong?
First Half — We Came. We Scored. We Dared to Dream.
The Barbarians drew first blood and immediately started composing their victory speeches. The lads were sharp, organised, and moving the ball with the kind of fluency that suggested they’d definitely been training and hadn’t just been eating crisps since October.
Billy was absolutely on fire — cutting lines, making breaks, and generally causing the sort of chaos that makes opposition coaches question their life choices. Archie Stocker, Richard Perkins, Larry and Billy all found their way over the whitewash, and by the 60-minute mark the scoreboard read a deeply respectable 26-26.
A draw. Poised. Tense. Glorious.
The Final Quarter — Enter: The Youth
And then they came.
Like a Biblical plague, but faster and with better knees, S&E’s young guns flooded the pitch in huge numbers for the final twenty. Suddenly the Barbarians — who had been magnificent — were confronted with legs that had never experienced a mortgage, backs that had never heard of a disc problem, and a young man called Spike who appeared to have been assembled in a laboratory specifically to score tries against veteran rugby players on a hot May afternoon.
The heat was merciless. The ground — officially the hardest surface known to man or beast — offered zero sympathy. And still the lads dug deep. Richard Perkins went agonisingly close under the posts, the kind of near-miss that will be discussed at length over a cold drink for many months to come.
But Spike? Spike had other ideas. Several of them, in fact.
Full Time
A defeat, yes — but one worn with absolute pride. This was never just about the scoreline.
🏆 Man of the Match – Larry
Orchestrating play at 10, pulling the strings, and somehow managing to look like he was enjoying himself throughout. Larry was simply magnificent. The trophy was thoroughly deserved.
⭐ Special Mention – Billy
On. Fire. Full stop.
The Bigger Picture
Today was played for the Ben Searle Memorial Trophy, in memory of S&E’s physio who passed away this year. A reminder that rugby — for all its banter, its bruises, and its absolutely ridiculous refusal to cancel games in any weather — is built on community, on people, and on the bonds that outlast any scoreline.
Every single man who pulled on that shirt today represented something far greater than themselves.
Unity. Pride. Friendship.
Ash couldn’t be more proud. 💪
Written by Ash Robinson.